Languages:

Although French and English are Canada’s only two official languages, the country’s linguistic diversity is

very rich. According to the 2016 census, an increased number of Canadians are reporting a mother

tongue or language spoken at home other than English or French compared to in previous years. This is

in addition to a large diversity of Indigenous languages. From the strictly legal standpoint of the federal

government, there are three major classes of languages in Canada: official or "Charter" languages —

French and English— which are recognized under the federal Official Languages Act of 1969; ancestral

languages of Indigenous peoples, traditionally spoken by First Nations, Métis and Inuit which are not

legally protected at the federal level and; those that Statistics Canada terms “immigrant languages,”

which do not enjoy official status in Canada but are nonetheless widely spoken.

English-Speakers in Canada

In the 2016 census, 29.97 million Canadians — 86.2 percent of all Canadians — reported themselves as

knowing English. Canadians whose first official language spoken was English represented roughly 75

percent of the total population, or just over 26 million people. Among these, 20,193,340 Canadians, or

58.1 percent of the total population, reported English as being at least one of their mother tongues.

French-Speakers in Canada

While French and English are considered official languages by the federal government, French is only

recognized as an official language at the provincial level by Quebec and New Brunswick. In the 2016

census, around 10.36 million Canadians — 28.8 percent of all Canadians — reported themselves as

knowing French. Canadians whose first official language spoken was French represented 22.8 percent of
the total population, or just over 7.9 million people. About 7.45 million Canadians, or 21.4 percent of the

population, reported French as being at least one of their mother tongues.

Indigenous speakers in Canada

There are around 70 distinct Indigenous languages in Canada. These languages fall into 12 separate

language families and are traditionally spoken by First Nations, Métis people and the Inuit. In 2016,

Statistics Canada reported that for about 40 Indigenous languages in Canada, there are only about 500

speakers or less. This number does not distinguish between fluent and learning speakers, which means

that a more accurate estimation of the number of fluent language speakers of any particular Indigenous

language might be less. Statistics Canada revealed that 260,550 Indigenous people reported the ability

to speak an Indigenous language; this represents a 3.1 percent increase from 2006. Algonquian

languages had the largest speaking population (175,825), followed by Cree (96,575) and Ojibwe

(28,130).

Immigrant Languages in Canada

According to Statistics Canada, immigrant languages are languages “whose presence is initially due to

immigration after English and French colonization.” In 2016, more than 7.12 million people — 11.2

percent of Canadians — reported having an immigrant language as their single mother tongue. Some of

the most spoken immigrant single mother tongues include Mandarin (592,040 speakers), Cantonese

(565,270 speakers), Punjabi (501,680 speakers), Spanish (458,850 speakers), Arabic (419,890 speakers),

Tagalog (431,380 speakers), German (384,035 speakers), and Italian (375,635 speakers). The most

spoken immigrant language in each province and territory are: Tagalog in the Yukon, the Northwest
Territories, Nunavut, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba; Punjabi in British Columbia; Mandarin in

Ontario and Prince Edward Island and; Arabic in Quebec, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia and

New Brunswick.

Appendixes:

Canada's economy is highly developed and one of the largest in the world. In 2020, the country's annual

gross domestic product (GDP) was $1.64 trillion in current USD, according to the latest available World

Bank data. That made Canada the world's ninth-largest economy.

Canada's economy is highly dependent on international trade with exports and imports of goods and

services each comprising about one-third of GDP. The country's three largest trading partners are the

U.S., China, and the U.K. Its three largest industries, measured by their contributions to GDP, are real

estate, rental, and leasing; manufacturing; and mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction. Canada is
home to the e-commerce company Shopify Inc. (SHOP.TO, SHOP), major banks such as the Royal Bank of

Canada (RY.TO, RY), and energy transportation and distribution company Enbridge Inc. (ENB.TO, ENB).

The COVID-19 pandemic caused Canada's economy to pull back sharply in the first half of 2020 before

rebounding in the latter half of the year. In the second quarter of 2020, real GDP fell 11.3% quarter-

over-quarter (Q/Q), but rose 9.1% Q/Q in the third quarter and then 2.2% Q/Q in the fourth quarter of

2020, offsetting the steep decline earlier in the year.4 Real GDP was up 0.3% in the first quarter of 2021

compared to the first quarter of 2020. The increase in first-quarter GDP was fueled in part by low

mortgage rates, rising housing demand, and government transfers to households and businesses.

