Building Bridges: Perceptions and realities about the English-speaking communities of Quebec and their relationship with French in Quebec and bilingualism in Canada

Francophone perspectives

The participants in the four French-language focus groups were first asked to describe the relations between the English- and French-speaking communities in Quebec. The first general impression shared by Francophone participants was a combination of positive and negative comments. There was an acknowledgement of current tensions around language issues but also some sense that relations had perhaps improved compared to the past. There was acknowledgment of a history of political tensions, but at the same time many noted that, on an individual level, relations were usually quite cordial. To the extent that there were tensions, many of the Francophone participants blamed them on extremists on both sides or felt that it was caused by the resistance of some English-speaking Quebecers to using French. Examples of these sentiments were as follows:

“Relations can sometimes be distant and tense due to certain historical and social tensions between the language groups.” [Translation]

Francophone participant

“In my opinion, relations are not very good, especially coming from Anglophones.” [Translation]

Francophone participant

“I’d say relations are often marked by misunderstanding, rigidity and a lack of open-mindedness on both sides.” [Translation]

Francophone participant

“I think relations are rather friendly but somewhat reserved.” [Translation]

Francophone participant

“I think relationships are better than they were 50 years ago.” [Translation]

Francophone participant

“It depends where—relations are better in cities like Montréal compared to rural areas.” [Translation]

Francophone participant from Montréal

“Relations are quite cordial, but as soon as Francophones demand a little more about our rights (for example, to be served in French in stores), it leads to tension.” [Translation]

Francophone participant

“Relations are generally good, there’s respect. But there are also a lot of extremists.” [Translation]

Francophone participant

When asked to elaborate, participants from Montréal and Gatineau—where there is a larger English-speaking population—tended to express more negative views of English-speaking Quebecers, while participants in the rest of Quebec tended to have more neutral to positive views of Anglophones. Quebecers who were raised in both French and English or who have close friends or family members who are Anglophone also had more positive perceptions.

There was a perception among Francophone participants that some English-speaking Quebecers do not make enough effort to speak French. This view tended to be driven by some negative personal interactions, especially in the downtown and western areas of Montréal and in Gatineau, notably in stores (with employees or other customers), during online conversations, from childhood experiences, or in their work environment. Interestingly, “l’ouest de Montréal” or “Westmount” was often invoked as an example, including by some participants who did not live there.

“It’s always up to us to make the effort to speak English. We want to be served in French when we’re in Quebec. When I travel, I make an effort to speak the local language.” [Translation]

Francophone participant

Several Francophone participants reported experiences where they had switched to English to accommodate an Anglophone. While some said that it is well-intended and that both communities need to make more of an effort, others expressed frustration, saying that the opposite situation—an English speaker switching to French—happens far less often. A couple of participants said that they make a point of refusing to speak English because the French language is at risk of being replaced by English over time, and they blamed Francophones for switching to English too easily to accommodate Anglophones. They said that Francophones should hold their ground and insist on speaking French to protect the language. Other participants pointed out that switching to English when speaking with an Anglophone can discourage those who are genuinely trying to speak French and who are perhaps dealing with linguistic insecurity.

“My boyfriend is an Anglophone and his French isn’t that good. But when he makes the effort to speak French, he’s often answered in English, supposedly to accommodate him.” [Translation]

Francophone participant

“Francophones often have the bad habit of responding in English to Anglophones trying to practice their French. You have to be patient and let them practice. It’s appreciated and can also improve relationships.” [Translation]

Francophone participant

Many participants said that they felt relations between the two communities are more respectful now than they were in past generations. They noted that millennials and Gen Z are more bilingual than ever. Some are celebrating this new reality, saying the youngest generation of English-speaking Quebecers are now more aware of the importance of the French language in Quebec and that mutual understanding is desirable. Others worry that, in the long term, the presence of English will grow at the expense of French.

“I notice that young people speak mostly in English wherever we go to Montréal. I hear English being spoken more than ever before. The French language is losing ground.” [Translation]

Francophone participant

The challenge of learning French—usually because of the complex grammar and gendered nouns—especially at an older age, was brought up in all of the French-language focus groups. One person whose partner is learning French commented that the current system of francization classes in Quebec is disorganized and can be discouraging for English speakers.

