D. Changing Populations · Changing Populations: Canada's People, Patterns and Trends

Who We Are: Diversity, Languages and Indigenous Populations

D1.1 A1.2 A2.2About 70 minutes

Learning goals

I can describe Canada's ethnocultural and linguistic diversity using 2021 Census data.
I can describe the size, growth and characteristics of First Nations, Métis and Inuit populations.
I can compare the diversity of my community or province with Canada as a whole.
I can use respectful, accurate terms when discussing identity and diversity.

Words to know

ethnocultural diversity
Variety in a population's ethnic or cultural origins, racialized groups, religions, birthplaces and languages.

racialized group
A group of people that society treats as a "race". Statistics Canada's census uses the term visible minority, defined in the Employment Equity Act as people other than Indigenous peoples who are non-Caucasian in race or non-white in colour.

mother tongue
The first language a person learned at home in childhood and still understands.

official languages
English and French, the two languages of Canada's federal government.

First Nations
Many distinct Indigenous nations in Canada (more than 600 First Nations communities), with their own languages, governments and territories.

Métis
A distinct Indigenous people with a shared history, culture and language (Michif), whose communities emerged in the historic Métis Nation homeland, centred in the Prairies, and in other regions.

Inuit
Indigenous people whose homeland, Inuit Nunangat, covers the Inuvialuit Settlement Region (Northwest Territories), Nunavut, Nunavik (northern Quebec) and Nunatsiavut (northern Labrador).

self-identification
When people state their own identity on a census or survey, rather than someone else deciding it.

Hook: one country, hundreds of stories

In the 2021 Census, people in Canada reported more than 450 different ethnic or cultural origins. About one in four had a mother tongue other than English or French. And nearly one in four people (23.0%) were immigrants or had ever been permanent residents: the largest share since Confederation. (All figures: Statistics Canada.)

Diversity is one of Canada's most important demographic characteristics. It shapes schools, workplaces, food, music, sport, politics and the languages you hear on the bus.

Talking about identity respectfully (A2.2)

Use the names people use for themselves: First Nations, Métis, Inuit; a specific nation where you know it (for example Anishinaabe, Haudenosaunee, Cree).
Inuit means "the people", so say Inuit, not "the Inuit people". One person is an Inuk.
Say "people who immigrated" or "newcomers", and avoid assuming where someone is "really from".
Census categories are statistical tools. Real identities are more complex, and people can belong to several groups.
When a topic is sensitive, listen, ask genuine questions and back up claims with evidence.

Immigrant and racialized populations

According to the 2021 Census:

8.3 million people (23.0%) were or had ever been immigrants: the largest share since Confederation, and the highest in the G7.
Just over 1.3 million recent immigrants settled permanently from 2016 to 2021.
Statistics Canada projects immigrants could make up 29.1% to 34.0% of the population by 2041.
About one in four Canadians belonged to a racialized group. The largest groups were South Asian (2.6 million, 7.1%), Chinese (1.7 million, 4.7%), Black (1.5 million, 4.3%) and Filipino (about 960,000, 2.6%).
Religious diversity is growing: 53.3% reported a Christian religion (down from 77.1% in 2001), and 34.6% reported no religion. Muslim (4.9%), Hindu (2.3%), Sikh (2.1%), Buddhist (1.0%) and Jewish (0.9%) Canadians were other large groups.

Since the 1970s, most immigrants to Canada have come from Asia, not Europe. India was the top birthplace of recent immigrants in 2021.

Languages

From the 2021 Census of Population (Statistics Canada):

9 million people (about one in four) had a mother tongue other than English or French.
4.6 million (12.7%) spoke mainly a non-official language at home. Mandarin and Punjabi were the most common.
41.2% could hold a conversation in more than one language.
The English–French bilingualism rate was 18.0%.
The share of people speaking mainly French at home fell from 20.0% (2016) to 19.2%, even though the number rose slightly, to 7.0 million.
Outside Quebec, more than 2.7 million people could hold a conversation in French. Ontario has the largest Francophone population outside Quebec, and Franco-Ontarian communities are found across the province, especially in the east and northeast.

Indigenous languages: 237,420 people could speak an Indigenous language well enough to hold a conversation, down 4.3% from 2016. Cree languages, Inuktitut and Ojibway are among the most spoken. Many communities run language nests, immersion schools and apps to revitalize their languages, a response to the harm done when residential schools punished children for speaking them.

First Nations, Métis and Inuit populations

The 2021 Census counted 1,807,250 Indigenous people, 5.0% of Canada's population.

First Nations: 1,048,405. Among First Nations people with Registered or Treaty Indian status, about 40.6% lived on reserve.
Métis: 624,220.
Inuit: 70,545. 69.0% lived in Inuit Nunangat.

Growth: The Indigenous population grew 9.4% from 2016 to 2021, nearly twice as fast as the non-Indigenous population (5.3%). Statistics Canada explains that this comes from natural growth (a younger population with higher fertility) and from more people identifying as Indigenous on the census, for example as families reconnect with their heritage.

