Authors

Executive Summary

Morgan Gagnon, Policy Research Lead, Provincial Employment Roundtable

A growing body of literature examines the devitalization and subsequent revitalization efforts among rural communities both within Canada and worldwide. Much of this scholarship focuses on towns and municipalities, and little information is available about the vitality of particular demographic groups within geographically defined communities. In Québec, there are pockets of English-speaking communities spread out across non-urban regions. These English speakers face issues related to their status and vitality as a linguistic minority group in Québec, in addition to the broader patterns of devitalization (e.g. reliance on resource-based industries, population decline) characterizing many rural areas in the province.

This report aims to fill in data gaps on the socioeconomic status and community vitality of English speakers in Gaspésie-Îles-de-la-Madeleine and provide insight into policies and practices that can enhance the vitality of English-speaking communities in the region. The report also examines the relationship between employment and community vitality among English speakers in the region. As such, it presents the findings from an environmental scan on best practices in rural community revitalization as well as the results of a community vitality survey conducted in partnership with three local English-language organizations: Vision Gaspé-Percé Now, the Committee for Anglophone Social Action, and the Council for Anglophone Magdalen Islanders. The community survey examines issues and solutions related to employment as a core element of community vitality.

Environmental scan results and survey findings revealed that while employment is an essential element of community vitality for English speakers in Gaspésie-Îles-de-la-Madeleine, it is one piece of the puzzle. Other issues, such as access to mental health care, low housing stock, and lack of childcare, often need to be urgently addressed to ensure the baseline well-being of communities. Addressing these challenges better enables community members to engage in employment and employment-related programming.

Key Findings

• Substance abuse and mental health have been identified as critical issues requiring urgent attention in the region. In the community survey, one-quarter of respondents (24.7%) identified substance use as a major issue in the region, and one-third (32.9%) identified mental health as a major issue.
• Approximately one-third (28.6%) of respondents identified access to essential resources as a major barrier to employment, while emphasizing that this area deserves more support. Furthermore, they believe that this is a key indicator of community vitality.
• Nearly one-fifth (17.8%) of respondents identified lack of access to English-language education as a major regional issue. Similarly, one-quarter (23.8%) identified lack of education as a factor contributing to high unemployment rates among English-speaking people.
• Respondents had mixed opinions about language; three-quarters (76.2%) of those surveyed identified a lack of proficiency in French as a barrier to employment for English speakers. However, respondents also expressed concern about language discrimination in the region and their desire to protect their English-speaking identity.
• Respondents expressed varying attitudes toward seasonal work; many emphasized the need for more full-time employment opportunities in the region, while others suggested that English-speaking individuals’ engagement in seasonal work was due to a lack of motivation within the community to seek full-time employment.