An ethnic mosaic
Reflecting its history, Canada's population is ethnoculturally diverse. In fact, Canada is one of the countries with the highest per capita immigration rate in the world. Renowned for its humanitarian spirit, Canada is also the only country to have received the Nansen Prize, awarded by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
The face of Canada has been shaped by many waves of migration, starting with the Aboriginal peoples, whose presence dates back thousands of years. Then came the first Europeans with colonization, mainly from France and the British Isles. It wasn't until the second half of the 19th century that immigration began to diversify, with the arrival of Chinese, Japanese, Dutch, Ukrainian, Italian, Finnish, Hungarian, Caribbean, Chilean, Vietnamese, Iranian, Indian, Syrian and other communities. Faced with the need to integrate every Canadian, the government introduced a federal policy of multiculturalism in the 1970s. Today, in a country where at least a third of the population is of neither French nor British origin, the continuation and updating of such a policy is necessary, so that descendants of French and British, Aboriginals and new immigrants can participate equally in the life of their country.
Unsurprisingly, Canada is also a veritable linguistic mosaic, with over 200 languages spoken by the different communities settled in the country. So don't be surprised to hear languages from every corner of the globe. In addition to the two official languages and the Aboriginal languages, the most widely spoken languages in Canadian homes include Mandarin, Cantonese, Punjabi, Tagalog (Filipino), Spanish, Arabic, Italian, German, Urdu and Portuguese.
Indigenous Peoples
According to data from the latest census (2021), 5% of the Canadian population is of Aboriginal descent, or more than 1.8 million people of Aboriginal, Métis or Inuit ancestry registered with the federal government (residents and non-residents). Aboriginal people include First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples, spread from coast to coast in over 600 communities. A day is dedicated to them: June 21, National Aboriginal Peoples' Day.
The country's largest Aboriginal population is found in Ontario, followed by British Columbia, Alberta and Manitoba, all of which have populations in excess of 200,000. Among the Canadian provinces, the Thunder Bay region of Ontario has the highest proportion of Aboriginal people in Canada. As for the three territories, Aboriginals account for almost a quarter of the population in the Yukon, half in the Northwest Territories and almost all (85%) in Nunavut. There are also more than 70 Aboriginal languages, grouped into a dozen linguistic families. Algonquian languages, spoken from Alberta to Nova Scotia, top the list, followed by Inuit, Athabaskan, Salish, Siouan, Iroquoian, Tsimshan and Wakashan, then Mitchif, Haida, Tlingit and Kutenai. To plunge you into the heart of Aboriginal culture and traditions, interpretation sites, museums and art galleries, traditional art boutiques and a whole range of authentic experiences (overnight stays in a tepee, canoe expeditions, workshops on medicinal plants, igloo building, introduction to trapping, etc.) are offered by the country's different nations.
It should be noted, however, that the divide between Aboriginals and Whites persists, accentuated by a mutual lack of understanding. The First Nations, for example, have a privileged tax status and enjoy certain special advantages, notably a derogatory status for hunting and fishing. But when you take the time to read the Indian Act, you discover that life as an Aboriginal is far from rosy. A life on the state's hook, where dropping out of school, alcoholism and violence are sadly part of the daily routine. A life where, for centuries, attempts have been made to eradicate all traces of aboriginal culture, language and customs. Today's Canada is making a greater effort than in the past to take care of its aboriginal people. A Truth and Reconciliation Commission concluded in May 2015 on the subject of residential schools, enjoining the government to implement the Commission's recommendations, including full support for the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, abandoning the position of permanent objector it maintained until now. Which he did. And after years of lobbying the former government, Justin Trudeau's Liberals launched an independent national inquiry into the more than 1,200 missing and murdered Aboriginal women and girls. Its hard-hitting report, released in June 2019, concludes that "numerous violations of the rights of Aboriginal women and girls" occurred across the country, even using the word "genocide" dozens of times throughout the 1,200-page final report. More recently, in 2021, hundreds of children's remains were found buried on the sites of former residential schools. Excavations were launched from coast to coast, with the support of governments.
