English and French are the two official languages in Canada.
Although English is the most widely spoken language in Canada, there are some places where the number of French speakers is higher than English speakers, while other locations have a substantial percentage of French-speaking residents.
Additionally, a significant percentage of the people living in Canada speak both French and English and many can hold a conversation in either language.
This article will discuss the population of French speakers in Canada, including why French is spoken so much throughout the country, so keep reading to learn more details.
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The Number of French Speakers in Canada
The number of French speakers in Canada is around 8.5 million out of a total Canadian population of about 40 million residents.
By comparison, there are approximately 30.2 million English-speaking Canadians.
Furthermore, about 7.2 million Canadians speak both French and English.
What Percentage of Canada Speaks French?
The percentage of French speakers in Canada is around 21.4% whereas English-speakers account for about 75.5% of the Canadian population.
The largest percentage of French speakers in Canada live in Québec, where about 82% of the province’s 8.5 million residents (or around 6.9 million people) speak the French language and approximately 13% (or about 1.1 million individuals) speak English.
New Brunswick has the second highest percentage of French speakers in Canada, with around 30% of the province’s 834,691 residents (approximately 250,407 people) speaking French and about 69% (around 575,936 individuals) speaking English.
Yukon Territory has the third biggest percentage of French speakers in Canada, with about 5% of its 40,232 residents speaking French and around 95% speaking English.
In Ontario, Canada’s most populous province, only 3% of its 15,608,369 residents speak French, but this is approximately 468,251 people, whereas 93% (about 14,515,783 people) speak English.
The percentage of French speakers in Canada’s provinces of Manitoba, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, as well as Northwest Territories is 3% each.
Two percent of the people living in Canada’s province of Alberta and territory of Nunavut speak French.
The lowest percentage of French speakers in Canada live in British Columbia (one percent), Saskatchewan (one percent) and Newfoundland & Labrador (less than one percent).
It is worth noting that 59.2% of the people living in Québec speak both French and English, compared with 23.1% in Ontario, 5% in British Columbia, 4.0% in New Brunswick, 3.9% in Alberta and 4.8% in the other Canadian provinces and territories.
Furthermore, 18% of the people living in Canada can have a conversation in both French and English:
- 46.4% living in Québec
- 34.0% living in New Brunswick
- 14.2% living in Yukon
- 12.7% living on Prince Edward Island
- 10.8% living in Ontario
- 10.6% living in Northwest Territories
- 10.3% living in Nova Scotia
- 8.3% living in Manitoba
- 6.6% living in British Columbia
- 6.1% living in Alberta
- 5.1% living in Newfoundland & Labrador
- 4.7% living in Saskatchewan
- 3.8% living in Nunavut
Thus, there is a significant number of French speakers in Canada, with the most living in:
- Québec = 6.9 million residents
- Ontario = 468,251 residents
- New Brunswick = 250,407 residents
What is The Largest French-Speaking City in Canada?
Montréal (Québec) is the largest French-speaking city in Canada and one of the top French-speaking cities in the world.
Around 71% of the people living in Montréal, Canada’s second most populous city, speak French as their main language, compared with 20.4% who speak English as their primary language, so Montréal has the highest number of French speakers in Canada.
Québec City has the largest percentage of French speakers in Canada of any major city, with 93.7% of its residents speaking French.
Other cities with a high percentage of French speakers in Canada include Sherbrooke (Québec) with about 89.3% speaking French and Gatineau (Québec) where 77.2% of the residents are French speakers.
Why is French Spoken So Much in Canada?
Hundreds of years ago, France explored and colonized large areas of what is present-day Canada and the United States, a vast territory which it called Nouvelle-France (“New France”).
Some of the earliest French settlements were in what is today the Canadian provinces of Québec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.
Examples of early French cities in present-day Canada include Québec City, Québec (founded in 1608); Trois-Rivières, Québec (established in 1634); and Montréal (founded in 1642).
