The Founding Peoples of Canada
Canada was built through the heritage of three founding peoples: Aboriginal (Indigenous), French, and British.
Aboriginal Peoples
Ancestors of Aboriginal peoples lived across Canada thousands of years before European arrival. The Canadian Constitution recognizes three distinct groups:
1. First Nations: Diverse Indigenous nations living across Canada (formerly referred to as Indians).
2. Inuit: Means 'the people' in Inuktitut. Inhabiting northern Arctic regions (Nunavut, Northwest Territories, northern Quebec and Labrador), known for adapting to Arctic climate and exquisite stone carvings.
3. Métis: A distinct Aboriginal people arising from early unions between First Nations women and French/Scottish fur traders, with their own unique culture, flag, and Michif language.
French Canadians and Acadians
- Acadians: Descendants of French colonists who settled in the Maritime provinces (Acadia) beginning in 1604. Between 1755 and 1763, the British expelled over half of Acadians during the Great Upheaval (Le Grand Dérangement). Today Acadian culture thrives in New Brunswick.
- Quebecers: The majority of French-speaking Canadians live in Quebec. In 2006, the House of Commons recognized that the Québécois form a nation within a united Canada.
British and Multicultural Settlers
English, Scottish, and Irish settlers laid the foundations of Canada's parliamentary, judicial, and common-law traditions. Over two centuries, immigrants from Asia, Europe, the Caribbean, and Africa have enriched Canada's multicultural mosaic.