Canada - Indigenous Peoples, Culture, History

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class="col-auto"> <div class="topic-left-rail md-article-drawer position-relative d-flex border-right-sm border-left-sm open"> <div class="drawer d-flex flex-column open"> <div class="left-rail-section-content"> <div class="topic-left-rail-header text-truncate bg-gray-50 position-relative text-right d-flex align-items-center"> <div class="tlr-title px-20 py-15 text-left"> <em class="material-icons text-gray-400 d-lg-none" data-icon="toc"></em> <a class="font-serif font-weight-bold text-black link-blue" href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Canada">Canada</a> </div> <button aria-label="Close" class="js-sections-close-button btn-link btn-sm btn d-lg-none position-absolute top-0 p-10 right-0" > <em class="material-icons font-26" data-icon="close"></em> </button> </div> <div class="section-content pl-10 pr-20 pl-sm-50 pr-sm-60 pl-lg-5 pr-lg-10 pt-10 pt-lg-0 bg-gray-50 clear-catfish-ad"> <div class="toc mb-20"> <div class="font-serif font-14 font-weight-bold mx-15 mb-15 mt-20"> Table of Contents </div> <ul class="list-unstyled my-0" data-level="h1"><li data-target="#ref1"><div class="pl-25"><a class="link-gray-900 w-100" href="/place/Canada">Introduction & Quick Facts</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"></div></li><li data-target="#ref43262"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><button class="h1-link-drawer-button btn btn-xs btn-circle d-flex rounded" type="button" aria-label="Toggle Heading"><em class="material-icons font-18" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_right"></em></button><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/Land">Land</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref43263"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/Relief">Relief</a><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref43264"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/Relief#ref43264">The Canadian Shield</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref43265"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/Relief#ref43265">The interior plains</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref43266"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/Relief#ref43266">The Great Lakes–St. Lawrence lowlands</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref43267"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/Relief#ref43267">The Appalachian region</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref43268"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/Relief#ref43268">The Western Cordillera</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref43269"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/Relief#ref43269">The Arctic Archipelago</a></li></ul></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref43270"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/Drainage">Drainage</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref43271"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/Climate">Climate</a><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref43272"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/Climate#ref43272">Temperatures</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref43273"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/Climate#ref43273">Rainfall</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref43274"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/Climate#ref43274">Snowfall</a></li></ul></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref43275"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/Soils-and-plant-and-animal-life">Soils and plant and animal life</a><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref43276"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/Soils-and-plant-and-animal-life#ref43276">Tundra</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref43277"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/Soils-and-plant-and-animal-life#ref43277">Forest regions</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref43278"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/Soils-and-plant-and-animal-life#ref43278">Grasslands</a></li></ul></li></ul></div></li><li data-target="#ref43280"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><button class="h1-link-drawer-button btn btn-xs btn-circle d-flex rounded" type="button" aria-label="Toggle Heading"><em class="material-icons font-18" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_right"></em></button><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/Soils-and-plant-and-animal-life#ref43280">People</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref43281"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/Soils-and-plant-and-animal-life#ref43281">Principal ethnic groups</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref43283"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/Soils-and-plant-and-animal-life#ref43283">U.S. immigration</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref237196"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/Indigenous-peoples">Indigenous peoples</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref43285"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/Indigenous-peoples#ref43285">Languages</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref43286"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/Indigenous-peoples#ref43286">Religion</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref43279"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/Settlement-patterns">Settlement patterns</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref43287"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/Demographic-trends">Demographic trends</a></li></ul></div></li><li data-target="#ref43288"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><button class="h1-link-drawer-button btn btn-xs btn-circle d-flex rounded" type="button" aria-label="Toggle Heading"><em class="material-icons font-18" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_right"></em></button><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/Economy">Economy</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref43295"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/Agriculture-forestry-and-fishing">Agriculture, forestry, and fishing</a><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref43296"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/Agriculture-forestry-and-fishing#ref43296">Agriculture</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref43297"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/Agriculture-forestry-and-fishing#ref43297">Forestry</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref43298"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/Agriculture-forestry-and-fishing#ref43298">Fishing</a></li></ul></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref43289"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/Resources-and-power">Resources and power</a><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref43290"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/Resources-and-power#ref43290">Minerals</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref43294"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/Resources-and-power#ref43294">Energy</a></li></ul></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref43299"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/Resources-and-power#ref43299">Manufacturing</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref43303"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/Resources-and-power#ref43303">Finance</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref43304"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/Trade">Trade</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref43302"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/Trade#ref43302">Services</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref237197"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/Labour-and-taxation">Labour