Chaudière-Appalaches
The Opportunity: A $1.5 Billion Boost for Québec
Strategic investment in the English-speaking workforce is a critical lever for provincial growth. Closing the employment and income disparities between English and French speakers would add roughly $1.5 billion to Québec’s economy annually. As a candidate in the Chaudière-Appalaches region, you represent a vital part of this economic opportunity.
Chaudière-Appalaches Region
The Unemployment Gap: English speakers experience a significantly higher unemployment rate of 8.3%, outpacing the regional rate for French speakers of 5.3%.
Income Vulnerability: English speakers are nearly three times as likely to live below the after-tax low-income cut-off (7.4% vs. 2.5%) than French speakers.
Precarity and Part-Year Work: Consistent year-round employment remains a challenge. Nearly half of the English-speaking workforce (47.1%) is confined to part-year or part-time work schedules, pointing to a severe concentration of temporary positions and lower overall labour security.
Core Structural Challenges in Chaudière-Appalaches
Geographic Dispersion & Service Gaps: Over half of the region’s small English-speaking population is scattered across nine highly rural RCMs outside of Lévis. This isolation cuts individuals off from mainstream economic networks and specialized employment services.
High Education vs. Low Integration: Local English speakers hold the fourth highest postsecondary attainment rate among English-speaking communities in Québec. However, systemic institutional barriers prevent these qualified workers from translating their skills into stable regional careers.
Francization Barriers: Despite high levels of self-reported bilingualism (82.6%), local English-speaking professionals face a steep barrier with advanced workplace French requirements. Specifically, a widespread discomfort with written French and a lack of oral confidence.
Our 2026 Platform Recommendations
We call on all candidates to commit to the following evidence-based pillars:
Increased Funding for Work-integrated Learning Programs: Include English speakers as a target underrepresented group in existing work-integrated learning programs for individuals with difficulties finding long-term employment or acquiring work experience within the region.
Industry-Specific French-Language Training: Provide funding to improve the delivery of workforce-oriented French-language training.
Targeted Employment Programs: Adapt and expand existing public employment services, skills training, and employment programs to include English speakers, who are an underrepresented group in the labour market.
Tackle issues related to outmigration from the region: Strengthen partnerships with local organizations serving English-speaking communities to tackle outmigration and retention issues.