About Quebec

Québec is a province in the central and eastern regions of Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level.

Quebec is Canada's largest province by area and the second most populous province, after Ontario. Most inhabitants live in urban areas near the Saint Lawrence River between Montreal and Quebec City, the capital. English-speaking communities and English-language institutions are concentrated in Montreal.

LANGUAGE

The official language of Quebec is French. Quebec is the only Canadian province whose population is mainly francophone. English is not designated an official language by Quebec law. However, both English and French are required by the Constitution Act, 1867 for the enactment of laws and regulations and any person may use English or French in the National Assembly and the courts of Quebec.

Allophones, whose mother tongue is neither French nor English, make up 11.9% (886,280) of the population.

There is a considerable number of people that consider themselves to be bilingual (having a knowledge of French and English). In Quebec, about 40.6% (3,017,860) of the population are bilingual, and for the Island of Montreal, this proportion grows to 60% (1,020,760) of the island's population. Quebec has the highest proportion of bilinguals among the other Canadian provinces. The proportion in the rest of Canada is only about 10.2% (2,430,990) of the population having knowledge of both of the country's official languages. Overall, 17.4% (5,448,850) of Canadians report as bilingual.

ECONOMY

The St. Lawrence River Valley is a fertile agricultural region, producing dairy products, fruit, vegetables, maple syrup (Quebec is the world's largest producer), and livestock. North of the St. Lawrence River Valley, the territory of Quebec has significant resources in its coniferous forests, lakes, and rivers—pulp and paper, lumber, and hydroelectricity are still some of the province's most important industries.

There is a significant concentration of high-tech industries around Montreal, including aerospace companies such as aircraft manufacturer Bombardier, the jet engine company Pratt & Whitney, the flight simulator builder CAE and defense contractor Lockheed Martin, Canada. In the video game industry, large video game companies such as Electronic Arts and Ubisoft have studios in Montreal.

While the province's substantial natural resources have long been the mainstay of its economy, sectors of the knowledge economy such as aerospace, information and communication technologies, biotechnology and the pharmaceutical industry also play leading roles. These many industries have all contributed to helping Quebec become the second most economically influential province, second only to Ontario.