Anglophone perspectives

In the two English language focus groups, participants were also asked to share the first words that come to mind about how they think French-speaking Quebecers view their English-speaking counterparts. A majority of participants from Montréal and Gatineau used positive words such as “fluid” and “cordial,” with notable exceptions. The words used by participants outside of Montréal and Gatineau had mostly negative connotations, such as “strained,” “terrible” and “complicated,” again with some important exceptions.

Anglophones from the Montréal and Gatineau areas shared mostly positive experiences, saying that there is an easiness to life in these cities, speaking and switching from one language to another. On the other hand, Anglophones living outside of Montréal and Gatineau shared more negative experiences of what they perceived as Francophones’ aggressive behaviours against English-speaking people, sometimes from customers, other times from employees refusing to accommodate them in English when they are shopping.

One participant said she had never felt any strain when speaking French with Francophones at an individual level, but that social media, the news and some politicians are creating a hype around isolated incidents between Francophones and Anglophones, polarizing and politicizing an otherwise generally cordial relationship.

Some Anglophone participants who were less fluent in French shared the experience of having been brushed off by Francophones when they tried to use French, or who did not want to make any effort to speak English. The negative experiences they faced, combined with comments in the public sphere, make some of them hesitate about wanting to use or to learn more French because the sentiment of being pointed at is not encouraging them to try to speak French.

“[Francophone Quebecers] almost don’t want you to learn French, and they don’t want to see the benefits of knowing more than one language.”

Anglophone participant

There was a perception that Francophone Quebecers are afraid of losing their identity if English has too much space. Some would like to see Francophones celebrating bilingualism instead of often seeing English speakers as a threat.

While some Anglophone participants said that they speak and use French on a regular basis, others said that they used French much less and had very limited contact with Francophones in their day-to-day lives.

Francophone perspectives

Francophone participants shared mixed views of English-speaking Quebecers’ attitudes toward the use of French. Some said the English speakers they interact with do speak French, some said they do not.

“Most Anglophones are very accommodating, even fond of speaking or trying to speak French.” [Translation]

Francophone participant

“Looking around in my neighborhood, I’m surrounded by lots of Anglophones who speak French very well.” [Translation]

Francophone participant

“There are Anglophones who like to speak French, but unfortunately this is not the majority, so we don’t see them very often.” [Translation]

Francophone participant

It was widely acknowledged that English-speaking Quebecers are much more adept at and willing to speak French today than was the case in past generations. Several participants noted that the more established and older English-speaking Quebecers tended to speak less French compared to the generations following them. In other words, there was an impression that more and more English-speaking Quebecers have started speaking French over the years. On one hand, some thought many younger English-speaking Quebecers are now well aware of the importance of speaking French in Quebec and grew up with a different mentality than did their parents. On the other hand, some shared concerns that we are seeing the first signs of a backward trend, with younger English-speaking Quebecers starting to turn their backs on the French language and culture. There were also comments about the impact of immigration and how so many recent immigrants seem to assimilate into the English-speaking community and do not always understand the French fact in Quebec.

In general, Francophone participants in Montréal and Gatineau were somewhat more likely than those living elsewhere to express negative views about the attitudes of English-speaking Quebecers toward the French language. Some participants were frustrated with how much English they hear in their day-to-day lives and with having people address them in English first without even trying to use French.

In comparison, the attitude of English-speaking Quebecers living in the rest of the province was viewed positively by Francophones who either live in or visit these regions.

“I spent two weeks in Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean and didn’t hear a single Anglophone speak English.” [Translation]

Francophone participant

Some participants from Gatineau noted a recent post-pandemic move of unilingual English speakers from Ottawa across the river in search of more affordable housing. They added that this influx of “nouveaux”—as they are referred to—is talked about in the region and causes some tensions because they are perceived as not speaking or even trying to speak French. Furthermore, they appear to expect to be served in English.

“I’ve seen a lot of newcomers moving to the Outaouais who clearly don’t speak or make the effort to speak French.” [Translation]

Francophone participant

The perception that English-speaking Quebecers take it for granted that Francophones will accommodate them by switching to English is one of the main sources of frustration among Francophones toward Anglophones. This perceived expectation that Francophones should accommodate Anglophones—some participants used the word “entitlement” to describe their perception—plays an important role in how some Francophones perceive English-speaking Quebecers. As mentioned earlier, some participants believed that Francophones also contribute to this situation because they do not insist enough on speaking French with Quebec Anglophones.

