The question of the place of the French language in Montreal has been the subject of much discussion for some time. I, who have lived in the city center for 21 years, have the distinct impression that as time goes by, we always hear more English than French. Is it just an impression? And if not, what is the constant and steady progression of English due to?
Posted at 3:00 p.m.
We have been experiencing a serious health crisis for two years. The media pointed out that it had resulted in a demographic improvement for the remote regions of Quebec, including my native Lac-Saint-Jean, which gained nearly 2,000 inhabitants, or even this dear Gaspésie, whose demography seemed desperate , which for its part won 1600. Which I am delighted, of course.
These gains are due to interregional migration (to be distinguished from international and interprovincial migration). But for regions to gain inhabitants by virtue of this type of migration, others must necessarily lose them. This was the case for Montreal, which lost no less than 84,200 inhabitants due to migration between regions of Quebec alone in 2019-2020 and 2020-2021.
What does language have to do with this observation? you will ask. It should be noted that the demo-linguistic profiles of populations evolve slowly. At the last census for which the results are known, that of 2016, French was the mother tongue of 83.4% of the population of the greater Montreal suburbs, of 92.4% in the other regions of Quebec.. The relative stability of these demo-linguistic profiles makes it possible to formulate the rather cautious hypothesis that 85% of Montrealers who left their island for the regions of Quebec over the past two years were Francophones, i.e. no less than 71,500 people.
In the 2016 census, the share of French as a mother tongue on the island of Montreal fell below 50%. Considering these very recent 71,500 fewer Francophones, we must fear the forthcoming publication of the results of last year’s census (2021).
The COVID-19 pandemic has only punctually accelerated a fundamental movement which is undeniably the main cause of the decline of French in Montreal, namely the massive exodus of Francophones to the greater suburbs for decades, to which to add a beginning of exodus towards the other regions of Quebec.
Who says French mother tongue necessarily refers to French-speaking Quebecers and French, Belgian and Swiss immigrants. However, I would be very surprised to learn that a number of people within these last three groups, numerically small in any case, left Montreal for Sainte-Sophie, Saint-Félicien, Saint-Alexandre-de-Kamouraska and many other saints over the past two years. Obviously, it is French-speaking Quebecers who are massively turning their backs on Montreal.
We currently hear, from defenders of the French language, concerts of praise addressed to François Legault for his decision not to fund the expansion of Dawson College. However, this is a very small event compared to the essential, namely that French-speaking Quebecers are increasingly at a symbolic and cultural break with their metropolis.