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Young anglophones are still leaving Quebec, but at much lower rates, find researchers
Young anglophones continue to leave Quebec: study
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot
Having grown up in an English-speaking family in Montreal, Jeremy Schachter says the question of staying or leaving Quebec was a “very real” dinner-table conversation.
“So many of my friends have left. It’s just, people wonder about the future of the anglophone community,” he said.
Schachter himself moved to Toronto a year ago to join his girlfriend, who works as a social worker in the city. He is part of a long-standing movement of young English-speakers leaving Quebec to move elsewhere in Canada.
Data from the federal census shows that English-speakers are more likely to leave Quebec in favour of other provinces than French-speakers, but that the trend is slowing down.
This movement was especially strong in the 1970s and 1980s, said Simon-Pierre Lacasse, who recently wrote a paper exploring the migration of young anglophones out of Quebec.
“The ‘Anglo exodus’, as it's often referred to, is something that's really contingent to a specific period,” Lacasse told The Canadian Press.
In their research, Simon-Pierre Lacasse and student Meghan Rulli focused on young adults, who are more likely to move between provinces.
Their research paints a picture of how the rate of this migration has slowed down in recent decades.
Their research paper, published by the Quebec English-Speaking Communities Research Network, shows close to 20 per cent of English-speakers in Quebec left the province between the late 1960s and the early 1980s, with the net loss of around 121,000 anglophones in interprovincial migration between 1976 and 1981.
Between 2016 and 2021, the interprovincial anglophone migration was almost balanced, with a net loss of around 3900 anglophones in Quebec.
At the end of the most recent period, federal statistics reveal the overall English-speaking community in the province remained strong. Over 1.6 million Quebecers spoke English at home on a regular basis in 2021, according to the census.
This represents over 19 per cent of the Quebec population.
At the same time, the census numbers show that over 35 per cent of workers in the province said they regularly spoke English while on the job.
Lacasse said the numbers appear to suggest young English-speakers are better integrated in the province’s culture today than they were in the 1970s.
“To me, that was the big surprise. … If the goal is youth retention for the vitality of English-speaking communities, then maybe there is hope,” said Lacasse.
The researchers identified many “push” factors that might drive anglophones away from Quebec, including greater career opportunities elsewhere and economic concerns. Interwoven with many of these factors is the question of language.
“Language in Quebec, perhaps more than other provinces in Canada, is directly linked to identity and is politicized,” said Lacasse.
In 2022, the provincial government passed a bill that strengthened language legislation in the province. It imposed measures like French-only services for most Quebec residents and a cap on enrolment in some English-language colleges.
The bill also caused disruptions during the recent provincial election campaign after the election authority sent out French-only guides to all voters. A Superior Court judge temporarily suspended the bill’s provisions and ordered the agency to send out bilingual reminder cards to voters.
On Ki Lin, who was born in Hong Kong but moved to Montreal when they were eight years old, said they left Quebec to study at the University of Toronto mainly because they thought this was the best place to pursue their education.
Although Lin says financial concerns are keeping them in Toronto, the former Montrealer also noted having struggled to fully integrate into Quebec culture.
“There would be some people (who) would be very abrasive and very rude because my accent wasn’t the same as theirs. Or they would assume that if I had an accent, it meant that I wasn’t fluent enough to understand what they were saying,” said Lin.
The feeling that there is no space for English-speaking identities in Quebec lingers for many, said Lacasse.
“When I was living in Montreal, the overarching sentiment was that, you live here, but are you really welcome here? I don't know. It was not so clear to me,” said Schachter.
This affects not only feelings of identity and belonging, but also professional development, with some anglophones feeling that they are not welcome in francophone workspaces, found the paper.
But English-speaking Quebecers’ relationship with the French language is also generational, said Lacasse, pointing out that those born after the Quiet Revolution in the 1960s, a period of nationalist political and social reform marked by a strengthening of the French-speaking Quebec identity, were more likely to understand the importance of French within the province.
The paper also highlights that young English-speakers in Quebec are increasingly bilingual.
Speaking with The Canadian Press, Schachter expressed attachment to the French language. He said he was recently offended when a man sitting close to him at a hockey game became upset to hear the national anthem sung in French.
“Even though I wouldn't consider myself francophone … I think that's really offensive,” he said.
Lacasse added English-speakers may find it easier to move to the rest of Canada, while French-speakers may face language barriers.
Lacasse said he is curious to see what trends will appear from the 2026 census data, which is set to be released in early 2027, especially after a period of high political tensions around language in Quebec.
From their new lives in Toronto, Lin and Schachter both reminisced about Montreal and Quebec.
“I would never consider myself Québécois, really, but there's definitely something special about Quebec,” said Schachter.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2026.
By Marieke Glorieux-Stryckman | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
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Galloway defamation trial hears of 'inflated and outrageous' email rhetoric
Galloway witness 'shocked' by email rhetoric
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
A former creative writing student testifying in author and former UBC professor Steven Galloway's defamation trial says she was "shocked" and "horrified" at language used in a mass email by a fellow student investigating misconduct allegations against Galloway.
Cara Woodruff, a UBC creative writing graduate, says in the ongoing trial of Galloway's defamation lawsuit that she received an email in November 2015 from Chelsea Rooney, who had been tasked with collecting complaints against Galloway but has now apologized for spreading unproven allegations against him.
