Why is French the second most spoken language in Canada?

2. French. Our other official language, French, is the second-most commonly spoken language in Canada. That’s why the federal government ensures it provides services in both official languages at many points of service.

Why is French an important language in Canada?

French is one of the languages of the Parliament of Canada, its court system, and its federal civil service. It is a relatively easy language for native speakers of English to learn because up to 50 percent of English vocabulary is derived from French.

Why is French taught in Canada?

Why do schools teach French in Canada? French and English are Canada’s official languages, to honour Canada’s historic anglophone and francophone communities. All English-language schools in Canada teach French as a second language. It helps students better understand Canada’s history and francophone culture.

Is French the only language spoken in Canada?

Most Canadian native speakers of French live in Quebec, the only province where French is the majority and the sole official language. By the 1969 Official Languages Act, both English and French are recognized as official languages in Canada and granted equal status by the Canadian government.

Why is Québec French?

Major changes took place after the English conquered parts of Eastern Canada in the 18th century. “Vocabulary was created to replace English words with French words.” The revolution inspired the passing of The Official Language Act of 1974, a law designating French as the sole official language of Québec.

Why are both English and French official languages in Canada?

The purpose of the Official Languages Act is to ensure that federal government institutions can communicate and provide services in both English and French so that Canadian citizens can comfortably speak in the official language of their choice.

Do you have to speak French to become a Canadian citizen?

This means to become a Canadian citizen you must show that you have an adequate knowledge of English or French by providing, with your citizenship application, proof that you can speak and listen in English or French at CLB/NCLC 4 level or higher.

Do you have to speak French to work for the Canadian government?

Canada’s government require its workers to speak both English and French, meaning only people from the bilingual areas can actually work in politics on a national level.

What percentage of the Canadian population speaks French?

French language in Canada. French is the mother tongue of about 7.2 million Canadians (20.6\% of the Canadian population, second to English at 56\%) according to Census Canada 2016. Most native speakers of the French language in Canada live in Quebec, where French is the majority official language.

What is the difference between French and English in Canada?

While French, with no specification as to dialect or variety, has the status of one of Canada’s two official languages at the federal government level, English is the native language of the majority of Canadians.

Which provinces in Canada have French as the official language?

The provincial governments of Ontario, New Brunswick and Manitoba are required to provide services in French where justified by the number of francophones. French is also an official language of all three Canadian territories: the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and Yukon.

What happened to the French language in Canada?

However, the Treaty of Paris in 1763 led to the removal of France from Canadian territory subsequently relegating the French language to second after English started to become the primary language. In 1744, the Quebec Act was passed by the parliament abrogating the Test Act and restoring the French civil laws.