Le drapeau franco-ontarien
The francophones of Ontario are known collectively as Franco-Ontarians. Here are 3 things you (maybe) didn’t know about them.
Numbers are based on the 2011 census. I’ve only taken into account those who claim French as their sole native language.
1. There are more native French speakers in Ontario than in New Brunswick.
The French fact in Canada is often thought of as essentially a Québec and New Brunswick thing, but there are more native French speakers in Ontario than in New Brunswick — twice as many, in fact. There are half a million native French speakers in Ontario, and a quarter of a million in New Brunswick.
By percentage, however, francophones have much less weight in Ontario, whose total population is 17 times greater than that of New Brunswick. In New Brunswick, francophones represent a third of the population; in Ontario, they represent about 4%.
2. Ottawa and Trois-Rivières have similar numbers of native French speakers.
Native French speakers number about 124 000 in Ottawa, and about 125 000 in Trois-Rivières.
Francophones represent a minority in Ottawa at 14%, however; they’re a majority in Trois-Rivières at 96%.
3. Some communities in Ontario have a francophone majority.
Hearst, for example, is 87% francophone. Kapuskasing is 68%. These communities are in northern Ontario.
On the other hand, the francophones of Sudbury are a minority at 25%, but they number almost 27 000.
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The OffQc book Contracted French will help you to make sense of the most frequently used contractions heard in spoken language and increase your understanding of what francophones are saying to you. You can buy and download it here.
