Survey shows Quebec anglophones feeling more insecure

On Monday, Statistics Canada released its most detailed portrait since 2006 on how official language minority communities are faring across the country.

In Quebec, the survey showed a third of anglophones are hesitant to speak English in public and more than a quarter of young anglophones plan on leaving the province in the next five years.

Quebec Community Groups Network director Sylvia Martin-Laforge said they were among those who consulted with the agency on the survey to ensure the right questions were asked.

“This report is more reflective of what we need to know about our community, because even back in 2006 and before, the English-speaking community didn't really think of itself as a minority community. But now we do,” Martin-Laforge said.

The survey, conducted in 2022, found 31 per cent of anglophones reported they felt hesitant or insecure to speak English in the last five years and 36 per cent reported feeling discriminated against or unfairly treated based on language when they shop, go to the bank or at their workplace.

The survey also explored the sense of belonging English speakers feel in Quebec and found 62 per cent identify primarily with the English community, 24 per cent felt equal belonging in both official languages, 6 per cent identified more with the francophone community and 8 per cent didn't identify with either official language.

Martin-Laforge said the anglophone community has become more insecure due to the tightening language laws and how it is impacting English institutions such as education and healthcare.

“All of this contributes to worrying about can I continue live here? Can I live well here? Can I play here, or can I go to school here?” she said.

The survey also found 14 per cent of adults said they planned to leave Quebec in the next five years. That number jumps to 25 per cent among respondents 18-25.

Marina Boulos-Winton, executive director of the youth employment and entrepreneur agency YES, said young people will follow the jobs, and finding a good job in Montreal is becoming more difficult especially with stricter language laws in the workplace.

“Of all the regions throughout Quebec, Montreal has the highest unemployment rate. Usually it's the Magdalen Islands, and Montreal has an unemployment rate of 8.6 per cent. That is astounding,” she said.