Post-war Demographic Trends
The interval census years 1961-1971 witnessed the first absolute decline in the number of individuals claiming Ukrainian mother tongue (361,496 to 309,860). The rate of decline has increased precipitously such that in 1981 there were 254,690 individuals who claimed Ukrainian as their mother tongue, while only 187,015 did so in 1991. The number of Ukrainian speakers in Canada continues to decline although less if only because of the change in the demographic structure of the Ukrainian ethnic group; the last post-war wave of immigrant native Ukrainian language speakers have largely disappeared as a significant statistical category. Consequently, in 1996, a total of 162,695 individuals claimed Ukrainian mother tongue, while in 2001 the number dropped, albeit at a lesser rate, to 148,085.
The data on Ukrainian home language use reveals that, in terms of routine family use, Ukrainian is marginal although there are some curious recent developments. Ukrainian home language use has been consistently declining, such that, in 1996, only 49,985 individuals identified Ukrainian as the language used routinely in the home. This however would increase to 67,665 in 2001, presumably the result of the arrival of post-independence Ukrainian immigrants and their children.
In the context of Canadian multiculturalism, the effect on Ukrainian language use of official provincial educational policies, which are much more sympathetic to the teaching of so-called 'heritage languages', is unknown. Nevertheless, Ukrainian language private schools exist across the country while Ukrainian is taught in both public and Catholic elementary and high schools as well as at several universities in Canada, notably on the Prairies.
According to the Canada 2001 Census, 148,085 people in Canada claimed Ukrainian as their sole "mother tongue". No provision however is made in the Canada Census for identifying dialects. Therefore data on the Canadian Ukrainian dialect are unknown.
| Total speakers | Percentage of provincial total | |
|---|---|---|
| British Columbia | 13,600 | 0.35% |
| Alberta | 33,970 | 1.15% |
| Saskatchewan | 19,650 | 2.04% |
| Manitoba | 26,540 | 2.40% |
| Ontario | 48,620 | 0.43% |
| Quebec | 5,125 | 0.07% |
Provincially, the largest Ukrainian speaking population resides in Ontario. Ukrainophones there, however, are a small percentage of the population, while on the Prairies the percentage is much higher. Very few Ukrainian speakers are present in either Atlantic and Northern Canada.
Read more about this topic: Canadian Ukrainian
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