Ontario More Multilingual
- According to the 2001 Census, Ontario is becoming
more multilingual. This is attributable to the growing number of immigrants
whose mother tongue is neither English nor French. Those language groups who
reported a non-official language as mother tongue (allophones) represented
24.2% of Ontario'146;s population in 2001, up from 22.2% in 1996.
- Those who reported English as their mother tongue
still represented the majority of Ontarians. Although their numbers rose, their
share of population declined to 71.3% in 2001 from 73.1% in 1996. The same was
true of those who reported French as their mother tongue. Their numbers rose
but their share declined to 4.5% in 2001 from 4.7% in 1996.
- Overall, Ontarians reported more than 100 languages
in completing the Census question on mother tongue. The list includes languages
long associated with immigration to Ontario: German, Italian, Ukrainian, Dutch
and Polish. However, between 1996 and 2001, language groups from Asia and the
Middle East recorded the largest gains.
- These language groups include Chinese, Punjabi,
Arabic, Urdu, Tagalog and Tamil.
Toronto
CMA: 40% Reported a Non-Official
Language
- Those language groups who reported a non-official
language as mother tongue represented 40% of the Toronto Census Metropolitan
Area'146;s (CMA) population in
2001, the highest proportion of any Canadian
CMA.
- Chinese remained the leading non-official mother
tongue in the Toronto CMA. A
total of 355,270 people reported Chinese as mother tongue, a 20.5% increase
from 1996. This accounted for 7.6% of the population.
- In the Ontario part of Ottawa-Gatineau
CMA, Chinese replaced Arabic as
the leading mother tongue other than English or French.
- European languages remained the leading
non-official language groups in the Hamilton and Kitchener
CMAs.
- Among Ontario
CMAs, the London
CMA had the highest proportion of
the population with English as mother tongue (82%) and Greater Sudbury the
highest proportion with French as mother tongue (29%).
|
Mother Tongue and
Home Language, Ontario
| |
Mother Tongue 1996 |
Mother Tongue 2001 |
Home Language 1996 |
Home Language 2001 |
| Number |
|
|
|
|
| English |
7,777,735 |
8,041,995 |
8,900,845 |
9,337,615 |
| French |
499,687 |
509,265 |
306,790 |
307,295 |
| Other |
2,365,370 |
2,734,280 |
1,435,160 |
1,640,640 |
| Total |
10,642,792 |
11,285,540 |
10,642,795 |
11,285,550 |
| Per
Cent |
|
|
|
|
| English |
73.1 |
71.3 |
83.6 |
82.7 |
| French |
4.7 |
4.5 |
2.9 |
2.7 |
| Other |
22.2 |
24.2 |
13.5 |
14.5 |
| Total
|
100.0 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
| Note: |
Mother tongue is first language learned at
home while home language is language spoken most at home. |
| Source: |
Statistics Canada, Census of Canada,
2001 |
Top 3 Non-official
Mother Tongue Languages in Selected Ontario
CMAs*
| CMA |
Number 1996 |
Percentage Share 1996** |
|
Number 2001 |
Percentage Share 2001 |
| Toronto |
|
|
|
|
|
| Chinese |
294,875 |
7.0 |
Chinese |
355,270 |
7.6 |
| Italian |
215,755 |
5.1 |
Italian |
206,325 |
4.4 |
| Portuguese |
113,865 |
2.7 |
Portuguese |
113,355 |
2.4 |
| Ottawa-Gatineau
(Ontario part) |
|
|
|
|
|
| Arabic |
17,270 |
2.3 |
Chinese |
23,785 |
3.0 |
| Chinese |
15,850 |
2.1 |
Arabic |
22,735 |
2.9 |
| Italian |
11,760 |
1.6 |
Italian |
11,215 |
1.4 |
| Hamilton |
|
|
|
|
|
| Italian |
24,755 |
4.0 |
Italian |
24,050 |
3.7 |
| Polish |
11,780 |
1.9 |
Polish |
11,970 |
1.8 |
| German |
9,250 |
1.5 |
Portuguese |
9,160 |
1.4 |
| Kitchener |
|
|
|
|
|
| German |
16,620 |
4.4 |
German |
15,550 |
3.8 |
| Portuguese |
12,355 |
3.3 |
Portuguese |
11,525 |
2.8 |
| Polish |
5,680 |
1.5 |
Polish |
5,800 |
1.4 |
| Note: |
Mother tongue is first language learned at
home while home language is language spoken most at home. |
| Source: |
Statistics Canada, Census of Canada,
2001 |
|