Age: The average age was 33.6 for Indigenous people and 41.8 for non-Indigenous people. Inuit were youngest (28.9).

Where: 44.3% of Indigenous people lived in a large urban centre (a CMA) in 2021, up from 43.1%. Winnipeg, Edmonton and Vancouver have some of the largest urban Indigenous populations. Many people move between their home community and the city for school, work and family.

Statistics Canada projects the Indigenous population could reach 2.5 million to 3.2 million within 20 years.

First Nations are the largest group, followed by Métis and Inuit. Together they made up 5.0% of Canada's population in 2021.

Worked example

Let's compare a community with Canada (D1.1)

In 2021, 46.6% of people in the Toronto CMA were immigrants, compared with 23.0% in Canada. How many times larger is Toronto's share, and what might explain the difference?

Compare: 46.6 ÷ 23.0 ≈ 2.0, so Toronto's share is about twice Canada's.
Explain with evidence: in 2021, 29.5% of all recent immigrants settled in the Toronto area, more than in any other CMA.
Reasons newcomers choose Toronto: jobs, family and friends already there (chain migration), established cultural communities, settlement services and international flights.
Limit: a CMA average hides differences between neighbourhoods; use smaller areas (census tracts) to see them.

Toronto's immigrant share was about twice the national share, because it attracts the most newcomers through jobs, networks and services.

Inquiry skill: choosing diverse sources (A1.2)

To understand a community well, gather data and voices. Census numbers tell you how many people speak Cree or Tagalog; they don't tell you what it feels like to keep a language alive. Pair Statistics Canada data with sources from the communities themselves: for example Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (the national Inuit organization), the Assembly of First Nations, the Métis National Council, a Francophone community centre, or a newcomer settlement agency.

Hands-on activity

Diversity profile of your community

You need: an internet connection, a notebook, and an adult to help search.

Search "Census Profile 2021" plus the name of your town or city on the Statistics Canada website.
Record: % immigrants, top three mother tongues other than English and French, % Indigenous identity, % who know both official languages.
Make a two-column table: My community and Canada (use the Canada figures from this lesson).
Write three sentences: one similarity, one difference, and one question your data cannot answer (for example "How do newcomers feel welcomed here?").
Bonus: find out whose traditional territory your community is on, using a local or First Nation source.

Look for: correct figures with the source and year, a fair comparison, and a thoughtful question.

Just for fun

In 2021, 41.2% of Canadians could hold a conversation in more than one language. The rest can still say "sorry" fluently in at least one.

Your turn

What percentage of Canada's population were immigrants in 2021, and why was it notable?

Name the three groups that make up Indigenous peoples in Canada, as named in the Constitution.

How fast did the Indigenous population grow from 2016 to 2021 compared with the non-Indigenous population? Give two reasons.

What are the four regions of Inuit Nunangat?

What were the two most common non-official languages spoken at home in 2021?

The number of people speaking mainly French at home rose, but the share fell. How is that possible?

Rewrite this sentence respectfully: "The Inuit people live in igloos."

More practice: warm-up

What does "mother tongue" mean?

How many Indigenous people did the 2021 Census count?

What is the singular of Inuit?

What was the top birthplace of recent immigrants in 2021?

What was Canada's English–French bilingualism rate in 2021?

More practice: on your own

Why is the average age of Indigenous people (33.6) important for planning?

Status First Nations grew 4.1% from 2016 to 2021, but First Nations people without status grew 27.2%. What does that suggest?

Why is the decline in Indigenous language speakers a concern, and what is being done?

Toronto received 29.5% of recent immigrants, Montréal 12.2% and Vancouver 11.7%. What share settled elsewhere?

Give one strength and one limit of using census categories such as "racialized group".

Challenge

Statistics Canada projects immigrants could be 29.1% to 34.0% of Canada's population by 2041. Why is it given as a range?

Explain how both history and geography help explain why 44.3% of Indigenous people live in large cities.

Design an inquiry question about language that uses census data and a community perspective. Name two sources you would use.

Check your understanding

Quiz

In 2021, what share of Canada's population were immigrants?

Which statement about Canada's Indigenous population in 2021 is correct?

Where is Nunavik?

Which were the two most common non-official languages spoken at home in 2021?

Which is the most respectful and accurate wording?

Why can the Indigenous population grow faster than births alone would explain?

For parents and teachers

Big idea: This lesson continues D1.1 with ethnocultural, linguistic and Indigenous characteristics, and practises gathering diverse sources (A1.2) and respectful discussion (A2.2).

Common difficulties:

Mixing up numbers and shares (as with French spoken at home).
Outdated or stereotyped language. Gently correct terms; the tip box gives guidance.
Treating census categories as the whole truth about identity.

How to help: Share your own family's story of languages and migration if you are comfortable. Some families have painful histories (residential schools, refugee journeys), so let your teen choose what to share and never require them to discuss personal identity in a school task.