In 2006, 51.0% of Vancouver's population and 46.9% of Toronto's population were visible minorities.[157][158] In March 2005, Statistics Canada projected that people of non-European origins will constitute a majority in both Toronto and Vancouver by 2012.[159] According to Statistics Canada's forecasts, the number of visible minorities in Canada is expected to double by 2017. A survey released in 2007 reveals that virtually 1 in 5 Canadians (19.8%) are foreign born.[160] Nearly 60% of new immigrants hail from Asia (including the Middle East).[160]Religion in Canada (2001 Census)[161]
Religion Percent
Christianity 77.0%
No Religion 16.2%
Islam 2.0%
Judaism 1.1%
Buddhism 1.0%
Hinduism 1.0%
Sikhism 0.9%
Canada has the highest per capita immigration rate in the world, driven by economic policy and family reunification; Canada also accepts large numbers of refugees. In 2009, approximately 265,000 new migrants are expected to arrive in Canada.[162] Newcomers settle mostly in the major urban areas of Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver. In the 2006 census, there were 5,068,100 people considered to belong to a visible minority, making up 16.2% of the population. Between 2001 and 2006, the visible minority population rose by 27.2%.[163][164]
In common with many other developed countries, Canada is experiencing a demographic shift towards an older population, with more retirees and fewer people of working age. In 2006, the average age of the civilian population was 39.5 years.[165] The census results also indicate that despite an increase in immigration since 2001 (which gave Canada a higher rate of population growth than in the previous intercensal period), the aging of Canada's population did not slow in the period.
Support for religious pluralism is an important part of Canada's political culture. According to the 2001 census,[166] 77.1% of Canadians identify as being Christians; of this, Catholics make up the largest group (43.6% of Canadians). The largest Protestant denomination is the United Church of Canada (9.5% of Canadians), followed by the Anglicans (6.8% of Canadians), Baptists (2.4% of Canadians), Lutherans (2% of Canadians), other Christians, 4.4%.[167] About 16.5% of Canadians declare no religious affiliation, and the remaining 6.3% are affiliated with religions other than Christianity, of which the largest is Islam, numbering 1.9%, followed by Judaism at 1.1%.
Canadian provinces and territories are responsible for education. Each system is similar, while reflecting regional history, culture and geography.[168] The mandatory school age ranges between 5–7 to 16–18 years,[168] contributing to an adult literacy rate of 99%.[7] Postsecondary education is also administered by provincial and territorial governments, who provide most of the funding; the federal government administers additional research grants, student loans, and scholarships. In 2002, 43% of Canadians aged between 25 and 64 had postsecondary education; for those aged 25 to 34, the postsecondary education rate reaches 51%.[169]
Culture
Canadian culture has historically been influenced by British, French, and Aboriginal cultures and traditions. It has also been heavily influenced by American culture due to its proximity and the high rate of migration between the two countries. The great majority of English speaking immigrants to Canada between 1755–1815 were Americans from the Thirteen Colonies. During the War of Independence, 46,000 Americans were exiled because of their loyalty to Britain and came to Canada. Between 1785 and 1812, 30,000 moved to Canada—the so-called Late Loyalists—in response to promises of land, provided that they agreed to swear allegiance to the Crown.
American media and entertainment are popular, if not dominant, in English Canada; conversely, many Canadian cultural products and entertainers are successful in the U.S. and worldwide.[170] Many cultural products are marketed toward a unified "North American" or global market.
The creation and preservation of distinctly Canadian culture are supported by federal government programs, laws, and institutions such as the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), the National Film Board of Canada (NFB), and the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC).[171]
Canada is a geographically vast and ethnically diverse country. Canadian culture has also been greatly influenced by immigration from all over the world. Many Canadians value multiculturalism and see Canadian culture as being inherently multicultural.[58] Multicultural heritage is the basis of Section 27 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Hockey game, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec (1901).
National symbols are influenced by natural, historical, and First Nations sources. Particularly, the use of the maple leaf as a Canadian symbol dates back to the early 18th century and is depicted on its current and previous flags, the penny, and on the coat of arms.[172] Other prominent symbols include the beaver, Canada Goose, Common Loon, the Crown, the RCMP,[172] and more recently, the totem pole and Inukshuk.
Canada's official national sports are hockey in the winter and lacrosse in the summer.[173] Hockey is a national pastime and the most popular spectator sport in the country. It is also the most popular sport Canadians play, with 1.65 million active participants in 2004.[174] Canada's six largest metropolitan areas—Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Ottawa, Calgary, and Edmonton—have franchises in the National Hockey League (NHL), and there are more Canadian players in the league than from all other countries combined. After hockey, other popular spectator sports include curling and football; the latter is played professionally in the Canadian Football League (CFL). Golf, baseball, skiing, soccer, volleyball, and basketball are widely played at youth and amateur levels,[174] but professional leagues and franchises are not as widespread.
Canada hosted several high-profile international sporting events, including the 1976 Summer Olympics, the 1988 Winter Olympics, and the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup. Canada will be the host country for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver and Whistler, British Columbia.[175]
Language
Main articles: Spoken languages of Canada, Official bilingualism in Canada, Canadian English, and Canadian French
The population of Quebec City, Quebec is mainly French-speaking, with a small English-speaking population.
Canada's two official languages are English and French. Official bilingualism is defined in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the Official Languages Act, and Official Language Regulations; it is applied by the Commissioner of Official Languages. English and French have equal status in federal courts, Parliament, and in all federal institutions. Citizens have the right, where there is sufficient demand, to receive federal government services in either English or French, and official-language minorities are guaranteed their own schools in all provinces and territories.[176]
English and French are the mother tongues of 59.7% and 23.2% of the population respectively,[177] and the languages most spoken at home by 68.3% and 22.3% of the population respectively.[178] 98.5% of Canadians speak English or French (67.5% speak English only, 13.3% speak French only, and 17.7% speak both).[179] English and French Official Language Communities, defined by First Official Language Spoken, constitute 73.0% and 23.6% of the population respectively.[179]
Although more than 85% of French-speaking Canadians live in Quebec, there are substantial Francophone populations in Ontario, Alberta, and southern Manitoba.[180] New Brunswick, the only officially bilingual province, has an Acadian population in the northern and southeastern parts of that province, constituting 33% of the population.[181] There are also clusters of Acadians in southwestern Nova Scotia, on Cape Breton Island, and through central and western Prince Edward Island. Ontario has the largest French-speaking population outside Quebec. The Charter of the French Language makes French the official language in Quebec.[182]
Other provinces have no official languages as such, but French is used as a language of instruction, in courts, and for other government services in addition to English. Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec allow for both English and French to be spoken in the provincial legislatures, and laws are enacted in both languages. In Ontario, French has some legal status but is not fully co-official.[183] Several aboriginal languages have official status in the Northwest Territories.[184] Inuktitut is the majority language in Nunavut, and one of three official languages in the territory.[185][186]
Languages other than the two official languages are significant in Canada, with over six million people listing one as a first language. Some of the most common non-official first languages include Chinese (mainly Cantonese) (1,012,065 first-language speakers), Italian (455,040), German (450,570), Punjabi (367,505) and Spanish (345,345).[177]