Nunavut

Population Demographic Vitality The French language The great majority of the population of Nunavut is neither anglophone nor francophone. Of the 25,085 inhabitants of the territory as constituted since April 1999, 18,055 speak a non-official language, mainly Inuktitut. Only 425 residents of the new territory are francophones while 6,605 have English as their mother tongue. A significant increase in the number of francophones ... The number of people with French as a mother tongue in Nunavut and the Northwest Territories (pre-1999 borders) almost tripled between 1951 and 1996. The increase was particularly significant from 1951 to 1961 due to the rapid expansion of the mining industry around Yellowknife. Oil drilling and large infrastructure projects continued to attract large numbers of people from the South, including many francophones, until the early 1990s. The francophone population stabilized between 1991 and 1996. ... But a decrease in percentages The francophone portion of the total population of Nunavut and the Northwest Territories fluctuated between 3.6 percent in 1971 and 2.2 percent in 1996. Though the relative weight increased between 1951 and 1961, the increase in the total population has been greater than that of the francophone population. Since 1961, the proportion of francophones to the total population has dropped continually. Francophones in Nunavut are concentrated in Iqualuit where they account for 6.1 percent of the population. A male majority Among the francophones of Nunavut and the Northwest Territories, males are clearly in the majority: 870 males compared to 620 females, representing a ratio of almost 6 to 4. However, the ratio of the sexes evens out in the group of francophones who have both English and French as their mother tongues. A mostly adult population The francophone population of Nunavut is made up largely of adults. Under 15s count for only 13.8 percent of the total francophone population compared to 38.4 percent for the population as a whole. This small percentage of young people is particularly noticeable around the center of the age pyramid, where the discrepancies with the total population are very marked for adults. This demographic structure reflects the particular economy of Nunavut, which is largely dominated by resource exploitation. Among francophones in the territories, family units are small and young people rare. The consolidation of French-language educational institutions might help the francophone community to renew its base. Born elsewhere... In Nunavut, nine out of ten francophones were born outside the territories. Almost all are from other Canadian provinces, with immigrants forming only 4.8 percent of the francophone population. The francophones come from all regions of the country, but especially from Quebec. The francophone community thus has many roots and this obviously has an effect on its members’ sense of belonging and identity. ...And highly mobile Barely a quarter of francophones in Nunavut lived at the same address in 1996 as in 1991. Among the others, only 20.5 percent remained in the same community. Nunavut francophones are characterized by a very high rate of migration with more than half living in a different community than at the time of the preceding census, for the most part outside of Nunavut. These large population movements are symptomatic of the transitory nature of the francophone presence north of the 60th parallel. French Mother Tongue Population: 425 à 700 English Mother Tongue Population: 7 400 Population with a knowledge of both official languages: 1 010 Other Mother Tongue Population: 19 325 Total Population: 26 610 Representative Organizations Major Organizations The Association des francophones du Nunavut (AFN), founded in 1997, is the main organization speaking for the francophone community in Nunavut. Tel.: (867) 979-4606 Fax: (867) 979-0800 E-mail: afi@nunanet.com High-priority areas include: Services in French at the federal and territorial government levels; Economic development; Education in French; and Cultural and community life. Iqaluit Francophone School Board Community Life Cultural and Community life Community center in Iqaluit AFN resource center 1997 - Computer hardware and software in French 1998 - Internet access 1999 - Loan of books, compact optical disks (CD-ROMs) and videocassettes in French 2000 - Training in information technologies Ciné-Club, bimonthly presentation of French cinema « classics » Iqaluit Film Festival Theme suppers Book and music fair Special events with singers and musicians French book section at the municipal library and the Nunavut Arctic College library Communications Communications Newspapers and magazines Le Placotteux, AFN liaison newsletter Radio CFRT 107.3 fm, francophone community radio station in Iqaluit Television Radio-Canada (French CBC), TVA and TV5 on cable in Iqaluit Internet sites Association des francophones du Nunavut (http://www.nunafranc.ca/afn/) Le Toit du monde (http://www.nunanet.com/~mensuel/) Nordicité.com (http://www.nordicite.com/) Nun@franc (http://www.nunafranc.ca/) Odyssée