and taxation</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref43305"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/Transportation-and-telecommunications">Transportation and telecommunications</a><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref43306"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/Transportation-and-telecommunications#ref43306">Roads and highways</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref43307"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/Transportation-and-telecommunications#ref43307">Railways</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref43308"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/Transportation-and-telecommunications#ref43308">Waterways</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref43309"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/Transportation-and-telecommunications#ref43309">Airways</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref43310"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/Transportation-and-telecommunications#ref43310">Pipelines</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref237198"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/Transportation-and-telecommunications#ref237198">Telecommunications</a></li></ul></li></ul></div></li><li data-target="#ref43311"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><button class="h1-link-drawer-button btn btn-xs btn-circle d-flex rounded" type="button" aria-label="Toggle Heading"><em class="material-icons font-18" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_right"></em></button><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/Government-and-society">Government and society</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref237199"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/Government-and-society#ref237199">Constitutional framework</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref43312"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/Government-and-society#ref43312">Provincial government</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref43316"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/Local-government">Local government</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref43317"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/Local-government#ref43317">Justice</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref237200"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/Political-process">Political process</a><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref237201"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/Political-process#ref237201">Suffrage and elections</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref237202"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/Political-process#ref237202">Political parties</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref237203"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/Political-process#ref237203">The Quebec question</a></li></ul></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref237204"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/Security">Security</a><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref43318"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/Security#ref43318">Police</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref237205"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/Security#ref237205">Defense</a></li></ul></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref43320"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/Health-and-welfare">Health and welfare</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref43319"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/Education">Education</a></li></ul></div></li><li data-target="#ref43321"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><button class="h1-link-drawer-button btn btn-xs btn-circle d-flex rounded" type="button" aria-label="Toggle Heading"><em class="material-icons font-18" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_right"></em></button><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/Cultural-life">Cultural life</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref237206"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/Daily-life-and-social-customs">Daily life and social customs</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref237207"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/The-arts">The arts</a><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref43322"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/The-arts#ref43322">Literature</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref43323"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/Visual-arts">Visual arts</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref43325"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/The-performing-arts">The performing arts</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref43326"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/The-performing-arts#ref43326">Filmmaking</a></li></ul></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref43324"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/Cultural-institutions">Cultural institutions</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref43327"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/Sports-and-recreation">Sports and recreation</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref43330"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/Media-and-publishing">Media and publishing</a><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref43331"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/Media-and-publishing#ref43331">Press</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref43332"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/Media-and-publishing#ref43332">Broadcasting</a></li></ul></li></ul></div></li><li data-target="#ref93704"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><button class="h1-link-drawer-button btn btn-xs btn-circle d-flex rounded" type="button" aria-label="Toggle Heading"><em class="material-icons font-18" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_right"></em></button><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/History">History</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref42973"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/History#ref42973">Prehistory to early European contact</a><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref42974"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/History#ref42974">Precontact aboriginal history</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref42975"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/History#ref42975">European contact and early exploration</a></li></ul></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref42976"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/History#ref42976">The settlement of New France</a><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref42977"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/History#ref42977">Jacques Cartier</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref42978"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/Samuel-de-Champlain">Samuel de Champlain</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref42979"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/The-Company-of-New-France">The Company of New France</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref42980"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/The-character-of-French-settlement">The