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French-language Support for Québec’s English-speaking Professionals

Contributors

About this report
Sithandazile Kuzviwanza, Director of Policy & Research, Provincial Employment Roundtable

Catherine-Laure Juste, Policy Researcher, Provincial Employment Roundtable

Morgan Gagnon, Policy Researcher, Provincial Employment Roundtable

Joshua Loo, Policy Research Intern, Provincial Employment Roundtable

 

 This report examines the status of French-language support for English speakers and other linguistic minorities in professions regulated by professional orders and identifies the support measures available to prospective and current members of professional orders in Québec, as well as the areas where improvements can be made.

Key Findings:

  • French-language proficiency can pose a barrier to an individual’s ability to enter a professional order, even for individuals who have undergone the necessary professional training to practice a regulated profession in Québec.
  • There is a lack of transitional programs that allow professionals to work in their profession while they simultaneously receive the French-language training necessary to pass the OQLF French-language exam.
  • There are accessibility issues, such as financial constraints, for professionals looking to enter French-language training programs.
  • There is a desire within professional orders for more organizational capacity and funding to improve their training programs and provide French-language support.
  • Data on linguistic minorities in Québec’s professional orders is not widely available thus making it challenging to determine the extent of language support needed for French-language learners in Québec.