Friday, January 19, 1996 For release at 8:30 a.m.
Ontario and Quebec: Demographic similarities and differences FEATURE: Report on the demographic situation in Canada 1995
Ontario and Quebec have been settled differently by immigrants from countries with distinct languages, cultures, ways of living and traditions. And in the past, the populations of the two provinces displayed different demographic behaviours. At the end of the present century, however, the differences in many demographic factors are barely noticeable, even though some dissimilarities persist.
Over the years, the two provinces have converged insofar as basic demographic trends such as fertility and mortality are concerned. In the mid-1990s, they are about the same in each province. For example, in 1926, men in Ontario could expect to live 7.1 years longer than men in Quebec, and Ontario women 7.9 years longer than their Quebec counterparts. Now, life expectancy at birth for each sex is almost identical in both provinces.
Populations have grown differently
In 1995, Ontario and Quebec combined represented 62% of Canada's total population. This proportion has fluctuated only slightly since the First World War. In addition, Ontario's and Quebec's populations were never far from a ratio of 60 to 40, in favour of Ontario.
Quebec's growth has mostly resulted from natural increase (more births than deaths), while in Ontario immigration has also played an important role. Consequently, Quebec's population is much more homogeneous than Ontario's, which has become more cosmopolitan.
Some 50 years ago, population projections suggested Quebec might be the most populous province by the 1970s. Now, projections suggest that in 2016 Quebec's population could be about 60% of its neighbour's, down from about 65% in 1995. Indeed, over the past two decades, Ontario's population has grown at about double the annual rate of Quebec's.
Differences in population growth in the two provinces have had two major consequences: Quebec's share of Canada's total population declined from 29% in 1961 to 25% in 1994; and Quebec's population has aged faster than Ontario's.
In other fields such as domestic life, ethnic composition and migration flows, some long-standing demographic differences between the two provinces persist.
Marriage patterns have always been different
Marital behaviour has always been different in Quebec and Ontario, and it continues to be so. Quebecers have always married less than Ontarians, and the phenomenon is increasing. Between 1971 and 1991, the marriage rate in Ontario fell 18%, compared with a drop of 49% in Quebec.
As for propensity to marry in the 1990s, nearly three out of five men would still be single when they reach 50 in Quebec, whereas only one in three would still be single at age 50 in Ontario; for women, the difference is about the same.
Common-law unions are far more frequent in Quebec. A 1990 survey showed that about 30% of individuals aged 15 and over living in Quebec had been in a common-law union at some time in their lives, compared with only about 18% in Ontario.
In both provinces, divorced individuals have the greatest propensity to form common-law unions. However, the proportion is higher in Quebec.
Most first births in Quebec today are to unmarried women, most of whom are in common-law relationships. In Ontario, by comparison, the proportion of first births to unmarried women is much lower.
In 1982, 25% of all births were to unmarried mothers in Quebec, compared with 12% in Ontario. In 1992, the proportions had gone up to 41% in Quebec and 16% in Ontario.
Except at advanced ages, living alone is more common in Quebec. Over the past few years, it has grown at a faster pace than in Ontario.
Immigration to Quebec: A matter of attraction and retention
Quebec does not attract as many foreigners or Canadians from other provinces as does Ontario, and it retains relatively fewer of those who do settle there. Over the three decades ending in 1991, Quebec received 850,000 international immigrants, while 2.5 million settled in Ontario.
During the 1970s, 231,000 immigrants settled in Quebec. However, according to the 1991 Census, only 61% of foreign-born individuals who came to Quebec during the decade stayed, compared with 75% of those who went to Ontario.
Migration, whether internal or international, is increasingly toward large cities. Under these circumstances, Ontario has an advantage over Quebec, since it has a greater number of large cities with substantial commercial or industrial sectors. Aside from Montreal, Quebec has no metropolitan areas with profiles resembling those of Oshawa, Windsor, London or Hamilton. For this reason, immigrants in Quebec are much more concentrated in Montreal than immigrants in Ontario are in Toronto.
Between 1901 and 1991, the proportion of foreign-born people in Quebec rose from 5.4% to 8.6%, an increase of 3.2 percentage points. Over the same period, the increase in Ontario was 8.7 percentage points. Consequently, in 1991, nearly 1 person out of 4 in Ontario was born outside Canada, compared with only 1 out of 12 in Quebec.
At the same time, Ontario also attracted more Canadians from other provinces. Internal migration patterns have thus contributed to the homogeneity of the Quebec population, which has changed little during the century. Still, about 9 out of 10 Quebec residents are born in the province, compared with nearly 6 out of 10 in Ontario.
Significant shifts in mother tongue
In both provinces, the population by mother tongue (the first language the individual learned as an infant and still understands) has changed over time.
In Quebec, the francophone share of the population has held steady at 82% and experienced a two-thirds increase in their numbers, while the anglophone population dropped from 14% to 9%.
On the other hand, the number of anglophones in Ontario doubled. But they represented only 75% of the population in 1991, compared with 82% in 1951. The francophone share of Ontario's population fell from 7% to 5%.
Over the past four decades, both provinces have experienced a four-fold increase in the number of allophones (individuals whose mother tongue is neither English nor French). As a result, the allophone share of the population has jumped from 4% to 9% in Quebec and from 11% to 20% in Ontario.
As for the language used to communicate at home, in both provinces the language of the majority has gained users over the past 20 years. In Quebec, the number of anglophones speaking French in the home has increased, while the number of francophones speaking English as their home language has declined.
In Ontario, people whose mother tongue is French speak more English at home, while anglophones rarely use French as their language of domestic communication. The overall impression is the same in each province: both are becoming more homogeneous in terms of language spoken at home.
Report on the demographic situation in Canada, 1995 (91-209, $30) is now available. See "How to order publications".
For further information on this release, contact Jean Dumas (613-951-2327), Demography Division.
FEATURE: Report on the demographic situation in Canada 1995
Today, Statistics Canada releases the 1995 edition of Report on the demographic situation in Canada.
As in the past, Part I of the report updates the emergent demographic trends in the different regions of the country, situating Canada among the other industrialized countries. The report analyses trends in population growth, births, marriages, divorces, mortality, interprovincial migration rates, and international immigration. Particular attention is given to the characteristics of immigrants and to institutionalized populations, such as long-term residents in health-related facilities.
Part II of the 1995 edition examines the demographic similarities of Ontario and Quebec, as well as some differences.
Report on the demographic situation in Canada, 1995 (91-209, $30) is now available. See "How to order publications".
For further information on this release, contact Jean Dumas (613-951-2327), Demography Division.