SELF-EMPLOYMENT AMONG FRENCH-CANADIANS - THE ROLE OF THE REGIONAL MILIEU

This article examines the relationship between self-employment among F rench-Canadians and the regional milieu. Our main argument is that sel f-employment among French-Canadians depends on the specific regional m ilieu. The empirical analysis is based on the public use file on indiv iduals of the 1986 Census of Canada. Self-employment is related to mot her tongue, region, industry, occupation, income and language spoken a t home. Then, the association of socio-economic and socio-demographic attributes with self-employment and mother tongue in different French- Canadian communities is examined. The relation between self-employment , regional milieus and French-Canadian communities is further explored using the correspondence analysis method. Results show that in additi on to variations in class resources and local opportunities, a majorit y or minority setting influences the economic niches utilized by Frenc h entrepreneurs. Among francophone minorities, small and relatively as similated communities are usually more entrepreneurial than major fran cophone concentrations. However, this relationship is not causal, and does not indicate an economic benefit associated with assimilation. St ill, French-Canadians are not a typical entrepreneurial minority that utilizes extensive informal entrepreneurial networks for economic mobi lity, and the political and economic struggle of French-Canadians for advancement has not been markedly focused on entrepreneurship. In fact , our results suggest that self-employment is not a major facet of gro up mobilization among francophones. Entrepreneurship is perceived by t he francophone establishment as an important means for long-term econo mic advancement. In attempting to promote entrepreneurship, the need t o utilize ethnic networks and community cohesion is greatly acknowledg ed. We conclude that the preservation of autonomous ethno-linguistic i dentity is viewed not only as a means for economic advancement but as a major goal. by itself. Hence, French-Canadians resemble, perhaps, ce rtain sub-national minorities in Europe, rather than other ethnic mino rities in North America. The desired relationship between self-employm ent and retention of group identity does not yet prevail among French- Canadians, their political and economic struggle for advancement, so f ar, has not been focused on entrepreneurship.