Nunavut (http://www.nunafranc.ca/odyssee/) Economy Economy Many francophone business people work towards economic development in Nunavut. Odyssée Nunavut, AFN tourist agency Nun@franc communications, Web site creation and management company An educated francophone population Education is the key to the vitality of the francophone community in Nunavut. This vitality comes in part from the fact that a large percentage of francophones have a post-secondary education: 140 of them have a university education and, in addition, some 145 francophones finished college or other studies. Their contribution to francophone development in the territories is immeasurable. At present, in Nunavut, 30 francophones own their own business. Nunavut’s francophone businesspeople constitute 9.1 percent of the francophone labour force. A large number of these business owners employ other people, thus providing employment to francophones and other residents of Nunavut. Francophone employment sectors The economy of Nunavut is highly dependent on the exploitation of natural resources. This being so, the distribution of francophones among employment sectors is somewhat surprising with the employment profile of francophones being quite unique. Except for some 35 workers with French as their mother tongue in the mining sector, most are found in the services. Construction and transportation together employ more than a hundred people. However, francophones are best represented in the public service sector with more than 35 percent being employed in public administration, education, health and social services. Francophone employment in Nunavut is thus directly linked to the service economy and, to a certain extent, this makes them less vulnerable to resource price cycles. Occupations Job distribution by type of occupation gives us another way of looking at the economic vitality of francophones in Nunavut. One sector is clearly dominant: the trades, transportation and equipment operation which employ one francophone in five, a reflection of the high level of specialization of francophones in the North. Management comprises 18.5 percent of the work force and a number work in business. Pay levels in all these areas are quite high and this has an impact on the average personal income of francophones. Income mostly from employment... Francophones in Nunavut receive most of their income from employment. For example, in the Baffin area, 93.2 percent of the income of francophones (350 francophones out of 425) comes from employment. Government transfers account for only 2.2 percent of their income, indicating that francophones depend very little on government assistance. ...And relatively high The average personal income of francophones in Nunavut is high: $43,521 for francophones in the Baffin region compared to an average income of under $30,000 for the population of the region as a whole. One francophone in ten has an income under $10,000. A little more than 34 percent have incomes under $30,000. Most francophones are at the upper end of the income scale and more than a quarter have incomes of over $60,000. The income profile of the francophone community of Nunavut is highly varied. The average individual income of francophones in the Nunavut region is $43,521. This is well above the average income of the region ($26,329). Education Education and Training The French mother tongue program (Nakasuk school), goes from kindergarten to grade 8. Thirty-eight pupils are enrolled. The Education Act is presently being revised by the Nunavut Legislative Assembly and this new law will grant school management privileges to francophones. Health Health and Social Services Health services are covered by the Official Languages Act. One position per hospital is designated francophone. Government Legislation and Services Federal government Except for the Human Resources Center which has one francophone on permanent staff, there are no federal government services in French in Iqaluit or Nunavut. Territorial government The Official Languages Act of the N.W.T., in force in Nunavut through the application of section 29, provides for services in French. Moreover, government documents must be available in both languages. The sectors most concerned are health, justice and the Legislative Assembly. The Legislative Assembly of Nunavut is reviewing the language policy and a new Official Languages Act is to be tabled in December 2000. Municipalities There are no municipal services offered in French. Legal services In the civil and criminal areas, the legal system is able to provide trials in French. There is only one francophone Justice of the Peace in the territory. Linguistic Vitality Stability of French spoken at home ... In 1996 (before the creation of Nunavut), 607 persons in the Northwest Territories said that they most often speak French at home. This number was 585 in 1971. The use of French in daily family life is an important element of francophone dynamics in the North. Given that French is in more or less close contact with English everywhere in the territories, this