character of French settlement</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref42981"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/Royal-control">Royal control</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref42982"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/The-growth-of-Anglo-French-rivalry">The growth of Anglo-French rivalry</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref42983"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/The-French-and-Indian-Seven-Years-War">The French and Indian (Seven Years’) War</a></li></ul></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref42985"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/Early-British-rule-1763-91">Early British rule, 1763–91</a><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref42986"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/Early-British-rule-1763-91#ref42986">The Quebec Act</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref42987"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/Early-British-rule-1763-91#ref42987">The influence of the American Revolution</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref42988"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/Early-British-rule-1763-91#ref42988">The Constitutional Act of 1791</a></li></ul></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref42989"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/National-growth-in-the-early-19th-century">National growth in the early 19th century</a><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref42990"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/National-growth-in-the-early-19th-century#ref42990">Population trends</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref42991"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/The-Montreal-fur-traders">The Montreal fur traders</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref42992"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/The-War-of-1812">The War of 1812</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref42993"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/The-rebellions-of-1837-38">The rebellions of 1837–38</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref42994"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/The-union-of-Canada">The union of Canada</a></li></ul></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref42996"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/From-confederation-through-World-War-I">From confederation through World War I</a><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref42997"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/From-confederation-through-World-War-I#ref42997">The first Riel rebellion</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref42998"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/The-transcontinental-railway">The transcontinental railway</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref42999"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/The-transcontinental-railway#ref42999">Reaction of Quebec</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref43000"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/The-Klondike-gold-rush">The Klondike gold rush</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref43001"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/The-Klondike-gold-rush#ref43001">The land rush in the west</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref43002"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/The-Laurier-era">The Laurier era</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref43003"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/Foreign-relations">Foreign relations</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref43004"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/World-War-I">World War I</a></li></ul></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref43006"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/The-interwar-wars">The interwar wars</a><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref43007"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/The-interwar-wars#ref43007">Turmoil at home</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref43008"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/The-interwar-wars#ref43008">Commonwealth relations</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref43009"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/The-interwar-wars#ref43009">The Great Depression</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref43010"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/The-interwar-wars#ref43010">Growing international tension</a></li></ul></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref43011"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/World-War-II">World War II</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref43012"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/Early-postwar-developments">Early postwar developments</a><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref43013" class="has-children"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/Early-postwar-developments#ref43013">Domestic affairs</a><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h4"><li data-target="#ref43014"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/Early-postwar-developments#ref43014">Postwar prosperity</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h4"><li data-target="#ref43015"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/Early-postwar-developments#ref43015">Ethnic minorities</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h4"><li data-target="#ref43016"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/Early-postwar-developments#ref43016">Internal politics</a></li></ul></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref43017" class="has-children"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/Foreign-affairs">Foreign affairs</a><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h4"><li data-target="#ref43018"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/Foreign-affairs#ref43018">Multilateral commitments</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h4"><li data-target="#ref43019"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/U-S-Canadian-relations">U.S.-Canadian relations</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h4"><li data-target="#ref43020"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/Canada-and-the-Commonwealth">Canada and the Commonwealth</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h4"><li data-target="#ref43021"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/Franco-Canadian-affairs">Franco-Canadian affairs</a></li></ul></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref43022"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/Quebec-separatism">Quebec separatism</a></li></ul></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref237208"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/The-Trudeau-years-1968-84">The Trudeau years, 1968–84</a><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref237209" class="has-children"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/The-Trudeau-years-1968-84#ref237209">First premiership</a><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h4"><li data-target="#ref43024"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/The-Trudeau-years-1968-84#ref43024">Domestic policies</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h4"><li data-target="#ref43025"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/The-Trudeau-years-1968-84#ref43025">Foreign affairs</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h4"><li data-target="#ref43026"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/The-Trudeau-years-1968-84#ref43026">Indigenous