French-English bilingualism on the rise in Sask., census shows

Saskatchewan families are welcoming French conversation into their lives and living rooms.

Almost 16,000 people report speaking French at home, according to data released by Statistics Canada Tuesday. The release analyzes and compares information collected in 2001 and in 2016, 15 years later.

The French-language landscape in Saskatchewan looks — and sounds — very different than it did in 2001.

Fewer and fewer homes are French-speaking only and a 13 per cent decline in mother tongue French speakers looms large over the rest of the findings. 

A closer look reveals that more and more people are learning French as a second language. French-English bilingualism is up approximately five per cent from 2001.

State of the language

In 2016, 51,890 people in the province were able to conduct a conversation in French, which translates to almost five per cent of the population.

Saskatchewan workers use French to communicate in the workplace slightly more than they did 15 years ago, though the workforce also grew fifteen per cent over that time.

French-only workplaces are scarce in the province but French communities do exist. Their population is changing, too.

"There is one spouse speaking French, a spouse speaking English and families are bilingual," said Eric Lefol, the general manager of the Francophone Association of Saskatoon.

"Of course, we see children identifying as being bilingual Canadians and not as French-speaking Canadians."

Lefol said he isn't surprised by any of the statistics.

He points to French immersion as a possible source of increased French conversation. Beyond educating children in the language, the course brings more French speakers to Saskatchewan from other provinces.

"We have more and more students in French immersion schools and they're in need of French speaking teachers, so they hire a lot of adults from Quebec," he said.

Immigration factors in, too. Newcomers often choose to enrol their children in French immersion. Some families even choose French as the official language they learn upon immigrating to Canada.

None of it, though, is enough to keep pace with the number of mother tongue French speakers the province has lost.

Anglophones 'part of the solution'

Henri Biahé teaches translation and linguistic studies at the University of Saskatchewan. He has studied various French dialects across Canada and the world.

Biahé is encouraged by the rising bilingualism the Statistics Canada numbers reveal.

"English Canadians are also part of the solution to the utilization and the viability of the French language in Saskatchewan," he said.

He said it could be discouraging for the Fransaskois population to see that first-language French speakers make up just one per cent of Saskatchewan but urges people to look at the big picture.

"We have a very, very dynamic and vibrant French-speaking community."

His students, too, are interested in speaking French and are engaging with the community, even if it is their second or third language. 

Biahé teaches a French/English translation course. Last year there were 20 students enrolled.

"Now I have over 30 students in the class. I had to change locations."