“I get the impression that in Quebec, Anglophones take it for granted that Francophones will adapt to them.” [Translation]

Francophone participant

“When a Francophone meets an Anglophone, they’ll adapt and speak in English. The opposite doesn’t happen. An Anglophone won’t make the effort to speak French.” [Translation]

Francophone participant

“In an English-speaking group, even if there’s one Francophone, there won’t be a switch to French.” [Translation]

Francophone participant

“On my son’s sports team, everything is in English because two or three players don’t speak French. It’s supposedly easier; you’re more part of the ‘cool’ gang if you speak English.” [Translation]

Francophone participant

While some participants considered having to make these accommodations to be an irritant, others said they do not mind switching from French to English with Anglophones, and that adjusting to someone else’s language is a sign of respect and consideration.

Some Francophones said most of the English-speaking Quebecers they interact with daily—as customers, clients, coworkers, family, or friends—do speak to them mostly in French.

“I always see Anglophone friends, colleagues and customers making an effort to speak French, and they’re doing great. We understand each other in French without any problem.” [Translation]

Francophone participant

“Perhaps I was more fortunate than others. In my case, it often happened in a meeting with six or seven Francophones at work that the only Anglophone would speak French.” [Translation]

Francophone participant

There was a widespread belief among the Francophone participants that French-speaking Quebecers are more likely to be bilingual than English-speaking Quebecers because it is a necessity for them if they want to travel or for work opportunities. They think this is particularly true for the younger generations. Several also observed that there seems to be an attitude in society that it is more important for a Francophone to speak English than it is for an Anglophone to speak French in Quebec, and that the burden of being bilingual falls on Francophones.

“The media pushes a lot that if you just speak French, you’re not open to the world, lazy, xenophobic, stuck in your corner. Whereas if you speak English, there’s this perception that it’s ‘cool’ and that you’re open to the world.” [Translation]

Francophone participant

“Bilingualism is often seen as a Francophone’s duty.” [Translation]

Francophone participant

“It’s more useful for a Francophone to be bilingual than it is for an Anglophone to be bilingual.” [Translation]

Francophone participant

“In the Anglophone community, French is seen as a useless sub-language in comparison with English, the world’s dominant language.” [Translation]

Francophone participant

Perhaps as a result of these sentiments, Francophone participants tended to underestimate Anglophones’ ability to speak and use French. Many of them were under the impression a lot of Anglophones can probably speak at least some French but are refusing to do so, either because they don’t want to learn, are not interested, don’t care, or find it too hard to learn.

“Perhaps there are a lot of Anglophones who are indeed bilingual, but they often don’t use their French, and that’s why we don't hear it.” [Translation]

Francophone participant

“For many Anglophones, bilingualism is an inconvenience. They’d rather have services in English and speak English every day.” [Translation]

Francophone participant

Some Francophone participants see more institutions and services available in Quebec for the ESCQ , particularly in Montréal and Gatineau, than for any Francophone minority community in other provinces. As a result, they feel it is more comfortable, if not too comfortable, for Anglophones to live primarily in English in Quebec.

“Anglophones in Quebec have everything they need to study and live in English from sunrise to sunset. Francophones in the rest of the country don’t have access to the same resources.” [Translation]

Francophone participant

“Many Anglophones spend their entire days without speaking French.” [Translation]

Francophone participant

“Living in English 365 days a year in Quebec is very possible and very common from what I can see.” [Translation]

Francophone participant

“I’m not against the English language, I can speak English. I’m against too much English.” [Translation]

Francophone participant

Anglophone perspectives

When Anglophone participants were asked how they think Francophones view their attitude toward the French language and to comment on their views about their relationships with Francophones, they often noted that they feel there is a perception that the English language is a threat to the French language. Many participants did not see this is a serious concern, saying increased bilingualism does not have to mean less French. Only a few acknowledged the fact that many Francophones may genuinely feel that their language is threatened and that there is thus a need to protect it.

