Census data released Wednesday shows bilingualism in Canada is on the rise, but not that involving the country's two official languages.
Data from the 2011 census shows almost six million canadians speak English and a language other than French at home.
That's up more than three percentage points from the 2006 census.
Meanwhile the proportion of Quebecers speaking only French at home continues to drop slightly, going from 77 percent in 2001 to just under 73 percent in 2011.
The number of Quebecers able to speak French has also dropped slightly, and now stands at 94.4 percent.
On the island of Montreal only 39 percent of people speak solely French at home, down from 46 percent in 2001.
That trend has several Parti Quebecois ministers and language critics worried.
Jean-Francois Lisee, the minister responsible for Montreal, says the province will take action to keep francophones in the metropolis.
"We're looking at providing more affordable housing or access to ownership to young families so that they stay, be they anglophone or Hispanics or French. But we know that in the end of the total numbers it will mean more francophones on the island," said Lisee.
The minister also acknowledged that the number of anglophone-only homes in Montreal is declining.
"It's not an increase in English, it's the fact that a certain number of Montrealers of foreign origins are retaining their mother tongue for a very long time, something which is perfectly legitimate on their part.
But the fewer francophones there are on the island, the less francophones can do to integrate others," said Lisee.
Higher Education minister Pierre Duchesne said the census provides yet another reason to alter Bill 101.
"We need a Charter of the French language that is sufficiently strong to protect the difference in North America, which is francophones and their culture," said Duchesne.
The main reason for the shift in language used at home is immigration.
Nearly 11 percent of Montrealers speak something other than English or French at home, while 12 percent speak French and another language.
Meanwhile the number of immigrants who have adopted French as their home language has increased by just over a percentage point -- to 24 percent.
It's the second language of choice for 16 percent of immigrants in Quebec.
The 2011 census reports roughly 20 percent of the population frequently speaks a language other than English or French at home, the most popular being Chinese dialects, Punjabi, Arabic, Spanish and Tagalog.
For the country as a whole English is still the dominant language with 58 percent speaking it at home.
With a file from The Canadian Press
