French caught in the web

When the Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF) measured that the place of French in the public space had remained stable between 2016 and 2021, optimists were quick to conclude that everything was going well.

To get an overall picture, however, we should consider previous reports which measure the decline in other indicators. For example, since 2021, the number of temporary immigrants who do not know French has tripled in Quebec.

We will soon have a summary document. This five-year report from the OQLF will be made public in the coming weeks.

In the meantime, certain figures already available show the usefulness of several measures of the action plan presented on Sunday by the Minister of the French Language, Jean-François Roberge, and five of his fellow ministers.

A column is not enough to analyze everything. I will focus here on culture, the international and immigration.

A language is not just a communication tool. It is a cultural anchor and a reservoir of meaning.

However, economic forces are pushing in the opposite direction. If we analyze based on skin color, it is true that the content of the platforms offers more diversity.

But diversity can also be analyzed from another aspect: language. And on that, the platforms propagate Anglo-Saxon hegemony. Its users also undergo opaque sorting carried out by algorithms.

The Minister of Culture, Mathieu Lacombe, hopes to table a bill within 12 months to force these platforms to make French-speaking Quebec content more visible. How ? We ignore it. But Mr. Lacombe has nevertheless already moved forward with the work. He commissioned and received an expert report on the “discoverability of cultural content”. He is interested in the model of the European Union and France in particular. It remains to be seen how this would fit into the federal plan which also promises to tackle it – but less firmly, according to Quebec.

A report from the Culture Observatory illustrates the challenge ahead.

The language spoken at home is an indicator to be used with caution. After all, the state has no place in kitchens. We want an immigrant to add Quebec culture to their identity, without erasing that of their country of origin.

But this indicator is not impertinent either. It allows you to see trends that go unnoticed when you only look at averages.

Consult the OQLF report on the languages ​​of consumption of cultural content in Quebec

Look at the graphics that accompany this column. Note how the platforms move away from French, especially among allophones.

Another major difference, not visible in these graphs: regardless of the cultural activity, young people are less likely to practice it in French.

We can see this as proof that the media must make more efforts to attract new audiences. The school also has a role to play, and the Caquists plan to introduce a passport to introduce young people to local works – the details are not known.

But these issues should not make us forget the impact of the Silicon Valley steamroller on Quebec culture.

In higher education, we already knew the requirements for foreign students in English-speaking universities. These establishments are suing the government. Dozens of columns have been published on this.

The plan tabled on Sunday contains a less controversial, but very relevant, measure.

The usual discourse on French goes like this: a small isolated French-speaking enclave in North America, Quebec must defend its language. This is not false, obviously. But French is also fifth among the most spoken languages ​​in the world.

Academics and entrepreneurs should be able to rely more on their language. The plan provides for initiatives to “promote research” and to strengthen economic agreements between Francophones.

What will it look like? Announcements are expected to clarify this.

For immigration, the plan is more precise. Candidates wishing to settle permanently must know French. Workers coming to Quebec with a closed permit – with the exception of those in the agricultural sector – will also have to demonstrate basic knowledge. Note that this excludes workers coming with an open permit, a program managed by the federal government.

Some figures on this subject. From 2016 to 2023, the number of temporary immigrants increased from 86,000 to 528,000. Among them, a third are unable to carry on a conversation in French.

Barely 36% of these workers who do not speak French register for courses. The reasons are multiple: insufficient and disorganized course offerings, lack of time and money, and the possibility of functioning in English at work anyway.

The minister responsible Christine Fréchette wants to focus, among other things, on francization in businesses. Excellent idea. But will it be during working hours? And who will pay? If we ask an unreasonable effort from a newcomer, the rate will remain low.

Quebec created Francisation Québec and increased budgets. This organization is brand new. But for the moment, in several regions, the delays in accessing services exceed the objective of 45 days.

The plan says it wants to “reverse the decline.” This is ambitious, and it is unclear when this goal will be achieved. But as long as a measure helps, it should be welcome. While waiting to see the details, of course. And until then, instead of waiting every five years, a summary report will be published every year. This is an excellent way to prevent partisan co-opting of numbers.