More anglos in the Hills: census

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In the MRC des Collines-de-l’Outaouais, there’s been a slight rise in primary English speakers and a decline in primary French speakers between 2016 to 2021, according to the latest census data.

This infographic depicts a slight increase in primary English speakers and a slight decline in primary French speakers. This information is based on data from both the 2016 and 2021 Statistics Canada censuses. Infographic Hannah Sabourin

Comparing data from Statistics Canada’s 2021 Census and the 2016 Census, the combined population of the municipalities of Chelsea, Low, Cantley, and La Pêche rose by 10 per cent.

Along with this rise in population, English as their first official language also saw a two per cent increase. And even though French continues to be the dominant language spoken in the MRC, it saw a two per cent decline.

In Canada, there are two official languages – English and French. When referring to a respondent’s first official language, it means the official language that they feel more comfortable in. The first official language spoken can be different from one’s mother tongue.

In 2021, out of 8,000 Chelsea respondents, 3,925 considered English their first official language, and 3,882 marked French as their first official language. The remaining respondents identified themselves as fully bilingual or non-primary English and French speakers. These results show a 16 per cent increase in anglophones and a 14 per cent increase in francophones speakers since 2016.

Low saw a 12 per cent increase in English speakers and a seven per cent increase in French speakers from 2016 to 2021. Of the 1,020 respondents in the 2021 census, 575 said English was their first language, and 430 said French was their first language. The remaining respondents identified themselves as fully bilingual.

In Cantley, French was the primary language for 9,550 out of 11,440 respondents in 2021. Meanwhile, 1,650 indicated that English was their primary language, 235 said they were fully bilingual, and the remaining 10 considered neither English nor French as their primary language. There was a 28 per cent increase in primary English speakers and a three per cent increase in primary French speakers.

In La Pêche, out of 8,555 respondents in the 2021 Census, 3,505 said English was their primary language, 4,950 said it was French, and 100 said they spoke both. There was a 13 per cent increase in English speakers and an eight per cent increase in French speakers since 2016