“There’s a strong tie to language in the French culture that doesn’t exist the same way for us. For Anglophones, we don’t feel we have to defend our language in the same way.”

Anglophone participant

Several Anglophone participants expressed a desire for Francophones to be less judgmental and not to presume that most English-speaking Quebecers do not speak French or do not respect the language. They noted that these stereotypes and misconceptions feed into a linguistic insecurity that may not be warranted. Most of the Anglophone participants reported that they spoke French quite well, and only a few described their French ability as very limited. Some expressed frustration at experiences of Francophones switching to English when they tried to start a conversation in French and felt that their French would never be considered “good enough.”

“I’ve been told by people at the store ‘thanks for the effort.’ Then you get other people that are like, ‘Well, it’s not good enough.’”

Anglophone participant

“You try to speak French, but then they hear an accent and just immediately go ‘Oh, no, we’ll speak English.’ It gets really frustrating, since people put in the effort. But it’s just not being recognized. They just take it upon themselves to decide to speak English to you, instead of speaking French.”

Anglophone participant

Anglophone participants also thought it was unrealistic to expect newcomers to Quebec to be very fluent over a short period of time, considering the effort involved and the need to prioritize work and family life. One participant described how they moved from another province to Quebec specifically to give their children a “Québécois” education and a better future, but they now have two jobs to make ends meet, which has slowed the process of improving their French. This participant spoke of feeling looked down upon when they try to speak French in public, even though they moved to Quebec because they have an appreciation for Francophone culture and wanted to pass that along to their children.

Several participants were frustrated with being criticized for using English, even if only among themselves, and for being made to feel like they don’t belong, no matter how well or how often they speak French. Most said that they are happy to use French or to try to use it, but they don’t want to feel forced to use it, and they want to feel welcomed when using English.

“If someone forces me to do something, I’ll do the exact opposite.”

Anglophone participant

“Forcing people to learn a language is not a solution.”

Anglophone participant

Recent government measures restricting English in Quebec were a major source of disillusionment and driver of tensions according to Anglophone participants, and there was a perception that this isolates Francophones. There was great skepticism as to the necessity, or even the validity, of such measures, which were seen to be doing a disservice to both language communities. Some described a backlash among English-speaking Quebecers as a result of government measures that were seen as draconian and felt that this is causing some resistance to speaking French when it is seen as something people are being forced to do.

“The political viewpoint of preserving French at all costs and doing these extreme measures is just creating a bigger divide.”

Anglophone participant

Despite this politicized context and some news stories fuelling discord, most Anglophone participants tended to believe that English-speaking and French-speaking Quebecers should be able to get along reasonably well in everyday life. There was also optimism that younger Anglophones and Francophones are more bilingual and are building more bridges between the two communities.

“Certain French-Canadians think Anglophones are stubborn because they don’t learn French. Certain Anglophones think French-speaking Quebecers are stubborn because they don’t want to speak English. So, there are these extremes who think that about each other. When you live in the mix, you don’t sense it.”

Anglophone participant

“There’s a bit of a generation gap. More and more people are bilingual. Younger people are much more fluid in terms of speaking French. So, I’d like to think in general that people are getting to be more cordial and understanding of one another.”

Anglophone participant

Francophone perspectives

Several Francophone participants noted that it was important to speak English to understand the Anglophone majority in Canada, engage in conversation, travel, make international connections, open up to other cultures, and create more opportunities. Many said they were pleased that the younger generations are more bilingual, and talked about unilingual English-speaking or bilingual parents who are sending their children to school in French or are speaking to them in both languages.

“I think speaking English is a good thing because it’s the international language.” [Translation]

Francophone participant

“I also see unilingual Anglophone parents around me insisting that their children speak French. They see bilingualism as an opportunity for their children to access senior positions, better paid than unilingual positions—for example, in the federal government. It gives their children opportunities they didn’t have as Anglophone parents with a very limited ability in French.” [Translation]

Francophone participant

“I think young parents are increasingly speaking to their children in both languages, and I think that’s great.” [Translation]

Francophone participant

When asked, Francophone participants supported the principle of official bilingualism in Canada, despite some skepticism about support for the Official Languages Act from English-speaking Canadians outside Quebec. They nonetheless recognized that English-speaking Quebecers are more aware of the importance of French than English speakers in the rest of Canada.