Francophone and Acadian communities
Quebec may be considered North America's French-speaking bastion, but that doesn't mean French doesn't have a presence elsewhere in the country. In every Canadian province and territory, French-speaking minority communities perpetuate the language of Molière and their cultural heritage. Many are descendants of settlers who came to the four corners of the country a few centuries ago, while others, particularly immigrants, choose to live their lives in French within these communities.
In the east of the country, we find the Acadians, descendants of French settlers who came to what is now Nova Scotia in the first half of the 17th century, mostly recruited from central and western France (Touraine, Berry, but especially Poitou-Charentes). Although they are now defined as the French-speaking people of the Atlantic provinces, with New Brunswick at their head, the Acadian diaspora can be found in other parts of the continent. Between 1755 and 1763, the Acadians were deported to the American colonies, England and France. Although they were able to return to live in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick following the law of 1840 allowing their official return, many descendants of these Acadians can be found today in Quebec, Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon and Louisiana. A people with a strong identity, they have their own flag and celebrate their national holiday on August 15. To familiarize yourself with Acadian history and culture, we recommend a visit to the Musée acadien du Québec in Bonaventure, the Village historique acadien in Bertrand, New Brunswick, the Musée acadien de l'Île-du-Prince-Édouard in Miscouche, and the Village historique acadien de la Nouvelle-Écosse in Pubnico. Canada's French-speaking communities outside Quebec are also just a few clicks away on the website of the Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada (cartefrancophonie.ca).
Some linguistic particularities
Quebec French. We call it "Quebec French", but also "Quebec French", "Québécois" and even "Canadian French". All these names represent the variety of the French language spoken by the majority of French-speaking Canadians, mainly Québécois. However, French is not the same as Acadian or Newfoundland French. While its origins lie in 18th-century Parisian, Quebec French has unquestionably retained elements of regional oïl languages such as Norman, Saintongeais and Gallo.
When you arrive in Quebec, you'll be struck not only by the accent, but also by the pronunciation, particular expressions and sometimes surprising syntax. And as elsewhere in the French-speaking world, these elements vary from region to region. But you should know that everyone learns the same French at school, whatever the country, and that applies to Quebec too. Then there's the local color. On this subject, because of their geographical position, Quebecers use a lot of Anglicisms, while at the same time advocating the defense of the French language. While some words have been invented outright to avoid using an English word, such as magasinage instead of shopping, Anglicisms are commonplace: anyway, chill, cocktail, fun, gang, grilled-cheese, joke, legging, party... Many have even earned a place at the Office québécois de la langue française with the adoption of the Politique des emprunts linguistiques. What a paradox!
Acadian French and Chiac. Spoken by Acadians in the Maritime provinces, certain regions of Quebec (Gaspésie, Îles de la Madeleine and Basse-Côte-Nord) and the Saint John River valley in the U.S. state of Maine, the origins of Acadian French divide linguists. Unlike Québécois French, which has its origins in 18th-century Parisian, Acadian French is associated with the Oïl languages of the Great West (Angevin, Manceau, Tourangeau and Poitevin-Saintongeais), not to mention its strong resemblance to Jersey in the first-person plural conjugation. It is also the ancestor of Cajun French, a regional language spoken in Louisiana. Some of Acadian's distinctive features: the rolled honeycomb "r", which is not without its charm, and the pronunciation of the final syllable in the third-person plural form of the verb. Other French-speaking Canadians often have trouble understanding Acadian French.
As for Chiac, it's "Franglais" spoken mainly by young people in New Brunswick, particularly in and around Moncton. This dialect uses French syntax with English vocabulary and expressions, the result of the province's mixed French and English-speaking populations. For a good example, just listen to a few songs by the band Radio Radio or folk singer Lisa LeBlanc.