Woodruff says the email from Rooney contained "inflated and outrageous" rhetoric and urged recipients to anonymously contact a reporter from The Canadian Press about allegations against Galloway.
She says she did not believe an allegation by another former student known as A.B. that Galloway sexually assaulted her, and she kept asking A.B. to go to the police to have it investigated "properly."
Woodruff says in her testimony to the B.C. Supreme Court on Tuesday she felt "blindsided" learning of the allegations because she had been friends with A.B., and it "was very unclear" to Woodruff if there was a criminal investigation.
A.B. is not testifying in the trial, and the court has heard she is not asserting in her defence that the allegations she made against Galloway are true.
Rooney issued a public apology to Galloway this month, days before the trial began.
She said she understood her conduct toward him was "serious and harmful," saying she deeply regretted "contributing to the harm Mr. Galloway has suffered."
Galloway, the author of novels including "The Cellist of Sarajevo" and "The Confabulist" was a tenured professor and the chair of the creative writing program at UBC.
He was never charged over the allegations by A.B., whose name cannot be reported due to a publication ban, though he was fired from his job.
Rooney said in her apology that she had been asked by UBC, A.B. and faculty members to gather complaints against Galloway, but she had "no information" that the "very serious and unproven allegations" against Galloway were true.
Woodruff had sought to have her name suppressed at the trial, but her request was denied.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 20, 2026.
Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
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Researcher who became sick after pesticide exposure asks government to follow science
Feds urged not to weaken oversight on pesticides
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot
Since he was a child, Gérald Chouinard knew he wanted to be a scientist. He fulfilled that dream for three decades, researching alternatives to pesticides in Quebec, until his work was cut short eight years ago.
Chouinard was in his mid-50s when he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Three years later, in 2022, his diagnosis was recognized to be a work illness after exposure to pesticides.
“It’s a little ironic — that I worked to reduce risks related to pesticides and it made me ill,” he told The Canadian Press in an interview.
Now, he is petitioning the federal government to stop what he sees as a weakening of pesticide regulation and is asking them to follow the science.
Chouinard’s petition, which has over 13,500 signatures, is asking the governments to reverse what advocates describe as a trend to weaken oversight of the use of pesticides across the country. The petition takes aim at legislation they warn will weaken the federal Pest Control Products Act.
Bill C-30, which was passed in June 2026, amended the Act to allow cabinet to override Health Canada and authorize the use of banned pesticides in the interest of economic or national food security, or in response to “seriously detrimental infestation.” Bill C-31, which is under review, would eliminate mandatory reviews of the health and environmental risks of pesticides.
The petition asks the government to repeal the changes made by C-30 and remove those proposed by C-31.
Chouinard’s right hand trembled as he spoke to The Canadian Press on an October morning, detailing his research and the illness he developed as a result. Chouinard spent around three decades exposed to dozens of chemical pesticides.
“I was like most people, I was confident that the regulatory system was reliable, that it was good,” he said.
Chouinard no longer works, as his symptoms — which include difficulty sleeping, trembling and low energy — make it hard to keep a job, he said.
“But I stay active for a cause that’s important to me: to help people understand that pesticides are of course dangerous, but also that Canadian systems ensuring the safety of those products are important,” he said.
When he learned about the changes that bills C-30 and C-31 were bringing to pesticide regulation, he was stunned, he said.
“The Quebec government paid me a salary for 30 years for me to reduce pesticide use. And now, I’m seeing a bill that proposes a weakening of the (oversight) systems,” he said.
Around half of the products that Chouinard was exposed to before he developed Parkinson's disease were banned following the mandatory reviews of their environmental and health impacts. Those products could now return to the market through the override authorized by bill C-30.
“I’m a scientist, I think this process should be led by science. Not by lobbies, not by politics, by science,” he said.
Chouinard was in Ottawa on Tuesday to speak out against the changes to pesticide regulations. He joined a coalition that included Green Party Leader Elizabeth May and Bloc Québécois MP Maxime Blanchette-Joncas.
Health Minister Marjorie Michel dismissed concerns about the changes during question period in the House of Commons.
"I would say the health and safety of Canadians will always remain our top priority. But we can do this while supporting our agriculture sector and cutting red tape," she said.
Chouinard said industry professionals like him, who interact most closely with pesticides, will be the first impacted by lower oversight.
"We don't want our producers to be exposed to risks unnecessarily," he said.
In a press conference, May criticized the Carney government’s environmental policy and accused it of being “in the pocket of the pesticide lobby.”
“It's not too late for Canadians to rise up and ask this government, I'll be blunt, what the hell is going on here?” she said.
In an email to the Canadian Press, Health Department spokesperson Alexandre Bergeron said the government's proposed changes would allow federal officials to focus on the biggest risks.
“These changes will help reduce backlogs and ensure regulatory resources are focused on higher-risk products and emerging concerns, rather than automatically reviewing products simply because 15 years have passed,” wrote Bergeron.
Chouinard dismissed the idea that reducing reviews would help cut down on bureaucracy.
“We hear about reducing useless bureaucracy, but that is not what we’re looking at here. This is essential work,” he said.
— With files from Pierre St-Arnaud
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 20, 2026.
By Marieke Glorieux-Stryckman | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
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