Defining a Francophone is a complex issue. In this discussion paper, we present a number of statistical definitions of a Francophone that take into account the linguistic variables used in the census and in a number of Statistics Canada studies. We hope to encourage discussion about these definitions to determine which one is most relevant for conducting statistical analyses on Francophones in minority situations, thereby enabling government officials to use these analyses as a basis for developing public policies and services for this segment of the population.

For Commission on Health Care Research for Francophones in Minority Situations.