MONTREAL – Quebec anglophones earn less than francophones with the same credentials, have higher rates of poverty and hold far fewer public-sector jobs, says a Statistics Canada report on the province’s official language minority.
The 122-page report paints a comprehensive portrait of the nearly one million Quebecers – 13.4 per cent of the population – for whom English is the first official language spoken (FOLS).
Quebecers have long regarded anglophones as a rich, privileged minority – and until the 1960s, the stereotype was at least partly true.
But the tables have turned, according to report author Jean-Pierre Corbeil, chief specialist of Statistics Canada’s language division.
The median annual income for English-speaking men – $27,008 – is nearly $4,000 lower than that of francophone men – $30,854 – the report found, based on 2006 census figures.
While the anglophone community has a higher proportion of people with incomes of $100,000 or more – four per cent of anglophones compared to 2.3 per cent of francophones – it also has more people living in poverty – 22 per cent of anglo-Quebecers compared to 16 per cent of French-speakers.
"There is much greater income disparity among anglophones than among francophones," Corbeil said.
"In fact, we find proportionately more anglophones who have high incomes but also more anglophones living under the poverty line," he added.
For women, the median income was similar for anglophones and francophones, with a median income of $20,140 for English-speaking women compared to $20,052 for French-speaking women.
In statistics, the median income is a middle value, meaning that half of the people earn more and the other half earn less.
Paradoxically, anglophones’ average income is $3,000 higher than that of francophones, the report found. How can that be?
Because a small minority of wealthy individuals skew the average income of English-speaking Quebecers, Corbeil explained.
Median income is a much better indicator of the real situation of anglophone Quebecers, he said.
Anglophone Quebecers over 65 have a higher median income than francophones in that age group, Corbeil noted. "But when you look at younger people, a very different picture emerges."
Jack Jedwab, executive director of the Association for Canadian Studies, said "the Bill Gates effect" explains why anglos have a higher average income – $42,374 for English males compared to $38,457 for French-speaking males.
"It just takes a very small number of wealthy people to skew the results," he said.
But Charles Castonguay, a retired professor of mathematics and statistics at the University of Ottawa, charged that the report misrepresents the facts by suggesting that francophones out-earn anglophones.
"It’s certainly false from the standpoint of average income," he said. "An average is an average is an average."
Corbeil countered that the disparity in average income in favour of anglophones is explained by certain characteristics of the anglophone community, including age, education, region and type of employment. When you correct for all those variables, an anglophone male with identical qualifications to a francophone male earns, on average, $1,900 less than his francophone counterpart, while an anglophone woman earns $700 less, he said.
Castonguay also attacked the report for defining anglophones by first official language spoken.
There are 607,165 Quebecers whose mother tongue is English. The anglophone population balloons to 994,723 if you includes everyone who, when asked which official language they speak the best, chooses English.
"It’s a statistical stretching of what an anglophone is," Castonguay said. "It hinges on a declared ability to speak a language. I find it’s too fuzzy and too flimsy."
But Corbeil pointed out that the report reflects the fact that the English-speaking community includes a high proportion of immigrants.
"Immigrants represent seven per cent of the francophone population but about one-third of the anglophone population," he said.
The high number of anglophones living in poverty is partly a reflection of the difficulties faced by many recent immigrants, Corbeil said.
Despite being better educated, on average, than native-born Quebecers, many immigrants are unable to find well-paying jobs, he noted.
Anglophones have higher educational attainment than francophones, despite their lower median income, the report noted.
One anglophone in five has no diploma or degree compared to one francophone in four; 25 per cent of anglophones have a post-secondary degree or diploma compared to only 15 per cent of francophones.
Anglophones are under-represented in public-sector jobs, particularly in the provincial civil service, the report notes.
Anglo-Quebecers represent only 2.8 per cent of the Quebec civil service even though they represent 13.3 per cent of the overall workforce. Francophones represent 97.2 per cent of the Quebec civil service even though they make up 86.5 per cent of the workforce.
Comments
Want to discuss? Please read our Commenting Policy first.