

According to Statistics Canada, the figure more than doubles when individuals are asked about the non-official language they speak "most often" at home.

Overall, one-fifth of Canada's population reported speaking a foreign tongue at least some of the time at home.



It also has the highest retention rate - something that comes as no surprise to Balpreet Singh Boparai of the World Sikh Organization of Canada.


"What makes the Sikh relationship with Punjabi a little bit different is it's not just cultural, it's also religious. Part of our faith is to be able to read scripture and that is in Punjabi and Gurmukhi," the Toronto-area resident said, adding it's also important to know Punjabi in order to communicate with relatives.


That said, speaking Punjabi at home growing up didn't stop him from picking up both English and French, languages he expects his daughter will also pursue.

While the use of foreign languages in Canadian households has gone largely unchanged since 2006, the government has started to crack down on immigrants who aren't proficient in at least one official language.


Strong language skills are thought to improve newcomers' chances of getting a good job and integrating into society. Kenney has also noted a correlation between immigration fraud and regions that don't make proficiency in one of Canada's official languages a priority.



Tagalog, a Philippines-based language, saw a huge jump in popularity in Canada in 2011 with 279,000 people reporting speaking it at home - a 64 per cent increase over 2006.








