Myths about privileged, unilingual anglophones persist, study finds

Ruby Pratka, Local Journalism Initiative reporter

editor@qctonline.com

A recent study by the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages of Canada (OCOL) has challenged some tenacious myths about English-speaking Quebecers and their relationship with the French language and francophone Quebec culture.

Using census data and previous opinion polls, the study found that more than 70 per cent of English-speaking Quebecers consider themselves bilingual, and only two per cent speak no French whatsoever. Among anglophones who speak at least some French, most (65 per cent) use the language at work, and families with one English-speaking and one French-speaking par- ent don’t necessarily default to using only English in the home – nearly 70 per cent of children born in bilingual households have French as a mother tongue. At least 80 per cent of anglophone Quebecers say they believe it is important for all Canadian high school graduates to be functionally bilingual.

The study also addressed the belief that English-speaking Quebecers were more economically privileged than their francophone counterparts, pointing out that English- speaking Quebecers faced a higher rate of unemployment, had a lower median income and were more likely to experience poverty compared to their French-speaking counterparts.

More than three-quarters of English-speaking Quebecers were in regular contact with francophones; when the question of cultural engagement was addressed, 55 per cent of anglophones were interested in French-language cultural products, such as books, music, film or television, and 58 per cent had attended artistic and cultural events in French over the past year.

However, when researchers put this data to francophone focus group recipients, they were met with skepticism; although participants usually reported positive person-to-person interactions with the other group, participants – particularly francophones – tended to vastly underestimate the degree of bilingualism and interest in francophone culture shown by anglophones.

“The same myths are often repeated over and over again by gatekeepers – whether it be politicians or certain media outlets – who aren’t interested in speaking to us,” commented Eva Ludwig of the Quebec Community Groups Network. “I find it disappointing that this study hasn’t really been taken up by French-language media, as it’s the kind of thing that will go a long way towards repair- ing divisions. We have more in common than we think we do.” She lamented the fact that media outlets tended to “take one case of an English speaker not knowing something” about French-speaking Quebec, and generalize.

For Montreal author and columnist Toula Drimonis, author of an acclaimed book about belonging in Quebec, We, the Others: Allophones, Immigrants, and Belonging in Canada, the generalizations aren’t surprising. “There is a percentage of people who don’t fraternize with [the other culture] and there are older people who haven’t kept pace with a rapidly changing Quebec … who kind of live in a bubble,” she said. “The same myths are constantly fed to this audience because it pays off politically.” For Drimonis, myths about privileged, unilingual anglophones have led to “punitive” policies – such as a six-month deadline for new immigrants to receive government services in French – which do little or nothing to protect the language, and make it less attractive. “Language has been politicized for so long that even smart people lack basic empathy and under- standing,” she said.

Editors’ note: This is part one of an ongoing feature series. Part two will explore how arts and culture are being used to build bridges between English and French speakers. To learn more about the study, see Commissioner of Official Languages Raymond Théberge’s open letter in this edition. If you would like to share your thoughts on the subject, please get in touch at editor@qctonline.com.