French-Speaking Canadians

I. Historical Perspective

A. Country of Origin – Canada, mostly in the Québec province.

B. Language(s) – French.

C. Religious Background – Their Catholic religion, their French culture and language, and their sense of being a predominantly rural and agricultural minority set them apart from other Canadians.

D. Southern Baptist Work – The Canadian Convention of Southern Baptists has a vision to plant 1,000 new churches by 2020.

E. Subcultures – Besides those in Québec, another 1 million French-Canadians are scattered throughout Canada’s nine other provinces and two territories. The 485,000 French-speaking residents of Ontario, or Franco-Ontarians, form the largest Francophone community outside of Québec. Acadians, numbering 242,000, constitute one-third of the population of New Brunswick. French-speaking communities in Ontario and the western provinces of Canada have far less political and economic power than the Québécois or the Acadians. Yet, they too have managed to retain their language and modernize their cultures despite tremendous pressure to adopt the language and manners of the English-speaking majorities in those provinces.

F. Past Challenges – In contrast to the conservative, rural, and Catholic values of the past, the contemporary lifestyles and values of French-Canadians are quite similar to those of the majority of English-speaking Canadians. During the early and mid-1990s, almost 44 percent of all Québec infants were born to non-married couples or single mothers. The divorce rate grew from less than 10 percent in the late-1960s to over 40 percent in 1995. Although Québec voters have twice rejected independence, the issue refuses to go away. A substantial proportion of Québécois continue to demand either special constitutional status for Québec as a distinct society within the federation, or the secession of the province from Canada.

G. Past Immigration Patterns – Although only about 10,000 Frenchmen immigrated to France’s Canadian colonies, for many decades French-Canadians had one of the highest birthrates in the world. By 1901, French-Canadians accounted for 30 percent of Canada’s population. French-Canadian communities traditionally perceived themselves as highly distinct societies within Canada.

II. Current/Future Challenges

A. Population – In 1991, French-speaking Canadians numbered 6.5 million, constituting 24.1 percent of the nation. A large majority of French-Canadians live in the province of Québec. The more than 5.6 million Québécois, or French-speaking residents of Québec, make up 82 percent of that province’s 6.8 million citizens.

B.  Evangelism – Because Québec culture remains predominantly French and English, current Southern Baptist churches in the province are aimed primarily at the French- and English-speaking populations. In addition, Canadian Convention of Southern Baptists churches already exist for Haitian-, Greek-, Romanian-, Korean-, and Spanish-speaking groups.

C. Church Planting – There are about 15 French-speaking churches in Québec and many more are being planted. God is at work in Québec.

D. Family Life

• Education – The federal government implemented a bilingual policy for all of its departments and government-controlled corporations. The Constitution Act of 1982, which included a Charter of Rights and Freedoms, gave both the French and English languages official status. It also established the right of primary and secondary school students from both official linguistic minorities to be educated in their own language.
  
• Occupation – French-Canadian writers and performing artists have used their language to create a uniquely modern and diverse artistic culture. Many French-Canadian writers turned to themes and critical approaches reflecting the complex social, cultural, and class structure of modern French-speaking communities in Québec and elsewhere. French literature also blossomed in other French-Canadian communities. Francophone writers in western Canada have also contributed to fashioning a Francophone culture that spans the entire country. Montréal remains one of Canada’s leading artistic and cultural centers, attracting world-class art exhibitions.

III. Resources

A. Materials -- Non-published, individual research by Mark Hobafcovich, North American Mission Board.

B. References -- "French Canadians" by Mark Hobafcovich, Profiles of People Groups in North America.

C. Other -- Culturegrams 2002