Québec society
Québec is a French-speaking society that has made French its official language. French is the language of government, and the normal and everyday language of work, instruction, communication, commerce and business.
A majority (83%) of the population speak French at home, compared to 10% of the population who speak English at home and 6% who speak other languages. Over 40% of the population speak both French and English, a percentage that rises to 53% in Greater Montréal. In addition, 13% of the population speak a third language.
Since the early 20th century, around 700 000 immigrants from Europe, Africa, Latin America and Asia have become integrated into Québec society, and 48 000 new arrivals are added each year. This cultural mix has changed the face of Québec, historically a land of immigration; this is especially true of Montréal, the French-language capital of the Americas.
To protect its language in a pool of over 300 million speakers of English, Spanish and other languages, Québec has introduced various measures, including including legislation (the Charter of the French language is the framework Act that defines language rights in Québec) and actions by government organizations.
For more information…
(Department of Culture, Communications and the Status of Women)
Charter of the French language