Canada's Top Industries: Real Estate, Manufacturing, and Mining

Real Estate, Rental, and Leasing

Canada's real estate, rental, and leasing industry is comprised of establishments engaged in the

following types of activities: real estate management; selling, renting, or buying real estate for others;

appraising real estate; rental and leasing of tangible assets such as automotive equipment; and leasing

of nonfinancial intangible assets such as copyrighted works. GDP for the industry, which employs about

250,000 people, rose 3.7% for the 12 months ending June 2021, according to the Government of

Canada. Some of the biggest companies in the industry are real estate investment trusts (REITs),

including Canadian Apartment Properties REIT (CAR.UN), RioCan REIT (REI.UN), and Allied Properties

REIT (AP.UN).

Manufacturing

Canada's manufacturing industry is engaged in the physical or chemical transformation of materials or

substances into new products. These products may either be finished goods for consumption or semi-
finished goods to be used in manufacturing processes. Canada's industries manufacture food, chemicals,

petroleum, fabricated metal products, machinery, transportation equipment, and other products. GDP

for the industry, which employs approximately 1.5 million people, grew 8.1% for the 12 months ending

June 2021, according to the Government of Canada. Some major Canadian manufacturers include ATS

Automation Tooling Systems (ATA.TO), a custom engineer and manufacturer of industrial automated

manufacturing systems; Ballard Power Systems Inc. (BLDP.TO, BLDP), a manufacturer of hydrogen fuel

cells; and NFI Group Inc. (NFI.TO), a manufacturer of heavy-duty transit buses.

Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction

Canada's mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction industry is primarily engaged in the extraction of

naturally occurring minerals. The industry is dominated by oil and gas extraction, but other types of

mining activity include mining coal and a range of metals, including gold, silver, copper, nickel, and

more. Stone, sand, gravel, clay, and ceramic mining and quarrying are also part of the industry, as well

as mining for potash. GDP for the industry, which employs approximately 190,000 people, grew 15.1%

for the 12 months ending 2021, according to the Government of Canada. Some of Canada's biggest

mining companies include Nutrien Ltd. (NTR.TO, NTR), a producer and distributor of potash, nitrogen,

and phosphate products; Barrick Gold Corp. (ABX.TO, GOLD), a gold mining company; and Teck

Resources Ltd. (TECK.B.TO, TECK), a natural resource company that mines for zinc, copper, molybdenum,

gold, and metallurgical coal. Below is a closer look at Canada's 10 biggest industries by contribution to

the economy. Together, they are an important reflection of Canada's economy because they contribute

about three-quarters of the nation's GDP.

Canada’s Top Trading Partners

In May 2021, Canada's trade balance for goods and services was CAD$1.8 billion deficit ($1.41). Total

imports were CAD$50.9 billion ($40.13 billion). Inventories, gross fixed capital formation, and exports

each comprise roughly a third, respectively, of Canada's GDP, according to the Government of Canada.

The country's top three trading partners in 2020, by total volume of the exports and imports of goods

and services, were the U.S., China, and the U.K.

Trading partner: The US

In July 2021, Canada ran an overall surplus of CAD$0.78 billion ($0.61) in its balance of trade (BOT). Total

exports of goods amounted to CAD$53.7 billion ($42.32). Total exports of services were $56.3 billion

while services imports amounted to CAD$53 billion ($41.77). In May 2021, Canada's top goods export to

the U.S. was crude petroleum; its top goods import from the U.S. was cars, according to the Observatory

of Economic Complexity.
Trading partner: China

Canada ran a large BOT deficit with China in 2020. Total exports of goods amounted to CAD$31.6 billion

($23.6) while total goods imported were CAD$51.9 billion ($38.7), resulting in a deficit in Canada's trade

of goods with China. Total 2019 exports of services were $6.1 billion while total services imported

amounted to $2.5 billion, resulting in a services trade surplus with China, according to Statistics Canada.

Canada's top goods export to China in 2020 was coal. Its top goods import from China was computers.

Trading partner: UK

Canada ran a BOT surplus with the U.K. in 2020. Total exports of goods were $14.9 billion while total

goods imported were $5.85 billion, resulting in a surplus in Canada's trade of goods with the U.K. Total

exports of services amounted to $1.4 billion while total services imported were $1.8 billion, resulting in

a slight services trade deficit with the U.K., according to Statistics Canada. Canada's top goods export to
the U.K. in 2020 was pearls, precious stones, metals, and coins. Its top goods imports from the U.K. were

machinery, nuclear reactors, and boilers.

Conclusion

Canada is a highly developed nation with one of the largest economies in the world, impacting much of

global trade. Its largest industries are real estate, mining, and manufacturing, and it is home to some of

the largest mining companies in the world. A large portion of its GDP comes from international trade,

with its largest trading partners being the U.S., China, and the U.K.