Canadian ethnicity or cultural origin

"Canadian" as an ethnic identity

Not to be confused with Indigenous peoples in Canada.

Ethnic group

Canadian ethnicity or cultural originTotal population

5,677,205
15.6% of Canada's population (2021)
Regions with significant populations
Throughout Canada, especially in Quebec, Atlantic Canada and the Ottawa Valley
Languages
English * French
Religion
Predominantly Christianity (Mainly Catholicism and Protestantism)
Related ethnic groups
French Canadians, English Canadians, Scottish Canadians, Irish Canadians

Canadian ethnicity or cultural origin refers to the self-identification of one's ancestral “roots" as being Canadian.[nb 1][2][3] The majority of respondents to this self-identification are from the eastern part of the country that was first settled. Respondents generally are visibly European (Anglophones and Francophones) and no longer self-identify with their ethnic ancestral origins. This response is attributed to a multitude or generational distance from ancestral lineage.[nb 2][4][5]

The identification is most common among white Canadians with ancestral origins in the British Isles and France.[2] The term "Canadian" as a response, since 1996, has been added to Canadian census questionnaires for possible ancestral origin or descent. "Canadian" was included as an example on the English questionnaire and "Canadien" as an example on the French questionnaire.[6]

As the oldest colonial and most populous region, eastern Canadian languages, traditions, and cultural practices largely define Canadian society,[7] thus many do not see themselves as linked to any other nation or ethnic group. Nonetheless, most English-speaking Old Stock Canadians still identify ethnically with their European ancestry, while French-speaking Old Stock Canadians are more likely to identify ethnicity or cultural origin as Canadien or with other Canadian oriented identities (such as Québécois or Acadian) than with European ones.[3]

Indigenous Canadians do not identify ethnically as Canadian, identifying instead with their First Nation group, as Inuit, or as Métis. "Canadian" was the most common ethnic or cultural origin reported in the 2021 census, reported alone or in combination with other origins by 5.67 million people or 15.6% of the total population.[8]

## Definition

[edit]

The mother beaver on the Canadian parliament's Peace Tower.[9] The five flowers on the shield each represent a colonial ethnicity—Tudor rose: English; Fleur de lis: French; thistle: Scottish; shamrock: Irish; and leek: Welsh.

There exists a contrast in the meaning of ethnicity between English- and French-speaking Canadians. Social scientist Rhoda Howard-Hassmann has stated that among English-speaking Canadians, ethnic identity is frequently misunderstood as meaning biological ancestry, "so that everyone's true identity is presumed to be rooted somewhere else".[10] French-speaking Canadians more frequently associate their ethnic origin with their nation, rooted in heritage rather than biological ancestry.

Canadian identity in English and in French emerged separately from one another and often hold different meanings for speakers of each language.[11] Canadian identity tends to have a more historic meaning to it in French, due to its earlier usage among ethnic French Canadians. In the late 17th century, French settlers in Canada, then a colony within New France, adopted "Canadien" as an ethnonym to distinguish themselves from the people of France. During this time, the identity was unique to French settlers. In late 18th century, following the arrival of United Empire Loyalists to British North America, Canadian identity was adopted by English-speakers.[12] Descendants of 17th and 18th century French settlers began using "French Canadian" and since the 1960s "Québécois" to distinguish themselves from other Canadians.[13]

## Statistical data

[edit]

Canada population density map (2014)
Top left: The Quebec City–Windsor Corridor is the most densely inhabited and heavily industrialized region accounting for nearly 50 percent of the total population[14]

The 1996 census was the first in which Statistics Canada allowed "Canadian" as an "ethnic or cultural group" response.[1] It was immediately the most common origin reported, and was met with a significant decline in English and French origin responses when compared to previous censuses. Individuals with Scottish or Irish origins were likely to list these origins alongside with "Canadian", and the number of responses for them did not significantly change.[2]

Lower educational attainment, residing outside of a metropolitan area, and having a French language background are all indicators of Canadian ethnic identity. In 2001, nearly one-third of those with a high school education or less indicated only Canadian ethnicity, compared to less than 20% of those with a bachelor's degree or higher. Across all provinces, residents of non-metropolitan areas are significantly more likely to report Canadian ethnicity than metropolitan residents.[3] Likelihood is consistent among both men and women.[15]