stability is somewhat surprising. It can be explained, however, by the yearly influx of francophones (to north of the 60th parallel) from communities where French is the majority language or from places where the weight of francophone numbers helps guarantee its place as the main language of the home. …The knowledge of French is increasingly widespread In Nunavut and the Northwest Territories, the number of people who know French (alone or with English) has quadrupled since the 1950s. In 1981, 2,755 people claimed to speak French. Today, the figure is 4,035 (6.3 percent of the population). While still only a small fraction of the population, the increase indicates the attraction of the French language in the territories today and that an increased francophile population would be of benefit to the region. Linguistic continuity: the difficulty of maintaining French The French language, being in close contact with English, nevertheless has difficulty maintaining itself in the North. The French continuity index is only 0.43, indicating that more than half of Nunavut francophones tend not to use French in the family setting. The index has shown a downward tendency in recent years. The intermarriage rate, which is very high, is one likely cause. Efforts during the 1970s to ensure French continuity in the region have no doubt produced positive results despite the small demographic weight of the franco-tenois community. In 1996, 70 percent of francophone families in Nunavut and the Northwest Territories were of intermarriages. History Nunavut was officially created on April 1, 1999. The territory, which includes the eastern and northern parts of what used to be the Northwest Territories, covers some two million square kilometers. More than 85 percent of its inhabitants are of Inuit origin. The history of the Northwest Territories, and thus that of Nunavut, is rooted in the history of Canada. In 1869, two years after Confederation, the Hudson's Bay Company ceded its territories, known as Rupert's Land, to the new government. A large portion of Quebec and Ontario as well as all the western part of the country were then included in what was called the Northwest Territories. Parts of these were gradually carved off to create and then expand new provinces as well as a new territory, the Yukon, in 1898, at the time of the Klondike gold rush; and finally Nunavut in 1999 as the result of the largest land claim settlement ever seen in Canada, broughtabout by the Inuit of the Arctic. The development of the cooperative movement allowed the Inuit to come together and organize politically. The first Inuit cooperative was founded at Kangiqsualujjuaq (formerly Rivière Georges in New Quebec) in 1959. The movement quickly spread to almost all the communities in the Arctic, eventually breaking the Hudson's Bay Company's trade monopoly. From that time on, contacts with the South became more and more frequent. The federal government became involved in systematically providing services in the North, including a housing program that induced the Inuit to abandon their nomadic way of life. The use of English spread, helped along by a school system that for a long time forbade the teaching of Inuktitut. French was not completely absent from the region. There were francophones among the civil servants and other workers from the South in Frobisher Bay and in other large communities. The Association des francophones de Frobisher Bay was officially founded in 1981. In 1987, when the town council voted to name the municipality Iqaluit, the Association followed suit and changed its official name. In 1999, the Association francophone d’Iqaluit took over the reins of the Association francophone du Nunavut to give French the place it deserves throughout the new territory. Geography In 1996, there were 425 people who spoke French as their mother tongue in what was to be Nunavut. At that time, these francophones represented 1.7 percent of the total population of the three census divisions that make up the territory created on April 1, 1999. Francophones are present in a number of villages in Nunavut. The highest concentration by far is found in the census subdivision that includes the town of Iqaluit where there are more than 250 francophones – 60 percent of all francophones in the new territory. There are 35 in Ninasivik and 20 in Rankin Inlet. The rest are spread throughout the larger villages of Baffin Island, the banks of Hudson's Bay and Keewatin which are the main service centers. Nowhere in Nunavut do francophones constitute a significant percentage of the population: 3 percent in the Baffin region and less than 1 percent in the two other regions that make up Nunavut. However, they make up 6 percent of the population of Iqaluit, the capital of the new territory and culturally closer to Quebec that any other community north of the 60th parallel. Despite their small numbers, the francophones of Nunavut have made their mark on community life in this part of the country. The political changes now taking place, aimed at giving the region greater auto-nomy, offer francophones