affairs</a></li></ul></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref43027"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/The-interregnum-Progressive-Conservative-government-1979-80">The interregnum: Progressive Conservative government, 1979–80</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref237210"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/Second-premiership">Second premiership</a></li></ul></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref237211"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/The-late-20th-and-early-21st-centuries">The late 20th and early 21st centuries</a><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref43028"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/The-late-20th-and-early-21st-centuries#ref43028">The administration of Brian Mulroney, 1984–93</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref237212"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/The-administrations-of-Jean-Chretien-and-Paul-Martin-1993-2006">The administrations of Jean Chrétien and Paul Martin, 1993–2006</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref336677" class="has-children"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/The-administration-of-Stephen-Harper-2006-15">The administration of Stephen Harper, 2006–15</a><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h4"><li data-target="#ref336678"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/The-administration-of-Stephen-Harper-2006-15#ref336678">First premiership</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h4"><li data-target="#ref336679"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/The-administration-of-Stephen-Harper-2006-15#ref336679">Second premiership</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h4"><li data-target="#ref336680"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/The-administration-of-Stephen-Harper-2006-15#ref336680">Third premiership</a></li></ul></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref336681" class="has-children"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/The-administration-of-Justin-Trudeau">The administration of Justin Trudeau</a><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h4"><li data-target="#ref342264"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/The-administration-of-Justin-Trudeau#ref342264">First Nations suicide epidemic</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h4"><li data-target="#ref342265"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/The-administration-of-Justin-Trudeau#ref342265">Legalization of marijuana, environmental protection, and Quebec mosque attack</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h4"><li data-target="#ref342266"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/The-administration-of-Justin-Trudeau#ref342266">Response to the U.S. presidency of Donald Trump</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h4"><li data-target="#ref342267"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/The-administration-of-Justin-Trudeau#ref342267">SNC-Lavalin affair</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h4"><li data-target="#ref342268"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Canada/The-administration-of-Justin-Trudeau#ref342268">Diplomatic dispute with China</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h4"><li 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For the next 200 years the <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="Indigenous" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Indigenous" data-type="MW">Indigenous</a> population declined, largely as a result of European territorial encroachment and the diseases that the settlers brought. However, the Indigenous population increased dramatically after 1950, because of high birth rates and access to improved medical care. Some one million people in Canada now identify themselves as First Nations people, <span id="ref841563"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Metis-people" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Métis</a> (of mixed European and First Nations ancestry), or Inuit; of this number, more than three-fifths are First Nations people, nearly one-third Métis, and most of the remainder Inuit. Together they <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="constitute" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/constitute" data-type="MW">constitute</a> less than 5 percent of Canada’s total population, though Indigenous peoples constitute half the population of the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Northwest-Territories" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Northwest Territories</a> and a considerably greater proportion of the population of Nunavut. The largest of the First Nations groups is the <span id="ref841565"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Cree" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Cree</a>, which includes some 120,000 people.</p><span class="marker MOD1 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD2 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">In Canada the word Indian has a legal definition given in the <span id="ref478120"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Indian-Act" class="md-crosslink ">Indian Act</a> of 1876. People legally defined as Indians are known as <span id="ref478121"></span>status Indians. First Nations people who have chosen to give up their status rights or who have lost them through intermarriage with people of European ancestry are called <span id="ref478122"></span>nonstatus Indians. (Beginning in 1985, Canadian law has allowed those who lost their status through intermarriage to reclaim it, and marriage no longer triggers an automatic loss of status.) Through treaties with the Canadian government, more than 600 status Indian bands occupy more than 2,250 reserves. The resources of these reserves are quite limited, and the majority of status Indians have a <a href="https://www.britannica.com/money/standard-of-living" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">standard of living</a> below the Canadian average. The treaties and agreements about reserves apply to only a portion of the First Nations population. Large tracts of land were never taken from the First Nations by treaty, and various groups are still negotiating land claims and self-government with the federal and <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="provincial" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/provincial" data-type="EB">provincial</a> governments. These negotiations have made significant progress, and in 1996 the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples concluded that Canada needed to protect the distinctive values and lifestyles of its aboriginal peoples.</p><span class="marker MOD2 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD3 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">The Inuit who inhabit the far north do not have any reserves and are not protected by any treaties. Many of them—a number estimated to be more than 40,000—still live in scattered camps and settlements of 25 to 500 people, although larger towns, such as <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Iqaluit" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Iqaluit</a> in Nunavut, are growing rapidly. Since the latter part of the 20th century, mining, oil exploration and pipeline construction, and mammoth hydroelectric developments have greatly affected their traditional way of living off the land. The <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="worldwide" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/worldwide" data-type="EB">worldwide</a> decline in demand for furs greatly diminished their income, and the Inuit came to depend increasingly on government social and welfare programs. Education and training programs were instituted to enable them to compete for employment. Perhaps the most decisive step, however, was the creation in 1999 of the territory of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Nunavut" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Nunavut</a>—carved out of the eastern section of the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Northwest-region" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Northwest</a> Territories—with a largely Inuit population and an advanced form of self-government.