3. Geographic distribution and context of immigrants

3.1. Geographic distribution

In this paper, we will present results for the three FOLS categories for Quebec and Quebec ERs (ERs) to provide a greater understanding of regional differences and similarities across the province. An ER is a grouping of complete census divisions (CDs) created as a standard geographic unit to analyze regional economic activity. Within the province of Quebec, ERs (régions administratives) are designated by law and are commonly used by the Quebec government for administrative purposes.^{Footnote 27}

• Although immigrants are more concentrated in Montréal, there is a similar distribution pattern across the immigrant and non-immigrant populations, with a concentration in these larger urban centres, while the further one moves from these centres the more the population diminishes, with the exception of Outaouais ER due to its proximity to Ottawa.
  • The top non-immigrant ERs are Montérégie (19%) followed by Montréal (19%) and Capitale-Nationale (10%), while the top immigrant ERs are Montréal (66%), Montérégie (12%) and Laval (9%).
• The proportion of immigrants living in Montréal ER is relatively high across the three FOLS language categories: 73% of the English FOLS immigrants, 59% of the French FOLS immigrants and 71% of the English-French FOLS immigrants live in the Montréal ER.
• Map 1’s scale divides the immigrant population of Quebec into five geographic tiers.
  • Tier One is the Montréal ER.
  • Tier Two is the two ERs that border Montréal—Montérégie and Laval—which have the 2nd and 3rd highest percentage of Quebec immigrants, at 12% and 9% respectively.
  • Tier Three ERs—Capitale-Nationale (3%), Outaouais (3%), Laurentides (2%), Estrie (2%) and Lanaudière (2%)—are those that are not immigrant-concentrated, although they have a large enough immigrant population to complete socio-economic analysis.
  • In Tier Four ERs (Bas-Saint-Laurent, Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Mauricie, Saguenay--Lac-Saint-Jean, Centre-du-Quebec, Chaudière-Appalaches), there are between 1,000 and 9,999 immigrants.
  • Tier Five comprises the most Eastern and Northern ERs (Côte-Nord, Nord-du-Quebec and Gaspésie-Îles-de-la-Madeleine), and have fewer than 1,000 immigrants and fewer than 1% of Quebec immigrants.
• Information for all ERs will be provided when we examine the general distribution of language categories. Information pertaining to other demographic and socio-economic outcomes will use geographic roll-ups (a grouping together of smaller levels of geographies into a larger unit) in Tiers Four and Five, Eastern and Northern regions.
• The Eastern ER combines Centre-du-Quebec, Chaudière-Appalaches and Bas-Saint-Laurent ERs, while the Northern ER combines Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean, Mauricie, Côte-Nord, Abitibi-Témiscamingue and Nord-du-Quebec ERs.

Map 1: Number and percentage of the population that are immigrants across Quebec economic regions, 2006 Census, 20% sample

• As shown on Maps 2, 3 and 4, the three language categories have a similar geographic distribution pattern of immigrants: Montréal is at the centre and Tiers Four and Five have the fewest immigrants.
  • The French FOLS category has the largest number of immigrants and it is the least concentrated in Tier 1.
  • The main difference between the distribution of immigrants in the English FOLS and English-French FOLS categories is the ranking of Laval, which has more immigrants than Montérégie in the English-French FOLS category than the English FOLS category.
  • English-French FOLS immigrants are more concentrated in Tiers 1 and 2 than English FOLS immigrants.

Map 2: Distribution of immigrants assigned to English FOLS across Quebec economic regions, 2006 Census, 20% sample

Map 3: Distribution of immigrants assigned to French FOLS across Quebec economic regions, 2006 Census, 20% sample

Map 4: Distribution of immigrants assigned to English-French FOLS across Quebec economic regions, 2006 Census, 20% sample

3.2. Geographic context

• The percentage of a specific FOLS language category that immigrants comprise may make a difference in the level of services they receive or the degree to which their issues are the focus of policy development.
• On Maps 5, 6 and 7, immigrants in each of the FOLS categories represent a different percentage of the total individual FOLS categories.^{Footnote 28}
  • Immigrants represent 35% of the English FOLS population in Montréal, 31% in Laval and 22% in Montérégie, while in Tier Three ERs immigrants represent between 11% and 17% of the population.
  • For the French FOLS category, across all of the ERs except Montréal (22%) and Laval (13%), immigrants represent less than 5% of the French FOLS population.
  • The English-French FOLS category is the most immigrant-concentrated. Immigrants comprise a much higher percentage than in the other two FOLS categories
  • In Tier Four and Five ERs, the number of immigrants is small in some cases and findings should be used with caution. ^{Footnote 29}

Map 5: Immigrants as a percentage of the English FOLS category across Quebec economic regions, 2006 census, 20% sample

Map 6: Immigrants as a percentage of the French FOLS category across Quebec economic regions, 2006 census, 20% sample

Map 7: Immigrants as a percentage of English-French FOLS category across Quebec economic regions, 2006 census, 20% sample

• When comparing the relative size of immigrant communities by FOLS categories, as shown on Map 8, in most ERs the French FOLS immigrant category is the largest and the English FOLS is the second largest category. The exceptions are Capitale-Nationale and Centre-du-Quebec where more immigrants are assigned to the English-French FOLS than to the English FOLS category, and in Maurice where these two categories are approximately the same size.^{Footnote 30}
• The ERs with the highest percentages of immigrants assigned to the English FOLS are Montréal (32%), Outaouais (31%), and Montérégie (29%).
• The ERs with the highest percentages of immigrants assigned to the English-French FOLS are Laval (23%), Montréal (19%), and Outaouais (17%),
• The percentages for immigrants who are assigned to the English FOLS in these most Northern and Eastern ERs are relatively high, but the actual numbers are relatively low.
• The English FOLS and English-French FOLS immigrant categories are more concentrated around Montréal and Outaouais. The former is a historic centre for Anglophones in Quebec. The latter is supported by the large Anglophone population concentration of Ottawa.

Map 8: Quebec immigrant population by FOLS category, 2006 Census, 20% sample

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