“Quebec Anglophones value bilingualism more than Anglophones in the rest of Canada.” [Translation]

Francophone participant

“The vision of Canadian bilingualism is not the same. If you’re a Francophone, you know that Canadian bilingualism applies to Francophones only—it’s up to Francophones to learn English and adapt. And yet, Anglophones in Quebec are treated better than Francophones in the rest of the country.” [Translation]

Francophone participant

An allophone participant in one of the French-language focus groups talked about how learning French helped her find a job in Quebec.

“As an immigrant, speaking French is how I found my career.” [Translation]

Francophone participant

During the discussions, a distinction was made between individual and institutional bilingualism. Although the ability of Canadians to communicate in English and French is valued, a number of Francophone participants voiced doubts about the effectiveness or even the threat posed by institutional bilingualism, believing that, once institutional bilingualism is applied, experience proved that English eventually takes over to the detriment of French.

“Institutional bilingualism doesn’t work. When you have English and French, French is gradually pushed aside to make room for English. I see it in the federal public service, where French is hardly used at all, even though the majority of employees are Francophones.” [Translation]

Francophone participant

“If Quebec were to become an officially bilingual province instead of a Francophone one, for example, the English language would gradually take over, and that would be the end of French within 50 years.” [Translation]

Francophone participant

Anglophone perspectives

When asked about the attitudes of English-speaking and French-speaking Quebecers toward bilingualism in Canada, Anglophone participants believed that Francophones don’t see bilingualism as an asset but rather see the English language as a threat to the French language. Their views about attitudes toward pan-Canadian bilingualism were coloured by their experience in Quebec, where provincial government policies encourage French only.

Most Anglophone participants expressed the view that English-French bilingualism was a “necessity” and often took pride in the fact that Canada is a bilingual country, pointing out that people all around the world are speaking several languages and it is not as politically charged. Many also believed that generational change is happening and that Canada’s bilingualism is more valued now.

“I think it’s great and would love to see Quebec think the same.”

Anglophone participant

“For better success, it’s better to speak more languages. I want my kids to speak more languages.”

Anglophone participant

One participant expressed sympathy for the view of Francophone Quebecers who might see Canada as foreign, and stated that official Canadian bilingualism is meaningless to the extent that most people outside Quebec and outside French communities across the country may support bilingualism on paper but are unable to speak French themselves.

Overall, however, Anglophone participants tended to be unsurprised about the high level of support among Canadians outside Quebec for official bilingualism.

“The English-speaking minority in Quebec is more socio-economically privileged than the French-speaking majority.”

One of the stereotypes about English-speaking Quebecers mentioned by some Francophone participants was that they are richer and more privileged. Some expressed the view that there are more work opportunities in Quebec for a unilingual English speaker than a unilingual French speaker. The wealthier and (more English-speaking) western parts of Montréal (for example Westmount, Town of Mount Royal) were often cited as an example of this image of Anglophone wealth. Francophone participants also said that English language universities are well funded and that English-speaking Quebecers have access to English language hospitals and other institutions, more than what Francophone minorities have access to in their language in other provinces in Canada. The five-year struggle (1997–2002) to preserve Ottawa’s Montfort Hospital was cited as an example.

“In Quebec, if you only speak English, you have lots of opportunities. If you only speak French, you have many fewer opportunities.” [Translation]

Francophone participant

Other Francophone participants thought that this may have been true in the past but is no longer the case today. They believe it is more difficult for unilingual English speakers to find work in Quebec. One participant from Gatineau cited the Pontiac region in the Outaouais as having a reputation for being poorer and predominantly English-speaking. Some said that wealth and poverty were probably similar in both communities nowadays.

“There are just as many poor and rich Anglophones and as there are Francophones in Québec City and Montréal.” [Translation]

Francophone participant

When informed of the fact that English-speaking Quebecers have higher rates of unemployment, are more likely to experience poverty, and have a lower median income than Francophone Quebecers, many of the Francophone participants expressed surprise. Some expressed doubt as to the validity of the information and wondered whether this reflected the allophone and immigrant presence within the broader English-speaking community. Some once again mentioned the western parts of Montréal to prove the gap between wealthy Anglophones and poorer Francophones.