</p><span class="marker MOD3 mod-inline"></span> </section> <section data-level="2" id="ref43285"> <h2 class="h2">Languages</h2> <span class="marker PREMOD4 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Canada’s constitution established both <span id="ref841574"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/English-language" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">English</a> and <span id="ref841577"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/French-language" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">French</a> as official languages. However, English is dominant throughout most of the country; only one province, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/New-Brunswick-province" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">New Brunswick</a>, is officially bilingual, and French is the official provincial language only in <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Quebec-province" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Quebec</a>, where French is the first language of four-fifths of the population. Between one-half and three-fifths of Canadians speak English as their first language, while about one-fifth identify French as their primary tongue. The mother tongue of more than one-fifth of Canadians is a language other than English or French; most speak another European language (notably Italian or German), but the largest immigrant group speaks Chinese, reflecting the growth in Chinese immigration since the 1980s. Inuktitut, the language of the Inuit, has a number of variations. Cree is the most common of the Indigenous languages.</p><span class="marker MOD4 mod-inline"></span><div class="mb-20"><div class="w-100"><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="212798" data-asm-type="infogram"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media" data-type="infogram"><script id="infogram_0__/VBbqigxe8vkpoy4ohKZk" src="https://e.infogram.com/js/dist/embed.js?Itp" type="text/javascript" title="Canada: Population by mother tongue"></script></div></figure></div></div> </section> <section data-level="2" id="ref43286"> <h2 class="h2">Religion</h2> <span class="marker PREMOD5 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">More than three-fourths of Canada’s population claim affiliation to some degree with an organized religious faith. Most people are either Roman Catholic or Protestant. The major Protestant churches are the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/United-Church-of-Canada" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">United Church of Canada</a>, the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Anglican-Church-of-Canada" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Anglican Church of Canada</a>, and the Lutheran church. Roman Catholics constitute the largest single religious group, accounting for more than two-fifths of the population. Protestants, the second largest group, make up about one-fifth of the population.</p><div class="module-spacing"> </div><span class="marker MOD5 mod-inline"></span><div class="mb-20"><div class="w-100"><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="212801" data-asm-type="infogram"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media" data-type="infogram"><script id="infogram_0__/G1yb9kZRW38f9orTANRg" src="https://e.infogram.com/js/dist/embed.js?Itp" type="text/javascript" title="Canada: Religious affiliation"></script></div></figure></div></div> <span class="marker PREMOD6 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">In Quebec more than four-fifths of the population is at least nominally Roman Catholic, and New Brunswick also has a Roman Catholic majority. Canada’s religious <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="composition" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/composition" data-type="MW">composition</a> reflects the most recent immigration trends; in the last two decades of the 20th century, the numbers of Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs, and Buddhists rose sharply. The numbers of Jews and adherents of the Eastern Orthodox faith also has risen. About one-fifth of Canadians classify themselves as nonreligious.</p><span class="marker MOD6 mod-inline"></span> </section> <span class="marker end-of-content"></span><span class="marker after-article"></span></div> <div id="chatbot-root"></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ai-dialog-placeholder"></div> </div> </div> <aside class="col-md-da-320"></aside> </div> </div> </div> </div> </article> </div> </div> </div> </div> </main> <div id="md-footer"></div> <noscript><iframe src="//www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-5W6NC8" height="0" width="0" style="display:none;visibility:hidden"></iframe></noscript> <script type="text/javascript" id="_informizely_script_tag"> var IzWidget = IzWidget || {}; (function (d) { var scriptElement = d.createElement('script'); scriptElement.type = 'text/javascript'; scriptElement.async = true; scriptElement.src = "https://insitez.blob.core.windows.net/site/f780f33e-a610-4ac2-af81-3eb184037547.js"; var node = d.getElementById('_informizely_script_tag'); node.parentNode.insertBefore(scriptElement, node); } )(document); </script>  <script> window.ap3c = window.ap3c || {}; var ap3c = window.ap3c; ap3c.cmd = ap3c.cmd || []; ap3c.cmd.push(function() { ap3c.init('ZO4siT4cLwnykPnzZWJtd3Byb2Q', 'https://engage.email.britannica.com/'); ap3c.track({v: 0}); }); ap3c.activity = function(act) { ap3c.act = (ap3c.act || []); ap3c.act.push(act); }; var s, t; s = document.createElement('script'); s.type = 'text/javascript'; s.src = "https://engage.email.britannica.com/app.js"; t = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; t.parentNode.insertBefore(s, t); </script> <script class="marketing-page-info" type="application/json"> {"pageType":"Topic","templateName":"DESKTOP","pageNumber":7,"pagesTotal":64,"pageId":91513,"pageLength":836,"initialLoad":true,"lastPageOfScroll":false} </script> <script class="marketing-content-info" type="application/json"> [] </script> <script src="https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-133/js/libs/jquery-3.5.0.min.js?v=3.133.9"></script> <script type="text/javascript" data-type="Init Mendel Code Splitting"> (function() { $.ajax({ dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: 'https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-133/dist/topic-page.js?v=3.133.9' }); })(); </script> <script class="analytics-metadata" type="application/json"> {"leg":"D","adLeg":"C","userType":"ANONYMOUS","pageType":"Topic","pageSubtype":null,"articleTemplateType":"COUNTRY_PAGINATED","gisted":false,"pageNumber":7,"hasSummarizeButton":false,"hasAskButton":true} </script> <script type="text/javascript"> EBStat={accountId:-1,hostnameOverride:'webstats.eb.com',domain:'www.britannica.com', json:''}; </script> <script type="text/javascript"> ( function() { $.ajax( { dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: '//www.britannica.com/webstats/mendelstats.js?v=1' } ) .done( function() { try {writeStat(null,EBStat);} catch(err){} } ); })(); </script> <div id="bc-fixed-dialogue"></div> </body> </html>

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