Almost 18% of Canadians can hold a conversation in either English or French as the Official Languages Act marks its 50th anniversary this year.
Statistics Canada says that means more Canadians are bilingual than ever before according to new data from the 2016 census.
Among youth, the bilingualism rate rose to 19% in 2016, up from 16% a decade before.
Speaking English and French increases as youth enter adulthood especially in Quebec.
Youth bilingualism rates were much lower in Ontario and in the West but mostly remained steady.
The federal government has a target of increasing the national bilingualism rate to 20% by 2036.
