What languages are spoken in Canada?
Canada is officially bilingual, with English (56-60% of the population) and French (21-23%) as official languages. French dominates in Quebec, while English predominates in other provinces.
The two official languages
Canada recognizes English and French as official languages at the federal level since the Official Languages Act of 1969. This linguistic duality characterizes Canadian identity.
- English: spoken by 56 to 60% of the population, dominant language in 9 out of 10 provinces
- French: used by 21 to 23% of Canadians, majority language in Quebec and present in New Brunswick
Geographic distribution
Quebec remains the main French-speaking province with over 80% of French speakers. New Brunswick is officially bilingual, while Ontario has the country's largest Franco-Ontarian community.
Other languages spoken
Beyond the official languages, Canada welcomes a linguistic mosaic with over 200 languages spoken by various immigrant communities: Chinese (Mandarin and Cantonese), Punjabi, Spanish, Tagalog, Arabic, as well as indigenous languages such as Inuktitut and Cree.