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The share of French-speakers in Quebec has declined slightly in the last five years, reviving perennial fears in the province about the survival of a French-speaking society in North America. With an October election on the horizon for the province, which will be partly fought on language and identity issues, Premier François Legault called this development “worrying.”
The latest 2021 census figures released on Wednesday show that the share of people with French as a mother tongue fell from 77.1 per cent to 74.8 per cent. Those who spoke predominantly French at home have been increasing in number but falling as a proportion of Quebec’s population since as far back as 2001, from 82.3 per cent to 77.5 per cent.
Minister of the French Language Simon Jolin-Barrette said the numbers show Quebec is at a linguistic “crossroads” that justifies the government’s controversial recent adoption of Bill 96, which limits the use of English in business, government and the courts. The relative decline of French in Quebec can be explained partly by a younger anglophone population and immigration from non-francophone countries. Quebec has also lost fewer English speakers to other parts of the country, according to a Statistics Canada analysis of Wednesday’s data.
Read more:
- These are the highlights from the census data on language across Canada
- Konrad Yakabuski: Official bilingualism is officially dead in Canada
French Language Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette responds to the Opposition while Quebec Premier François Legault, right, reacts during Question Period on June 1, 2022, at the legislature in Quebec City.Jacques Boissinot/The Canadian Press
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Ontario vows to end ‘status quo’ with plan to fix crisis in health care
Ontario will release a plan today that it says will include fixes for problems that have plunged the province’s health care system into crisis. Health Minister Sylvia Jones said on Wednesday that one component of the strategy will be an expansion of a 911 pilot program for paramedics. The first phase of the program was launched in 2020 and is now being used in more than 40 municipalities.
Although Jones didn’t say in how many areas across the province the initiative will be expanded, it would allow paramedics in more regions to respond to palliative care, mental health and addictions calls without taking patients to an emergency room. For two years, paramedics have been treating patients on scene or taking them to, for example, a mental health facility. Paramedics will now also be able to provide treatment onsite for diabetes, epilepsy and minor acute illnesses and injuries, such as falls.
The government has been under pressure to come up with solutions after months of crisis in the sector. According to Ontario Health, 13 hospitals have had to temporarily close emergency rooms since the end of June, and emergency departments and intensive-care units have faced service disruptions because of lack of staff. “We can’t do the same status quo,” Premier Doug Ford said. “The status quo has been broken. We’re going to fix it, we’re going to deliver health care in a different fashion through the sector’s advice.”
Latest assault by Rwandan-backed M23 militia hits a world-famous park in eastern Congo
Virunga National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the last remaining homes of the endangered mountain gorilla, now faces a new threat: deadly attacks by a Rwandan-backed militia group that has inflicted devastation across the region.
An artillery attack on Tuesday, reportedly from positions held by the M23 militia, killed and injured an unknown number of civilians in the park. Virunga is at the heart of an expanding war zone in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) where M23 has killed scores of people and triggered a refugee exodus as tens of thousands are driven from their homes.
There is growing evidence, including from United Nations experts, that Rwanda is supporting the M23 insurgency by sending troops and heavy weaponry across the border into eastern DRC. The Congo remains the source of vast mineral wealth and the site of many wars that have caused millions of deaths since the 1990s. Rwandan military interference in eastern DRC threatens to extend the instability and volatility in one of Africa’s biggest and most strategically important countries.
Globe and Mail photojournalist Goran Tomasevic is embedded with elements of the Democratic Republic of the Congo army. FARDC soldiers fire a rocket from a multiple rocket launcher at M23 rebels between Rutshuru and Bunagana in eastern DRC on August 16, 2022.GORAN TOMASEVIC/The Globe and Mail
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Also on our radar
Ratings show Lisa LaFlamme’s CTV newscast was one of Canada’s most popular: Before her ouster as anchor of CTV National News this week, Lisa LaFlamme presided over one of the most-watched newscasts in Canada, whose ratings significantly outpaced competitors – raising questions about the rationale presented by CTV’s parent company, Bell Media, which referred to the abrupt change as a business decision.
