Poverty and Social Exclusion in Quebec – Quebec’s English-speaking Communities

A Brief submitted by the Community Health and Social Services Network (CHSSN) in contribution to the development of the third Action Plan to combat poverty and social exclusion by the Government of Quebec. The brief points out that while the English-speaking communities of Quebec include a substantial 1,046,498 Quebecers representing thirteen percent of the province's citizenry, English-speakers displayed a high level of socio-economic vulnerability when aspects such as low education levels, unemployment and labour force participation and low income tendencies are measured. For example, 21.6 percent of Quebec's English-language population is living below LICO (low-income cut-offs, as recommended by Centre d'étude sur la pauvreté et l’exclusion for measuring poverty in Quebec) compared to 16.3 percent of Francophones. Quebec's English speakers continue to show an overall higher unemployment rates when compared to Francophones (9.4 percent compared to 6.9 percent). Among 25 to 44 year olds, 17.5 percent of English-speakers are out of the labour force compared to 11.8 percent of French speakers. Among English-speakers in Quebec aged 65 and over, 41.5 percent have an annual income of less that $20,000. The brief concludes with the recommendation that language be recognized as a factor when identifying socio-economic inequalities in Quebec, and that the specificity of the poverty and accompanying social exclusion of English-speaking communities be made an issue in the third Action Plan of the Government of Quebec.

2016

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