“It’s hard not to see the difference between Montréal’s west and east ends. The expensive boutiques of the Rockland Centre don’t exist in the east. The richer clientele is in the west.” [Translation]

Francophone participant

“Most English-speaking Quebecers can’t understand and speak French.”

As mentioned earlier, Francophone participants tended to underestimate the ability of Anglophones to speak French. When they were informed of the fact that many English-speaking Quebecers are bilingual, those who tended to have more positive views toward the community were happily surprised. Those who shared more negative views toward the ESCQ questioned the validity of the statistics and did not change their perception that Francophone Quebecers are more bilingual than their English-speaking counterparts. These participants argued that just because people say they can speak French doesn’t mean they are fluent or are regularly using it.

“You can make statistics say whatever you want. An Anglophone who claims to speak French may only have said ‘bonjour’ once a day. I find these statistics hard to believe.” [Translation]

Francophone participant

“What’s their level of French? Basic, or are they able to have a conversation?” [Translation]

Francophone participant

Most Anglophone participants believed that English-speaking Quebecers are more likely to be bilingual than their French-speaking counterparts and were therefore not surprised by evidence supporting their views. They also tended to think that Francophones often underestimate how many Anglophones can speak French.

“Francophones would be surprised to know most Anglophones can actually speak French.”

Anglophone participant

“It would be very hard to be a unilingual Anglophone in Quebec.”

Anglophone participant

“Many French Quebecers cannot understand English well and assume Anglophones also can’t speak French.”

Anglophone participant

“In Quebec, most people who have English as a mother tongue don’t use French in their daily lives.”

When asked whether they think English-mother tongue Quebecers are using French in their daily lives, Francophone participants tended to think not unless they are forced to, such as when interacting with a unilingual Francophone. Some noted that an English-speaking Quebecer in Montréal can easily live their life completely in English, but that it may be different for those living in other, more Francophone parts of the province.

“They don’t have much choice but to use French.” [Translation]

Francophone participant

“If Anglophones don’t live in Montréal then yes, they might speak French on a daily basis. But if they live in Montréal, they will speak mostly in English.” [Translation]

Francophone participant

Anglophone participants were not surprised to learn that many English-speaking Quebecers use French regularly. Some participants also pointed out that some individuals from both communities are refusing to speak each other’s language, but this is something they believe is changing from one generation to another and that younger Quebecers are more bilingual.

“My mom would refuse to speak French, both because she doesn’t understand (it), and also because she grew up in a time when English and French were really pitted against each other. She has her ‘right to speak English.’ This attitude is kind of dying out. I think it’s a sh*tty attitude on both sides. I’ve experienced it from older French people refusing to speak English and from older English people refusing to speak French. It’s not good. I’d like to think it’s kind of dying out because more and more you’d think logically that a French person needs to learn English—it’s the main language everywhere in the world. I mean, (if) you go to Italy you can speak English and they’re not insulted by it. English people in Quebec know they have to learn French if they want to stay here and live and work, and French people recognize more and more that they need English. And it’s not rude or an anti-Nationalist political gesture. The English language is not the enemy.”

Anglophone participant

“In Quebec, most English speakers generally keep to their own communities and don’t interact much with Francophones.”

When participants were informed that over three quarters of English-speaking Quebecers say they interact with Francophones on a regular basis, Francophone participants were surprised and thought it was less than that. Some participants outside of Montréal and Gatineau said it wasn’t surprising since most people in Quebec are Francophone, so it would make sense that English-speaking Quebecers would have to interact with Francophones on a regular basis.

Anglophone participants were not at all surprised by this fact, since it reflected their own lived experience of interacting with Francophones on a daily basis.

“There’s definitely a lot of interaction.”

Anglophone participant

“My immediate circle of friends and family is English, but almost all of them are pretty fluently bilingual. They might have a preference for English, but they work in French, they can speak French. My sister married a Francophone, it benefits the future generation of kids who grow up in both languages.”

Anglophone participant

“Most English-speaking Quebecers generally aren’t interested in French-language culture.”

Participants were asked whether they think most Anglophones are interested in French-language culture or attend many cultural events in French.

