OTTAWA - New data showing that French is still being spoken in the workplace will give Quebecers some reassurance after months of reports suggesting the language is dying a slow death across Canada.
Statistics Canada says its latest census figures show French is actually gaining prominence in many parts of Canada, and it's being used more in the workplace, not only in Quebec but also in other provinces including New Brunswick and Ontario.
Slightly more than one quarter of francophones across the country reported using French "regularly'' in the workplace in 2006.
In Quebec, the percentage was higher -- at 94.3 per cent -- a small increase since 2001. By comparison, English was used "most often'' by 17 per cent of Quebec workers.
The new data will give Quebecers some reassurance after weeks of heightened talks over whether the French language is becoming increasingly obsolete, even within the province's borders.
"It will probably be a surprise for some people because in December we had data showing a decrease in French usage,'' said Jean-Pierre Corbeil, an analyst for Statistics Canada.
He says it's easy to understand the phenomenon because Canada has welcomed more than one million immigrants, among which 80 per cent have a mother tongue that's neither French nor English.
Corbeil says Quebec's decision to hand pick a portion of its immigrants is the main reason that the French language continues to be commonly used at work.
Many new immigrants to the province came from France, Haiti and North African countries where residents are fluent in French.
Even amongst immigrants whose first language isn't French or English about 77 per cent speak French at work, Statistics Canada says. That's one percentage point higher than in 2001.
The French language has been under the microscope in recent weeks after allegations from a university researcher that the Quebec government purposely shelved a report showing French-speakers would become a minority in Montreal by 2021.
Similar reports have plagued the province in past months, boosting worries by Quebec francophones that long-time efforts to keep the language dominant in the province have run aground.
The numbers from the 2006 census also showed that while English is most commonly used for business in Canada, the use of French is either stable or increasing in most places. In Ottawa, where 16 per cent of the population is francophone, the language was spoken by 18 per cent of people at work -- up one percentage point from 2001.
