Infographic: The French presence in British Columbia
Text version: The French Presence in British Columbia
- From 2006 to 2016 there was an increase of:
- 9% among people whose mother tongue is French (64,213 people)
- 21% among people who speak French most often at home (21,219 people)
- French is the first official language of 1.4% of the population (64,325 people)
- 7% of the population (314,925 people) can speak both English and French
Education
- Nearly 6,000 students were enrolled in French-language schools (2016-2017), a 25% increase over the past 5 years!
- 40 French-language schools
- 53,206 students are enrolled in French immersion (9.5% of eligible enrolment) (2016-2017)
- French immersion enrolment has increased nearly 30% over the past 10 years.
- 1/3 of public school students (173, 013) are enrolled in core French (2016-2017)
- Simon Fraser University offers post-secondary education in French.
Where do Francophones live?
Economic Regions
- Lower Mainland–Southwest: 58%
- Vancouver Island and Coast: 20%
- Thompson–Okanagan: 12%
- Kootenay: 4%
- Cariboo: 3%
- Northeast: 1%
- North Coast: 1%
- Nechako: 1%
Where were they born?
- In BC: 12%
- Elsewhere in Canada: 59%
- Abroad: 28%
Where were French-speaking immigrants born?
- Europe: 50%
- Asia: 22%
- Africa: 18%
- Americas: 10%
- Oceania and other: 0%
Media
- Newspaper: La Source
- Radio: CILS FM 107.9 (Victoria) and Radio-Canada ICI Première and ICI Musique
- Television: ICI Radio-Canada Télé and Unis TV
Celebrate!
March:
- The Festival du Bois in Maillardville honours French-Canadian traditions and culture. It is the largest Francophone festival on Canada’s West Coast.
May:
- Victoria’s Festival de la francophonie showcases local Francophone and francophile bands, Francophone artisans and community organizations.
June:
- The Festival d’été francophone in Vancouver celebrates French-Canadian music and culture.
History
- In 1793, six French-Canadian voyageurs, accompanied by Alexander Mackenzie, reached the Pacific.
- By 1812, over 300 French Canadians were engaged in fur trading and farming.
- Before the gold rush of 1858, French was the most spoken language in the west.
- Quebec families arrived in 1909 and settled along the Fraser River east of Vancouver, which would become Maillardville.
- The Fédération des francophones de la Colombie-Britannique was created in 1945, at a time when the province’s French-speaking community was establishing itself. Today, the Fédération continues to represent the community’s interests in British Columbia.
- The Franco-Columbian flag was adopted in 1982.
- The Legislative Assembly has recognized Franco-Columbians’ education rights since 1997.
Sources
- Statistics Canada, 2016 Census of Population
- Statistics Canada, 2011 National Household Survey
- Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada (in French only)
- Profiles of the Francophone and Acadian Communities of Canada
- Canadian Parents for French
- Conseil scolaire francophone de la Colombie-Britannique (in French only)
Date modified:
2022-12-12