Francophone participants generally believed that English-speaking Quebecers likely take part in many cultural events such as visiting museums, joining celebrations such as the Fête nationale du Québec, and attending events like Pride, sporting events, shows or festivals (e.g., Festival International de Jazz de Montréal, Cirque du Soleil, Osheaga, Nuits d’Afrique). In these cases, the potential language barrier is overcome because the activities are bilingual, because they involve something they enjoy, or because identity or a sense of belonging takes precedence.

Francophone participants also tended to believe, however, that English-speaking Quebecers likely have little interest in French-language music, books, television, theatre or cinema, where the language barrier is a greater obstacle. Interestingly, some Anglophone participants noted that they had enjoyed Québécois sports movies or shows such as Lance et Compte and Les Boys, or the films Bon Cop, Bad Cop and C.R.A.Z.Y., the latter of which was reportedly appreciated by both Francophone and Anglophone members of the 2SLGBTQI+ community. As mentioned earlier in this report, it was suggested in the focus groups that English-speaking Quebecers’ attitude within the 2SLGBTQI+ community is particularly supportive of the French language and that the relationship between the two language groups is positive, meaning that language is not a barrier.

While most Francophone participants did not think English-speaking Quebecers showed much interest in Quebec’s Francophone culture, a participant originally from France shared that it was mainly an Anglophone friend who had introduced them to Quebec music. Les Cowboys Fringants was cited as an example.

Francophone participants were mostly concerned about a potential decline of interest in French-language culture among the younger generation of Francophones in Quebec. Although they encouraged bilingualism among young English-speaking and French-speaking Quebecers, they felt that this is happening to the detriment of Francophone culture.

“Anglophones are not very interested in French culture. They don’t know much about it and don’t seem very interested—especially young people. I find this attitude rather close-minded.” [Translation]

Francophone participant

“Both of my children watch television in English. For them, French films and culture aren’t very good. It makes me sad.” [Translation]

Francophone participant

Many Anglophone participants tended to think that most of their fellow English-speaking Quebecers took only a limited interest in French-language culture and likely did not attend certain kinds of cultural events in French. Some said they have English-speaking friends who are more into Quebec French-language culture than they are. However, the difficulty of understanding a comedy show or a play in French was cited. A few people said that they personally did not like French-language music. Some said they like to watch movies in the original language, regardless of whether they are in English or French. And some mentioned going to French-language sugar shack events in the spring.

When we informed participants that, according to a recent survey, most English-speaking Quebecers are interested in French-language cultural products (such as books, music, film or television) and that most had attended artistic and cultural events in French over the past year (such as shows, festivals and exhibitions), the Francophones appeared pleasantly surprised, although some questioned what exactly Anglophones said they were interested in. Anglophone participants were also surprised by the statistical evidence presented.

It would therefore seem that this myth is the only one where, for most participants in both language groups, Francophone and Anglophone, the statistical evidence contradicted their own perceptions or experiences.

“Most Canadians outside Quebec don’t support the Official Languages Act, and few French speakers outside Quebec are Anglophones.”

Francophone participants tended to underestimate support for Canada’s Official Languages Act among English-speaking Canadians outside Quebec. Some were pleasantly surprised when informed of survey data that shows otherwise, whereas others were skeptical or even incredulous about the validity of such statistics. The latter held the view that being bilingual is a prerequisite of supporting official bilingualism and assumed that very few Canadians from outside Quebec who can speak French speakers in Canada outside Quebec are mother-tongue Anglophones.

In contrast, Anglophone participants tended not to be surprised about the support for official bilingualism among Canadians outside Quebec. They felt that it was some Francophone Quebecers who did not really support it (although the survey data does in fact show very high support in Quebec, as well).

It appears that participants from both groups may underestimate the other language group’s support for Canada’s official bilingualism. This question could benefit from further study.

Building bridges across Canada

Some Francophone participants believed that English-speaking Quebecers can be useful allies when it comes to educating English-speaking Canadians from elsewhere about Quebec, bilingualism and the French language. They noted that there are varying attitudes between English-speaking Quebecers who embrace Francophone culture and enjoy speaking French, and those who speak French only out of necessity. Based on personal interactions, some said that English-speaking Canadians outside Quebec who have learned French could actually be better allies. Some expressed concerns that some English-speaking Quebecers might criticize Quebec to people in other provinces.