The Seven Year’s War, fought by France and Great Britain from 1756 to 1763, ended with the signing of the 1763 Treaty of Paris in which France ceded to Great Britain its New France colony, with the exclusion of the Louisiana Territory. (France ceded its Louisiana Territory to Spain in 1762, but France’s Napoleon Bonaparte convinced Spain’s King Charles IV to cede it back to France in 1800 and then Napoleon sold it to the United States for $15 million in 1803).
Thus, the British took control of present day Canada, which is why English is spoken by most Canadians, however, there were large areas (such as Québec) where the French culture and language were well-established and remain so to this day.
Additionally, many French-speakers have moved to every province and territory to live and work, thereby expanding the population of French speakers in Canada.
The Official Languages Act of 1969 declared English and French as the two official languages of Canada, giving both languages equal status and allowing Canadians to communicate with Canada’s government and access services using either English or French (whichever they prefer).
Conclusion
French is one of the two official languages of Canada (the other being English) and is spoken by around 8.5 million Canadians.
The largest number of French speakers in Canada live in Québec, however, French is spoken by many people in all of the Canadian provinces and territories.
Needless to say, Canadian immigration is an attractive option for many skilled foreign workers and their families who are from French-speaking countries.
The mostly French-speaking province of Québec has its own Canadian immigration program for skilled foreign workers, called the Québec Regular Skilled Worker Program (QSWP or RSWP).
There are also Canadian immigration programs for skilled foreign workers who prefer to live and work outside of Québec, such as the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP) and Provincial Nominee Program (PNP).
These Canadian immigration programs generally require that skilled foreign workers have a certain French or English language proficiency level and satisfy other criteria for education, work experience, good health, good character, etc.
The Canadian government is seeking French-speaking skilled foreign workers and is giving special priority to them when issuing Invitations to Apply for Express Entry immigration to Canada.
How can you know which Canadian immigration program you are qualified to apply for?
After all, there are several Canadian immigration programs available to skilled foreign workers and their families and each one has its own eligibility requirements and application procedure.
If this seems complicated, don’t worry, because Canadian Visa Expert has the solution!
Since 2012, Canadian Visa Expert has been working with authorized immigration consultants who can evaluate your eligibility and guide you through each step of the application process if you qualify.
The first step is to receive your eligibility evaluation so you will know your best option for immigration to Canada.
Discover Frequently Asked Questions from Our Support
Is Canada mostly French?
Canada is an immigrant-friendly, multicultural country where about 23% of its 40 million residents is foreign-born. English and French are the two official languages spoken in Canada’s 10 provinces and three territories. There are approximately 30.2 million people in Canada who speak English, while around 8.5 million Canadians speak French and about 7.2 million can have a conversation in both languages. A diversity of languages are spoken in Canada, besides English and French, including Mandarin (530,945), Punjabi (520,390), Cantonese (393,430), Spanish (317,365), Arabic (285,915), Tagalog (275,040), Persian languages (179,745), Urdu (158,040), Russian (125,780) and Korean (125,525).
Where in Canada is only French spoken?
English and other languages are so prevalent in Canada that it would be hard to find a place where only French is spoken. Even in Québec, where most of the people (about 82%) speak French and the signs are mostly written in French, around 4.3 million people can have a conversation using the English language and about 3.9 million residents can hold a conversation in either French or English.
Is English spoken more than French in Canada?
Yes, about 30.2 million of Canada’s 40 million residents speak English, while around 8.5 million speak French and approximately 7.2 million Canadians speak both French and English. Nonetheless, this depends on where a person is at in Canada (for example, most people living in Quebec speak French).
Is French useful in Canada?
Yes, there is a large population of French speakers in Canada, so knowing French can be useful when you want to communicate with someone who only speaks French. Additionally, even if your knowledge of French is limited, French speakers will generally appreciate your attempt to speak with them in French (and many will switch to English if they know it). Speaking the French language is particularly useful and practical if you plan to travel to or live and work in Québec, since French is the main language spoken there, even though millions of people living in Québec speak English.
