Today is the Francophonie Day. Across the globe, more than 220 million men and women speak French; that’s one person out of 32! 1
In Canada, we often think of French being spoken primarily in one ‘belle province’; but there are actually close to 10 million Canadians who speak French.2 In fact, outside Quebec, more and more people are reporting French as their mother tongue. As of 2011, 4.3% of Canadians outside Quebec report speaking French at home; more than 10% report being able to conduct a conversation in French.3
Earlier this month, the Franco-Albertan flag was raised by francophones across Alberta. The Association canadienne-française de l’Alberta has been organizing many activities to celebrate the French language, such excursions to sugar shacks, theatre shows and presentations.
“It’s so vibrant here and we’re one of the few provinces where the French population only keeps growing,” says Isabelle Laurin, director of public affairs for the Association canadienne-française de l’Alberta.
“The francophone population that’s been here for many generations is very engaged,” she said. “Some of the challenges we have is getting new Franco-Albertans to recognize that there is a francophone community here .”
Each year, on March 20, the association holds a kiosk at Canada Place in Edmonton to encourage public servants to find out more about the francophone community in the province.
Meanwhile, in Quebec, there really is a continued struggle for linguistic equality rights. Yvon Beaudoin, a UNE Assistant Regional Vice-President for Quebec, recently attended the annual meeting of members of francization committees in Montreal. These committees are required by law; they aim to promote the French language within workplaces employing 50 or more individuals.
Beaudoin said francophones often have to fight to be able to work in the language of their choice. Sometimes, even access to French computer software can be a problem.
“We know it’s much cheaper to buy software in English[BR4] ,” said Beaudoin. “When we want the software in French, it’s always a bit late – it’s not always available. And it’s much more expensive.”
Beaudoin said that businesses in Quebec can obtain financial support from the provincial government to help them offset the cost of French-language software.
Another growing concern in Quebec revolves around the impact of globalization. As Quebec companies are bought out by larger American ones, francophones increasingly see the English language take centre stage.
Beaudoin is also a member of the UNE’s francophone committee. He says he’s seen a dramatic improvement in the quality of the French both during events and on the union’s website.
[1] Press release, Organisation international de la francophonie, 2013.
[2] French and the francophonie in Canada, Statistics Canada, 2011.
[3] Number of people and proportion of the population reporting French by selected language characteristic, Canada outside Quebec, 2006 and 2011, Statistics Canada, 2011