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Canada

People

Population. Canada's population has grown dramatically since the late 1800's. The increase in population has resulted from heavy immigration and, earlier in Canadian history, a high birth rate.

Over the years, the many immigrants to Canada have changed the country’s ethnic makeup. From about 1900 until World War I began in 1914, most immigrants came from Ireland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. European Jews and others from Europe—including Italians, Poles, and Ukrainians—also came in large numbers. After World War II ended in 1945, immigrants to Canada were mainly British, Dutch, German, or Italian. Many of these people had lost their homes in the war.

Map Population density in Canada

Today, more immigrants to Canada come from China, India, the Philippines, and other Asian countries than from any other area of the world. Many also come from Africa, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. Canada’s immigration rate is double that of the United States. Toronto is one of the most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities in the world.

Ancestry. Most Canadians are of European descent. People of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis descent make up about 4 percent of the nation's population. Most of Canada’s people have some ancestors who came from France, Ireland, or the United Kingdom. Other large ethnic groups include Chinese, East Indians, Germans, Italians, and Ukrainians.

Europeans. People of British and Irish ancestry make up the majority of the population of every province except Quebec. Many are descendants of Scottish settlers who began arriving in Canada during the late 1700's. The ancestors of many others were English and Irish settlers who flocked to Canada during the 1800's. Still others are descendants of United Empire Loyalists—people who moved from the United States to Canada during and after the American Revolution (1775-1783).

About 65,000 French colonists lived in Quebec when France lost that region to the British in 1763. Since that time, the number of Canadians with French ancestry has grown to more than 5 million. Most live in Quebec, but Ontario and New Brunswick also have large numbers of people with French backgrounds. The rest of Canada also has a few areas that are largely French.

About 10 percent of Canadians have some German ancestry, 5 percent have Italian ancestry, and 4 percent have Ukrainian ancestry. Most German Canadians live in British Columbia, Ontario, and the Prairies. People of Italian descent live chiefly in the cities, particularly Toronto and Montreal. Most Canadians of Ukrainian origin live in the Prairies. Many other Canadians are of Dutch, Greek, Hungarian, Polish, Portuguese, or Scandinavian origin.

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Picture Craftsman carves ceremonial mask

The First Nations and Inuit had lived in Canada for thousands of years when Europeans arrived. Today, about 780,000 Canadians are registered as Indians by the Canadian Department of Indian and Northern Affairs. About 50,000 Canadians are Inuit. The word Inuit means people. The Inuit of Canada once were called Eskimos. Today, many Inuit view the term Eskimo as belittling.

About half of the Inuit population lives in Nunavut. Most of the rest live in the Northwest Territories and in the northern areas of Newfoundland and Labrador, Ontario, and Quebec. First Nations people are often classified by their traditional languages. The major languages spoken by Canada’s First Nations include Cree, Ojibwa (also called Chippewa), Innu (also called Montagnais-Naskapi), Mi'kmaq, Dene, Dakota/Sioux, and Blackfoot (also called Blackfeet). About half of Canada’s First Nations people live on about 2,700 reserves (reservations).

Picture Chinatown in Vancouver, British Columbia

Other Canadians include people from China, India, Pakistan, Vietnam, and other Asian countries. Asians make up much of the population of British Columbia. Many immigrants from China, the Indian subcontinent (mostly Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan), and the Caribbean Islands live in Toronto and Vancouver. Blacks make up about 3 percent of Canada's population. Many black Canadians are from the Caribbean region, both from English-speaking islands and from French- speaking Haiti.

Languages. Canada has two official languages, English and French. The Official Languages Act of 1969 guarantees all Canadians the right to communicate with the national government in either French or English. About two-thirds of the Canadian people speak mainly English at home, and about one-fifth speak mainly French. About one-tenth speak other languages, such as Chinese, Italian, German, Punjabi, and Spanish.

Many of Canada's Inuit and First Nations people use their traditional languages at home, though they may speak other languages as well. About 50 First Nations and Inuit languages are spoken in Canada.

Significant numbers of French-speaking people live in New Brunswick and Ontario. However, most of the French-speaking Canadians live in Quebec, and French is the official language of the province. Quebec's French-speaking citizens, called Québécois «kay beh KWAH», consider themselves to be the guardians of the French language and culture in Canada.

The role of the French language and culture in Quebec has been controversial both within the province and within Canada as a whole. Quebec's legislature has passed a number of laws dealing with the uses of French and English in the province. In the 1970's, for example, the legislature passed laws that made French the language of government and business. Among other provisions, the laws banned the use of English on commercial signs. English-speaking citizens of Quebec opposed these

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laws. Through a series of court rulings and legislation, the laws were eventually changed. Today, bilingual advertising—in French and English—is allowed on commercial signs as long as the French lettering is larger than the English.

______Contributor: • Paul W. Martin, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of English and Director, Canadian Studies Program, University of Vermont.

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