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Over the years, ethnic diversity has given way to the linguistic
duality. The two major ethnic groups represented more than 90% of
the population in 1871; in 1996, 90% of the population speaks French
or English most often in the home. However, this permanence masks
the very different evolution experienced by English - and French
- speaking communities across the country.
Today, in Canada, two large official languages groups represent
about 83% of the population. There are also numerous other language
groups, none of which represents more than three percent of Canadians.
Both geography - 5500 kilometres (3400 miles) from coast to coast
- and history play an important role in understanding the present
language situation.
If we look at Canadians as a whole, we find that the language that
most (84%) of them can speak is English, followed by French which
about one-third (31%) of the population can speak. About one in
six Canadians (17%) speak both official languages according to the
1996 Census. Those who live in areas where the two languages groups
are in close proximity have a far greater tendency to speak both
English and French. For example, half of the population in the Montréal
metropolitan area and 44% of the population of Ottawa-Hull can speak
two official languages.
The text for Official Languages is based on the following
publication:
Marmen, Louise and Jean-Pierre Corbeil. Languages in Canada:
1996 Census. New Canadian Perspectives Series. Ottawa: Canadian
Heritage, and Statistics Canada, 1999. Catalogue number: CH3-2-8/1999.
To properly interpret these maps, please consult the text Data
and Mapping Notes.
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The 1871 Census, undertaken a few years after the adoption of the country’s
Constitution, highlighted the ethnic duality of the population – 61%
of British origin and 31% of French origin. Eighty years later, following
the Second World War, those of French origin still represented 31% of
the population, while the British segment had declined to 48%. The stability
of the proportion with French origin was due to the importance of international
immigration in demographic growth in the years before and after the First
World War. In 1951, 20% of the population had neither British nor French
origins, a considerable increase since 1871 (nearly 8%) - those of aboriginal
origin still represented about one percent of the population. The ethnic
diversity of the population has been accentuated over the past half century
by the high levels of international immigration and the gap between the
fertility rates of the aboriginal population and that of other Canadians. 