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(From Left to Right)
St. Patrick’s Day Parade,
Montreal, Quebec
Highland dancer at
Glengarry Highland
Games, Maxville, Ontario
Celebrating Fête
Nationale, Gatineau,
Quebec
Acadian fiddler, Village
of Grande-Anse, New
Brunswick
Unity in Diversity
John Buchan, the 1st Baron Tweedsmuir, was a popular Governor General of Canada (1935–40). Immigrant
groups, he said, “should retain their individuality and each make its contribution to the national
character.” Each could learn “from the other, and … while they cherish their own special loyalties and
traditions, they cherish not less that new loyalty and tradition which springs from their union.” (Canadian
Club of Halifax, 1937). The 15th Governor General is shown here in Blood (Kainai First Nation) headdress.
11
Discover Canada
The
Inuit
, which means “the people” in the
Inuktitut language, live in small, scattered
communities across the Arctic. Their knowledge
of the land, sea and wildlife enabled them to
adapt to one of the harshest environments on
earth.
The
Métis
are a distinct people of mixed
Aboriginal and European ancestry, the majority
of whom live in the Prairie provinces. They
come from both French- and English-speaking
backgrounds and speak their own dialect, Michif.
About 65% of the Aboriginal people are First
Nations, while 30% are Métis and 4% Inuit.
English and French
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. The federal
government is required by law to provide services
throughout Canada in English and French.
Today, there are 18 million Anglophones—people
who speak English as a first language—and
seven million Francophones—people who speak
French as their first language. While the majority
of Francophones live in the province of Quebec,
one million Francophones live in Ontario,
New Brunswick and Manitoba, with a smaller
presence in other provinces. New Brunswick is
the only officially bilingual province.
The
Acadians
are the descendants of French
colonists who began settling in what are now
the Maritime provinces in 1604. Between 1755
and 1763, during the war between Britain and
France, more than two-thirds of the Acadians
were deported from their homeland. Despite
this ordeal, known as the “Great Upheaval,” the
Acadians survived and maintained their unique
identity. Today, Acadian culture is flourishing
and is a lively part of French-speaking Canada.
Quebecers
are the people of Quebec, the vast
majority French-speaking. Most are descendants
of 8,500 French settlers from the 1600s and
1700s and maintain a unique identity, culture and
language. The House of Commons recognized in
2006 that the Quebecois form a nation within
a united Canada. One million
Anglo-Quebecers
have a heritage of 250 years and form a vibrant
part of the Quebec fabric.