In comparison to other settler countries, Canadians are more likely than Americans but less likely than Australians to identify their nationality as their ancestral origin. 5.3% of the U.S. population claim American ancestry according to the 2022 American Community Survey,[16] while 29.9% of respondents nominated Australian ancestry in the 2021 Australian census.[17]

Of the 5.67 million people who identified their "ethnic or cultural origins" as Canadian in the 2021 census, 4.18 million reported it as a single origin while 1.49 million reported it in combination with other origins.[18][19]

Largest ethnic or cultural origin by census division in 2021. Canadian ethnic origin by year  Year | Total | Percentage of population

|
|

1996[20] | 8,806,275 | 30.9%
2001[21] | 11,682,680 | 34.0%
2006[22] | 10,066,290 | 32.2%
2011[23] | 10,563,805 | 32.2%
2016[24] | 11,135,965 | 32.3%
2021[8] | 5,677,205 | 15.6%
The bilingual belt is where both French and English are regularly spoken.

English

English and French (bilingual belt)

French

Sparsely populated areas (less than 0.4 people per km2)

The decline in Canadian "ethnic or cultural origins" responses in 2021 is largely due to changes in the format of the "ethnic or cultural origins" question in the census. Each census questionnaire between 1996 and 2016 included a list of examples of "ethnic or cultural origins" to enter, all with "Canadian" as the first example listed, except in 1996 when it was the fifth example. In 2016, there were 28 examples listed. The 2021 census did not list any examples, negatively affecting a respondent's likelihood of entering "Canadian" as a "ethnic or cultural origins".[25] Less consequentially, prior to the 2021 census, a respondent answering "French Canadian" would be counted once for French and once for Canadian. New ethnic categories were created for the 2021 census, including "French Canadian" as a single ethnic group, reported by 906,000 individuals.[8] The 2021 census figure for Canadian "ethnic or cultural origins" identity is not comparable to those of previous years.

Between the censuses of 2016 and 2021, the number of people reporting "Canadian" as their single "ethnic or cultural origins" declined from 6.43 million to 4.18 million, while it declined more significantly from 11.13 million to 5.67 million when including responses with other origins.[18][26] Between these years, there was a significant increase in other non-Indigenous North American origins. Responses for "Québécois" increased from 195,000 to 982,000.[25]

For the 2021 census, Statistics Canada stated "ethnic or cultural origins refers to the ethnic or cultural origins of the person's ancestors. Ancestors may have Indigenous origins, or origins that refer to different countries, or other origins that may not refer to different countries".[27] For the 2006 census, Statistics Canada stated "ethnic origin responses in the census are a reflection of each respondent's perception of their ethnic ancestry".[28]

### Geographic distribution

[edit]

Canadian ethnic identity is most prevalent in Quebec, Atlantic Canada, and the Ottawa valley which were the first parts of the country to be settled by Europeans.[29] Identification is particularly high in Quebec, where the majority French Canadian population traces their ancestry to settlers who arrived to North America from the Kingdom of France between 1608 and 1760. After this year, settlement from France stopped, leaving a founding population of roughly 8,500 settlers. Approximately 7 million French Canadians today are descendants of these original 8,500 settlers. This has made French Canadians a classical example of a founder population.[30] Western Canada was not largely populated by Europeans until the 20th century, leading to lower numbers of people in Western provinces who identify ethnically with Canada today.

Prevalence of Canadian ethnic identity by census division. Provinces & territories[31] Province/Territory | Percent | Total

|
|

Quebec | 29.0% | 2,412,040
Newfoundland and Labrador | 24.9% | 125,120
New Brunswick | 23.0% | 174,910
Nova Scotia | 15.8% | 151,300
Prince Edward Island | 15.2% | 22,825
Yukon | 11.8% | 4,680
Alberta | 11.6% | 484,655
Ontario | 11.6% | 1,621,655
Saskatchewan | 9.7% | 107,095
British Columbia | 9.3% | 459,320
Northwest Territories | 8.4% | 3,380
Manitoba | 8.4% | 109,195
Nunavut | 2.8% | 1,025
Canada — Total | 15.6% | 5,677,205

## Addition to the census

[edit]

The 1991 census question on ethnic origin discouraged the entry of "Canadian".