- Lisa LaFlamme ‘going grey’ questioned by CTV executive, says senior company official
- Johanna Schneller: Lisa LaFlamme deserved more from Bell Media
- Robyn Urback: The business of journalism is ruthless. Lisa LaFlamme is just the latest casualty
Cardinal Marc Ouellet’s candidacy to succeed Pope Francis in doubt after allegations of sexual misconduct: Cardinal Ouellet was seen as the leading conservative candidate to be the next pope, but his Vatican future has been called into question. Court papers reveal allegations made by a Quebec City woman identified only as F., which claim that, at public events between 2008 and 2010, the Cardinal inappropriately rubbed her shoulders, hugged her, kissed her on the cheeks and slipped his hand down her back, close to her buttocks. The allegations have not been tested in court.
Unprecedented demand for diabetes medication as Canadians wait for new weight-loss drug: An analysis by the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health found that, in some provinces, 36 per cent to 74 per cent of non-public drug plan claims for Ozempic were from people who likely did not have Type 2 diabetes, indicating the medication was likely being used for weight loss instead.
Food price inflation in Canada starting to peak, say experts: On Tuesday, Statistics Canada reported another record high for food inflation, but experts say the worst is likely behind us. This is because many of the factors responsible for driving up food prices earlier this year have begun to ease. Fuel prices, which skyrocketed in early 2022 – a major driver behind food price hikes – have been falling since June.
- David Parkinson: Is any one going to believe the Bank of Canada any more?
Morning markets
European markets reverse course: European stocks reversed early losses on Thursday as investors remained bullish even after Federal Reserve policy meeting minutes and comments from a European Central Bank official showed that the inflation outlook had not improved. Just after 7 a.m. ET, Britain’s FTSE 100 was off 0.06 per cent. Germany’s DAX added 0.73 per cent and France’s CAC 40 rose 0.45 per cent. In Asia, Japan’s Nikkei ended down 0.96 per cent. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng fell 0.80 per cent. Wall Street futures were positive. The Canadian dollar was trading at 77.58 US cents.
What everyone’s talking about
John Ibbitson: “Forget those sterile arguments over tax points and accountability mechanisms. None of that matters now. What matters is properly funding a system that delivers care in the most efficient way possible, with all levels of government doing their share. Or we can carry on with the same old, same old. And if you suddenly need a doctor, good luck with that.”
Editorial: “When that one lithium mine (then still in development) was up for sale three years ago, only Chinese money knocked on the door. It was a mistake for Ottawa to let the purchase go through – the deal could have been blocked, and likely would be today – but where were the Canadian, American or European investors?”
Robert Rotberg: “We do not yet know precise ethnic (or urban versus rural) voting totals, but it is evident from his loss and anecdotal reports from Kikuyu country that Mr. Kenyatta’s backing failed to translate into balloting support for Mr. Odinga. Ethnic enmities were and remain too strong: The Kikuyu people evidently refused to support a Luo, their long-time political and economic rivals.”
Today’s editorial cartoon
David Parkins/The Globe and Mail
Living better
Why gardening has more staying power than a typical trend
From cramped apartment balconies to community-cultivated plots of land, many Canadians are turning to gardening. Amanda Johnson, who works with the Yellowknife Community Garden Collective, recalled that in the spring of 2020, all the plots across the collective’s six community gardens filled up quickly. Interest in the lots has persisted, she added. New gardeners also seem to be particularly interested in growing their own food, and they have built enduring connections across communities over their shared green thumbs. Here’s why gardening is more than just a COVID-19 fad.
Moment in time: Aug. 18, 2016
Usain Bolt from Jamaica celebrates winning the gold medal in the men's 200-metre final during the athletics competitions of the 2016 Summer Olympics at the Olympic stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.David J. Phillip/The Associated Press
Usain Bolt wins his third Olympic gold in the 200 metres
On this day in 2016, Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt won his third Olympic gold in the 200 metres at the Rio Games. The seven-time world-record holder in the 100 metres, 200 metres and 4x100-metre relay won the race in a time of 19.78 seconds, with Canada’s Andre De Grasse taking the silver. “Number One!” Bolt yelled into the cameras after crossing the finish line. The gold medal was the second of three he would win at the Rio Games, just days before he turned 30. (He had already won his third consecutive Olympic gold in what is arguably the Summer Games’ premier event, the 100 metres.) Later, at a news conference, he told reporters that he believed this 200 metres to be his last. After winning a total of eight Olympic gold medals, he retired from athletics the following year, going out with a bronze medal at the 2017 World Championships in London. Bolt still holds the 200-metre world-record time of 19.19 seconds and the Olympic record of 19.30 seconds, set in 2008. — Joy SpearChief-Morris
Wednesday’s Moment in Time identified George Martin as the Beatles manager. He was, in fact, the group’s music producer.
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