French language

Québec society is governed by the Charter of the French Language which establishes French as the official language of Québec.

French is spoken in Québec and is the first language of more than 80% of the population. It is the official language and the one most often used in public life — at work, in communications, trade and business. Main mother tongues in Québec

Québec is committed to preserving and promoting its official language. The French language is not only an essential communication tool, but is also a common symbol of belonging to Québec society.

Successive governments have legislated to ensure the use of French in different spheres of public life
in order to:

• assert Québec’s francophone identity,
• protect linguistic rights,
• enable the French language to flourish, and
• guarantee the anglophone minority use of its language and institutions.

Integration in French

To integrate into their new environment, immigrants who do not know French must make an effort to learn it. To assist them, the Québec government offers French courses and facilitates the learning of French from abroad. It has also introduced online French courses.

In Québec, the language of instruction is primarily French. The children of immigrants are usually required to attend a francophone school. English public schooling is also available under certain conditions, as well as schooling in private institutions. Knowledge of English and other languages is, however, an asset in several sectors of employment.

To learn more French language – Learning French in Québec Education

Useful links

• Ministère de l’Éducation, du Loisir et du Sport
• Office québécois de la langue française