Prior to 1996, "Canadian" as a response for an ethnic origin was explicitly discouraged in the census. Respondents were instructed to enter only "Old World" or "Native Indian" ancestries, and were "allowed to record Canadian only if the respondent insisted",[2] though it was not commonly done before 1991. In 1986, 112,830 people reported a Canadian ethnic identity.[32] In the 1996 and 1991 censuses, the question was “To which ethnic or cultural group(s) did this person’s ancestors belong?”[1]

A campaign named "Count Me Canadian" was organized in 1990 with the Toronto Sun encouraging the entry of "Canadian" to the 1991 census ethnic origin question. The campaign was initiated by the belief that ethnic differences were the cause of the "national unity crisis" amid the rise of the Quebec sovereignty movement several years before the 1995 Quebec independence referendum.[33][34] Over one million respondents entered "Canadian" as their ethnic origin, making it the fifth most common single origin response. This led to changes to the following 1996 census ethnic origin question. It became open-ended, prompting respondents to write-in their answer rather than checking a box from a list, with "Canadian" listed alongside other examples as a response.[35]

## See also

[edit]

* Canada portal

* Pure laine
* Anglo-Quebecer
* Franco-Ontarian
* French-Canadian Americans

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ "Often referred to as a person’s ancestral “roots,” ethnic or cultural origins should not be confused with citizenship, nationality, language or place of birth." In the 2021 Census, the terms “origins” and “ancestry” are used interchangeably.[1]
2. ^ "Responses to the ethnic or cultural origins question on the census reflect respondents’ perceptions of their background. As such, many factors can influence changes in responses over time, including the contemporary social environment, the respondents’ knowledge of their family history, and their understanding of and views on the topic."[1]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d "Ethnic or Cultural Origin Reference Guide, Census of Population, 2021". Statistics Canada. March 30, 2022. Retrieved August 13, 2024.
2. ^ a b c d Derrick Thomas (2005). ""I am Canadian"" (PDF). Statistics Canada. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
3. ^ a b c Lee, Sharon M.; Edmonston, Barry (January 2010). ""Canadian" as National Ethnic Origin: Trends and Implications". Canadian Ethnic Studies. 41 (3): 77–108. doi:10.1353/ces.2010.0040. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
4. ^ Bezanson, Kate; Webber, Michelle (2016). Rethinking Society in the 21st Century (4th ed.). Canadian Scholars' Press. pp. 455–456. ISBN 978-1-55130-936-1.
5. ^ Edmonston, Barry; Fong, Eric (2011). The Changing Canadian Population. McGill-Queen's University Press. pp. 294–296. ISBN 978-0-7735-3793-4.
6. ^ Simon, Patrick; Piché, Victor (2013). Accounting for Ethnic and Racial Diversity: The Challenge of Enumeration. Routledge. pp. 48–49. ISBN 978-1-317-98108-4.
7. ^ "Discover Canada - Who We Are". www.canada.ca. Government of Canada. 2015-10-26. Retrieved 2023-09-08. "Canadian society today stems largely from the English-speaking and French-speaking Christian civilizations that were brought here from Europe by settlers. English and French define the reality of day-to-day life for most people and are the country's official languages."
8. ^ a b c "Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Statistics Canada. 1 February 2023. Retrieved 9 September 2023.
9. ^ Monaghan, David (2013). "The mother beaver". The House of Commons Heritage. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved December 12, 2015.
10. ^ Howard-Hassmann, Rhoda E. (December 1999). ""Canadian" as an Ethnic Category: Implications for Multiculturalism and National Unity". Canadian Public Policy / Analyse de Politiques. 25 (4): 523–537. doi:10.2307/3552426. JSTOR 3552426. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
11. ^ Boyd, Monica (1999). "Canadian, eh? Ethnic origin shifts in the Canadian census". Canadian Ethnic Studies. 31 (3). Retrieved 5 June 2024. "However, to consider "Canadien" and "Canadian" as equivalent in their meanings and symbolic undertones is akin to calling the "Montreal Canadiens" the "Montreal Canadians." "Canadien" carries a different resonance than "Canadian." The early history of Canadian colonisation by European powers was initially a history of French settlement. [...] Within this context, the term "Canadien" is not equivalent to "Canadian.""
12. ^ Kaufmann, Eric P. (1997). "Condemned to rootlessness: the loyalist origins of Canada's identity crisis" (PDF). Nationalism and Ethnic Politics. 3 (1): 110–136. doi:10.1080/13537119708428495. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
