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This graph illustrates the percentage of the population who did not speak an official language, by age group (25 to 54 years, 55 to 64 years, 65 to 74 years, 75 to 84 years and 85 years and over) in 1981, 1991 and 2001. In all age groups, we note that the proportion of people who cannot speak at least one of the two official languages grew between 1981 and 2001. The increase was especially sharp in the 85-and-over age group, in which approximately 6% of the population could not speak an official language in 2001, compared to around 4% of the population in 1981.
Sources: Statistics Canada, Censuses of Canada.