Census learning centre
Instruction in the minority official language

Release date: December 15, 2022

Catalogue number: 982000032021026

Hello and welcome to the "Instruction in the minority official language" video.

This video will explain the concept of minority official language. It provides information on the new census questions regarding instruction in the minority official language, eligibility for instruction in the minority official language and the usefulness of data on language of instruction for planning purposes.

Subject
Language
Length
00:07:52
Cost
Free
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Concept video: Instruction in the minority official language  - Transcription

(The Statistics Canada symbol and "Canada" wordmark appear on screen with the title: "Concept video: Instruction in the minority official language.")

Welcome to the “Instruction in the minority official language” video.

This video aims to provide basic information on this new census subject.

At the end of the video, you will be:

  • Able to identify the usefulness of the data
  • Familiar with the new questions on instruction in the minority official language in the 2021 Census questionnaire
  • Able to understand who is considered eligible for instruction in the minority official language as per the 2021 Census.

Let us first define the term “minority official language.” The minority official language refers to English in the province of Quebec and French in the other provinces and territories.

This is the first time Statistics Canada has collected data on language of instruction in the census. It will now be possible to have data on children eligible for instruction in the minority official language at the:

  • Primary and secondary levels
  • For various regions across the country including cities and localities
  • By age and other characteristics.

These new data will be useful to provinces, territories and school boards in planning educational services, such as school infrastructures and teaching services in the minority official language.

Next, let’s look at the Census questions on language of instruction.

(An image of questions 12 to 17 of the 2021 Census questionnaire appears on the screen.)

Five new questions were added to the 2021 Census short-form and long-form questionnaires. Question 12 was also added to identify dwellings in Quebec.

Respondents living in Quebec were asked if they went to English-language schools during their primary or secondary education in Canada, and for how many years.

(Questions 12, 16 and 17 of the 2021 Census questionnaire are highlighted on the screen.)

Respondents living in Canada outside Quebec were asked if they were schooled in French at the primary and secondary levels in Canada, whether the program was a regular French program in a French-language school or a French immersion program in an English-language school.

(Questions 13 and 14 of the 2021 Census questionnaire are highlighted on the screen.)

Those who attended a French program in a French-language school in Canada, were also asked how many years of schooling they had spent in this program.

(Question 15 of the 2021 Census questionnaire is highlighted on the screen.)

Next, we will look at who is eligible for instruction in the minority official language.

The eligibility criteria are based on Section 23 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Section 23 seeks to preserve and promote the two official languages of Canada and the cultures represented by these languages, by ensuring that French and English flourish, as far as possible, in provinces and territories where they are not the language of the majority.

It also defines who has the right to obtain education services in these languages at the primary and secondary levels.

For more information on this subject, please refer to Section 23 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Statistics Canada has operationalized the definition of children eligible for instruction in the minority official language outlined in Section 23 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms in the 2021 Census by combining the newly added questions on the language of instruction, as well as the existing questions on the first language learned and still understood, that is, mother tongue, and relationships between the persons living together in the same household.

(Questions 12 to 17 of the 2021 Census questionnaire appear on the left and questions 10 and 7 appear on the right side of the screen.)

Children born in 2003 or later are considered eligible if they meet at least one of the following criteria:

  • 1. At least one of their parents is being or has been instructed in the minority official language at the primary level in Canada.
  • 2. The child is being or has been instructed in the minority official language at the primary or secondary level in Canada.
  • 3. A brother or a sister of the child is being or has been instructed in the minority official language at the primary or secondary level in Canada.
  • 4. For children living in Canada outside Quebec, at least one of their parents has French as a mother tongue.

(A map of Canada, overlaid with a family of two parents and a child in Quebec and a family of two parents and a child outside Quebec, appears on the screen. The words “Primary education – English" appear on top of the family in Quebec and the words “Primary education – French" appear on top of the family outside Quebec. An arrow points to one of the parents in Quebec and outside Quebec.)