13. ^ Berberoglu, Berch (1995). The National Question: Nationalism, Ethnic Conflict, and Self-Determination in the Twentieth Century. Temple University Press. p. 208\. ISBN 1-56639-342-6.
14. ^ McMurry, Peter H.; Shepherd, Marjorie F.; Vickery, James S. (2004). Particulate Matter Science for Policy Makers: A NARSTO Assessment. Cambridge University Press. p. 391\. ISBN 978-0-521-84287-7.
15. ^ "Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Statistics Canada. 1 February 2023. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
16. ^ "Table B04006 - People Reporting Ancestry". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
17. ^ "Cultural diversity: Census". Australian Bureau of Statistics. 28 June 2022. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
18. ^ a b "Religion by ethnic or cultural origins: Canada, provinces and territories and census metropolitan areas with parts". www150.statcan.gc.ca. Statistics Canada. 10 May 2023. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
19. ^ "Religion by ethnic or cultural origins: Canada, provinces and territories and census metropolitan areas with parts". www150.statcan.gc.ca. Statistics Canada. 10 May 2023. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
20. ^ "Data tables, 1996 Census". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Statistics Canada. 4 June 2019. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
21. ^ "2001 Census Topic-based tabulations". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Statistics Canada. 23 December 2013. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
22. ^ "Ethnic origins, 2006 counts, for Canada, provinces and territories". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Statistics Canada. 30 November 2009. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
23. ^ "2011 National Household Survey: Data tables". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Statistics Canada. 23 January 2019. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
24. ^ "Census Profile, 2016 Census". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Statistics Canada. 27 October 2021. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
25. ^ a b "The Canadian census: A rich portrait of the country's religious and ethnocultural diversity". www150.statcan.gc.ca. Statistics Canada. 26 October 2022. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
26. ^ "Data tables, 2016 Census". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Statistics Canada. 17 June 2019. Retrieved 2 July 2024.
27. ^ "Ethnic or cultural origin". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Statistics Canada. 26 October 2022. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
28. ^ "Ethnic Origin Reference Guide, 2006 Census". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Statistics Canada. 24 July 2018. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
29. ^ "Canada's ethnocultural portrait: The changing mosaic". www.statcan.gc.ca. Statistics Canada. Retrieved 2024-06-05.
30. ^ Bherer, Claude; Labuda, Damian; Roy-Gagnon, Marie-Hélène; Houde, Louis; Tremblay, Marc; Vézina, Hélène (2011). "Admixed Ancestry and Stratification of Quebec Regional Populations" (PDF). American Journal of Physical Anthropology. 144 (3): 432–441. doi:10.1002/ajpa.21424. PMID 21302269. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
31. ^ "Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Statistics Canada. 9 February 2022. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
32. ^ 1991 Census Highlights (PDF). Statistics Canada. March 1994. p. 56\. ISBN 0-660-14311-9.
33. ^ Jedwab, Jack (2008). "The Rise of the Unmeltable Canadians? Ethnic and National Belonging in Canada's Second Generation" (PDF). Canadian Diversity. 6 (2): 29. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
34. ^ Jedwab, Jack (2003). "Coming to our census: the need for continued inquiry into Canadians' ethnic origins". Canadian Ethnic Studies Journal. 35 (1). Retrieved 16 June 2024.
35. ^ 1996 Census Handbook (PDF). Statistics Canada. June 1997. p. 14\. ISBN 0-660-16664-X.

## Further reading

[edit]

* Abu-Laban, Yasmeen; Stasiulis, Daiva (2000). "Constructing 'Ethnic Canadians': The Implications for Public Policy and Inclusive Citizenship". Canadian Public Policy / Analyse de Politiques. 26 (4). [University of Toronto Press, Canadian Public Policy]: 477–487. ISSN 0317-0861. JSTOR 3552613.

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Ethnic origins of people in Canada

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Canadian identity

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Current challenges|

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