“I meet nicer people from British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba or Nova Scotia who make the effort to speak to me in French, unlike Anglo-Quebecers or people from Ottawa who are actually closer to us Francophones. I don’t know why.” [Translation]

Francophone participant

“I often see English speakers from Quebec ranting about the province to Anglophones in the rest of Canada.” [Translation]

Francophone participant

Anglophone participants from Montréal and Gatineau mostly talked about their own experience of living in Quebec. Some said they are proud to be part of the Quebec community as a whole and shared that people from other provinces are often not aware of the tension between English-speaking and French-speaking Quebecers.

Anglophone participants living elsewhere in Quebec tended to have more mixed views. Participants who had moved to Quebec from other provinces were receptive to the idea of being bridge-builders, citing personal experiences and even pride about explaining Quebec to friends and family “back home” in other parts of Canada. Some of them shared how they now have a better appreciation for many aspects of Quebec, such as the unique culture and the more laid back, less materialistic and more affordable lifestyle.

Some others with deeper roots in Quebec said that they do not feel always connected to Quebec’s Francophone culture and the French language because of what they perceive as the endless language wars in Quebec and the most recent provincial government measures. They believe that some Francophone Quebecers do not support Canada’s official bilingualism because what they are really seeking is French unilingualism in Quebec. The Anglophone participants with more negative views about their experiences in Quebec were more skeptical about the need for English-speaking Quebecers to be bridge-builders with English-speaking Canadians outside Quebec because, in their view, the latter already support official bilingualism, whereas it is more that some Francophone Quebecers do not.

Building bridges among Quebecers

We asked participants what it would take to “set the record straight” on stereotypes and myths and to change attitudes toward one another in order to foster better relations between English-speaking and French-speaking Quebecers.

Most participants from both language communities called for more openness and were optimistic that relations would improve, taking into account the impact of greater bilingualism among young Quebecers and more mixed marriages between English-speaking and French-speaking Quebecers. Participants said both sides have something to gain.

“I guess we believe what we want to believe about each other. But I think the issue with having pre-existing prejudices and biases about Francophones or Anglophones or Allophones, it just doesn’t help anything. Relationships don’t get better if we just continue to believe any prejudices.”

Anglophone participant

Some Anglophone participants voiced concerns about the stereotypes and misconceptions that affect them as policy decisions are made, and lamented about how the media are politicizing situations that are never all black or all white. They also reiterated that Francophones should not assume that all English-speaking Quebecers are avoiding Francophones and their culture. In fact, most want to be part of the broader Quebec community.

Although the facts and statistical evidence provided throughout the focus group sessions did not appear to immediately change the minds of participants who initially had more negative views, when combined with the positive experiences shared by other participants, they seemed to have a greater impact in softening some initially negative stereotypes and beliefs by offering an alternative point of view or narrative. A few participants stated that it would be very useful for a more neutral, apolitical entity to publicize these kinds of statistics, and several stated that it would be most helpful to see English-speaking Quebecers more present in the French-language discourse, in cultural events and in apolitical contexts.

“They need better spokespeople. In the past, we saw more of these people” [Translation]

Francophone participant.

Participants mentioned high-profile English-speaking personalities, including Ontario singer TALK (from mixed Anglophone and Francophone parentage) and Montréal comedian Sugar Sammy, whose bilingual shows poke fun at both language communities. They also listed English-speaking Quebec artists who were more visible in the past, such as Rufus Wainwright, Judi Richards and the late Leonard Cohen.

Some wondered whether the number of hours of French classes for English-speaking Quebecers was sufficient. Others suggested that the number of hours devoted to learning the other language should be equivalent in both the English- and French-language school systems.

It was also suggested that more language immersion programs, student exchanges and participation in associations should be encouraged to bridge the language barriers between Anglophones and Francophones. This reflected the experiences of many participants who said that they had made positive connections through direct personal interactions in “third places”—meaning places where people meet in person that are away from both home and work—and during other social activities where people connect as members of a group, team or activity that is neither Anglophone nor Francophone by definition.