unparalleled opportunity to solidify their bases. Sources The short community history notes were taken in large part from the Web site produced by the Comité national de développement des ressources humaines de la francophonie canadienne. A text by Philippe Falardeau, entitled Hier la francophonie, published by the FCFA in the context of Dessein 2000 was also a source of inspiration. Finally, several texts compiled by Joseph Yvon Thériault in Francophonies minoritaires au Canada - L’état des lieux, recently published by Éditions de l’Acadie, were used. All statistics used in producing the profiles come from Statistics Canada. Four sources were used: Data on mother tongue, French spoken in the home and knowledge of French, 1951 to 1996, were taken from Louise Marmen and Jean-Pierre Corbeil (1999), Languages in Canada. 1996. Census Canadian Heritage and Statistics Canada. New Canadian Perspectives. Catalog no. C99-980110-4F. (Marmen and Corbeil, 1999.) Data on linguistic continuity (ratio of the number of persons speaking French in the home and the number of persons with French as their mother tongue) and francophone intermarriage rates were taken from the work by Michael O'Keefe (1998), Francophone Minorities : Assimilation and Community Vitality. Canadian Heritage. New Canadian perspectives. Catalog no. C98-980021-0F. (O’Keefe, 1998.) Data on non-official mother tongues come from E-Stat 1998, an optical compact disk published under number 10F017XCB (WIN). All other data were taken from Portrait des communautés de langues officielles au Canada published by Statistics Canada in the form of an optical compact disk with catalogue no. C94F0010XCB. This disk provided data on ethnic origin and on the francophone population by sex, age, birthplace, mobility, education, occupation and income (Statistics Canada, 1998). The ability to distinguish between francophones in the present-day, Nunavut and the Northwest Territories varies depending on which of these sources is used. The compilations by Marmen and Corbeil and by O’Keefe do not include information at the census division level. It was therefore impossible to break down the totals given for Nunavut in order to distinguish between the two populations. In Portrait des communautés de langues officielles au Canada, data is available for all entities. We have thus been able to present data relating to the three regions of Baffin, Keewatin and Kitikmeot (Nunavut) as well as on the regions of Fort Smith and Inuvik (the new Northwest Territories) separately. Depending on the source used, the population under consideration varies slightly. The methods used to distribute the bilingual population is the main reason for these discrepancies. Both Marmen and Corbeil and O’Keefe distribute multiple responses among declared languages. For example, for persons declaring English and French as mother tongues, half of the responses are added to the « French » category and half to the « English » category. For those who declared French and a non-official language as their mother tongues, half of the responses are classed as « French » and the other half as « Non-official language ». The E-Stat diskette does not distribute multiple responses and presents all categories of responses in detail. In Portrait des communautés de langues officielles au Canada, only multiple responses relating to English-French bilingualism are broken out. Persons declaring French and a non-official language as mother tongues were all counted as having French as their mother tongue. Those declaring French, English and a third language as official languages were all classed as bilingual English-French. The populations considered here - whether French mother tongue or French and English mother tongues - are thus slightly larger. The figures on the francophone population will vary depending on whether or not they include francophones who also declared English as their mother tongue. Most of the tables and graphs presented in this profile concern only persons whose only mother tongue is French, who make up the great majority of francophones in all areas. The French mother tongue map, 1996, covers all francophones, including half of bilingual franco-phones. This map, produced by André Langlois, is based on data contained on the diskette Portrait des communautés de langues officielles au Canada. It is taken from the Atlas du développement des communautés francophones et acadiennes du Canada, which may be found on the Internet at: aix1.uottawa.ca/~andrelan/atlas. Information on community life was supplied by the Association des francophones du Nunavut which was invited, in May 1999, to supplement two existing portraits: one of the francophone community in Nunavut, produced by Canadian Heritage and presently available on its Web site, and an older one prepared in 1990 by the Fédération des francophones hors Québec (as the FCFA was called at the time) and published in a document entitled État des communautés francophones et acadiennes du Canada. Modification: {ts '2005-05-27 00:00:00'}

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