(A map of Canada, overlaid with a child in Quebec and a child outside Quebec, appears on the screen. The words “Primary/Secondary education – English" appear on top of the child in Quebec and the words “Primary/Secondary education – French" appear on top of the child outside Quebec. An arrow points to the child in Quebec and outside Quebec.)

(A map of Canada, overlaid with two children in Quebec and two children outside Quebec, appears on the screen. The words “Primary/Secondary education – English" appear on top of the chidren in Quebec and the words “Primary/Secondary education – French" appear on top of the chidren outside Quebec. An arrow points to one of the children in Quebec and outside Quebec.)

(A map of Canada, overlaid with two parents and a child outside Quebec with the words “Mother tongue – French" on top, appears on the screen. An arrow points to one of the parents.)

A few elements should also be taken into consideration when looking at eligibility for instruction in the minority official language.

  • In Canada outside Quebec, schooling in the minority official language refers to attendance in regular French programs in a French-language school in Canada.

    • (The words "Schooling in the minority official language = Attendance in regular French programs" appear on the screen.)

  • “Immersion” and “Core French” programs are not considered “regular French” programs as they are second language programs offered in English-language schools.

    • (The words "Schooling in the minority official language ≠ Immersion and Core French programs" appear on the screen.)

  • To be considered as someone who has been instructed in the minority official language, the person has to have at least one year of schooling in the minority official language in Canada at the primary or secondary level.

Moreover, the enumeration of the children eligible for instruction in the minority official language through the census has certain limitations.

  • Canadian citizenship of the parents is a requirement of Section 23 of the Charter. As the question on citizenship is asked in the long-form census questionnaire, which is completed by 25% of private households, the data tables that take citizenship into account are produced based on the 25% census sample.

    • (An image of question 21 (a) of the 2021 Census questionnaire appears on the screen.)

    The title of these tables will specify that citizenship is considered to avoid any confusion with the other tables produced based on the short questionnaire of the census, which was sent to all households.

  • For counting the children eligible for instruction in the minority official language, the parents of these children are the persons living in the same household who identified themselves as the parents on the census questionnaire. However, some parents do not live in the same household as their children. Over the next few months, Statistics Canada will undertake other complimentary studies to better understand the magnitude of this limitation.

  • Brothers and sisters of a child are individuals having at least one parent in common on the census questionnaire, or, in the absence of both parents in the household, individuals who self-declared being brothers or sisters on the questionnaire.

In the example below, Child 2 is considered to be “brother” or “sister” of Child 1 and Child 3 because they have at least one parent in common. Child 1 and Child 3 are not considered “brothers” or “sisters.”

(A figure shows an example of a family structure. Two darker circles are labelled “Parent 1” and “Parent 2,” respectively. Below, there are three lighter circles, labelled “Child 1,” “Child 2” and “Child 3.” Parent 1 is connected to Child 1 and Child 2 with lines, but not to Child 3. Parent 2 is connected to Child 2 and Child 3 with lines, but not to Child 1.

Source: Statistics Canada, 2021.)

Depending on the answers provided by the family members to the mother tongue and language of instruction questions, the eligibility for instruction in the minority official language for the three children within this family may be different.

To see various scenarios of children eligibility for instruction in the minority official language, or detailed definition of concepts, go to the section “Criteria of eligibility” found in the “Instruction in the Minority Official Language Reference Guide, Census of Population, 2021.”

(The words, "Thank you for watching the 'Instruction in the minority official language' video," appear on screen.)

This concludes the “Instruction in the minority official language” video. Thank you for watching.

(The census logo appears with a link, which is also available to view here: Census of population. The International Standard Book Number (ISBN) 978-0-660-45968-4 appears underneath the link.)

For more detailed information regarding concepts, variables, methodology and other elements, please refer to Statistics Canada's census web pages.

(The "Canada" wordmark appears.)

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