What if the story you’ve been told about English-speaking Québec has it backwards? For decades, the assumption held firm that Anglophones in Québec occupied a comfortable, even elite, socioeconomic position. In the latest episode of the ShiftED Podcast, Chris Colley sits down with Morgan Gagnon of the Provincial Employment Roundtable (PERT) to unpack research that flips that narrative on its head—and puts a striking price tag on it.
The numbers come from PERT’s report, The State of Employment among English-speaking Quebecers, produced with the Social Research and Demonstration Corporation. In recent decades, Québec has seen a quiet inversion: English speakers, once faring better than their Francophone counterparts, now face higher unemployment, lower incomes, and a more precarious foothold in the labour market. On paper, the two groups look different—English speakers tend to be younger, more educated, and more concentrated around Montreal. But once you control for those factors, the disparities don’t vanish. They persist. And the report finds that if English speakers saw the same returns on their characteristics as French speakers, Québec’s economy could gain roughly $1.51 billion every year. As Morgan frames it, closing the gap is a win-win—good for English-speaking communities and good for the province.
The report finds that if English speakers saw the same returns on their characteristics as French speakers, Québec’s economy could gain roughly $1.51 billion every year.
Much of PERT’s work, she explains, is myth-busting. Yes, wealthy individual Anglophones still exist, but the broader community trend tells a different story, and that surprises people. Language sits at the heart of it, though the reality is nuanced. For some, it’s French competency; for others, confidence, or the specialized vocabulary needed to pass professional licensing exams in fields like law, medicine, and social work. Layer on regional disparities—where a French-language learning centre might be a three-hour drive rather than a quick metro ride—and the barriers compound across geography and identity.
Looking ahead, Morgan is candid that the labour market is in flux. Between AI, the digital transition, and the shift toward a greener economy, no one has a perfect map. PERT is instead investing in resilience, particularly the soft skills—critical thinking, creativity, problem-solving—that complement AI literacy and help workers and youth adapt.
The conversation closes on a hopeful note with Circonflexe, PERT’s mentorship program tagged “where accents don’t matter.” It pairs aspiring Francophones with French-speaking professionals by industry and region, helping mentees build language skills, expand networks, and grow in confidence—while mentors give back to a culture they’ve come to love.
It’s an episode full of numbers you’ll remember and stories that stick. Listen to the full conversation on the ShiftED Podcast, and explore PERT’s research and mentorship programs to learn more.
