Language use at home and at work in Montreal by immigrants between 2001 and 2016: noticeable but fragile progress of French

This paper analyzes the evolution of language use at home and at work in the Montreal metropolitan area from 2001 to 2016. The analysis focuses on immigrants given their importance in future population growth. We define two indices taking values between 0 and 100: one index of the intensity of the use of a Canadian official language (French or English) at home and at work; and one index of the intensity of the use of French compared to English when a Canadian official language is used. This approach makes it possible to simplify the complex information contained in the answers to the census questions. Immigrants generally use less French at home and at work than non-immigrants. However, immigrants whose origins and languages are close to French use it much more than the other immigrant groups. There has been noticeable progress in the use of French at home and at work among immigrants since 2001, mainly among more recent immigrants. However, this overall progress is mitigated by the sharp increase in the proportion of immigrants in the population, meaning that, overall, the status of French has remained stable. Based on this data, there has been no decline in the use of French, as is often claimed, although the situation remains fragile.