Is French really declining in Quebec? It depends how you look at it, experts say

The decline of the French language is a familiar rallying cry for the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) — but how true is it?

Experts say it depends on who counts as a francophone.

"I see a lot of analysts, observers who are saying French is losing ground because there are less and less francophones, and then when we listen to what their definition of a francophone is, it's someone of a French-Canadian heritage," said Jean-Pierre Corbeil, Laval University professor and former head of language data at Statistics Canada.

In just the last month, the François Legault government has used the "decline of French" to justify limiting immigration and raising tuition for international and out-of-province students.

As French Language Minister Jean-François Roberge put it earlier this month, "it's obvious that French is going on the wrong side in Quebec and in Montreal. Those are facts."

But according to Corbeil, the data tells a different story.

"Most of the numbers that the Premier uses are numbers that focus, for the most part, on the private sphere," he explained.

It's true that the number of Quebecers with French as their mother tongue is in decline. But Corbeil says that, in reality, more and more people are using French in addition to another language.

According to Statistics Canada, 75 per cent of Quebecers say French is their first language, while 94 per cent say they have knowledge of French.

"People are saying, 'Well, just knowing French is not enough.' Well, in fact, we know that 96 per cent of people who know French, who are able to speak it, use it on a regular basis at work," Corbeil added.

Political analyst David Heurtel says the government is spinning the data to appeal to its base.

"To say just openly and without any questioning that the French language is in jeopardy, in dire jeopardy, is just not accurate," he told CTV News.

He said the CAQ is too focused on what language Quebecers use at home, not in the wider world.

"The Legault government's position now is basically founded on, 'Well, immigrants aren't speaking French at home.' That's not the criteria. The criteria is what is the common language in the work space, in the public space."

Corbeil says French is fragile, if not in decline.

But in his view, coercive policies won't fix the problem.

"Instead of saying 'It's in decline, it's in decline,' can we put forward efficient 'francisation' measures, if you will, to make sure workers [and international students] can learn French?"