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Who We Are: Canada’s Peoples
A short summary of what to know, then 13 free practice questions with answers.
What to know
Canada is often described as having three founding peoples: Indigenous (Aboriginal), French and British. The ancestors of Indigenous peoples are believed to have come to North America from Asia thousands of years ago.
Indigenous peoples in Canada are made up of three groups. First Nations, such as the Cree, have many distinct nations and languages. Inuit, whose name means “the people” in Inuktitut, live mainly in communities across the Arctic. Métis are a distinct people of mixed Indigenous and European ancestry, with French and English roots; most live in the Prairie provinces. Their Aboriginal and treaty rights are recognized in the Constitution.
English and French are Canada’s two official languages. Francophones are people whose first language is French. Acadians descend from French colonists who settled in the Maritimes from 1604; many were deported by the British between 1755 and 1763, an event called the Great Upheaval. Quebecers are mostly descendants of French settlers of the 1600s and 1700s.
Canada welcomes newcomers from around the world while respecting their cultures, an approach often called multiculturalism. Discover Canada also describes the residential school system, which separated Indigenous children from their families; the Government of Canada formally apologized for it in 2008.
Key facts to remember
- Indigenous peoples: First Nations, Inuit and Métis.
- “Inuit” means “the people” in Inuktitut.
- Most Métis live in the Prairie provinces.
- The deportation of the Acadians (1755–1763) is called the Great Upheaval.
- English and French are Canada’s official languages.
Read the official chapter
This summary is our own and doesn’t replace the official guide. Read “Who We Are” in Discover Canada on canada.ca, then test yourself below. Next topic: Canadian history.
Written by ChowChow Labs from Discover Canada. Last reviewed . Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
Question 1 · Who We Are
Which statement about First Nations, Inuit and Métis rights is correct?
- A. They have no rights under Canadian law
- B. Their rights apply only in Nunavut
- C. Their Aboriginal and treaty rights are recognized in the Constitution
- D. Their rights were abolished in 1982
Show answer
Answer: C. Their Aboriginal and treaty rights are recognized in the Constitution
Aboriginal and treaty rights are recognized and affirmed in the Constitution Act, 1982.Source: Discover Canada, “Who We Are”
Question 2 · Who We Are
Canada's three founding peoples are often described as which groups?
- A. Indigenous, Spanish and Dutch
- B. French, German and British
- C. Indigenous, French and British
- D. British, American and Indigenous
Show answer
Answer: C. Indigenous, French and British
Canada is described as having three founding peoples: Indigenous (Aboriginal), French and British.Source: Discover Canada, “Who We Are”
Question 3 · Who We Are
The majority of Métis people live in which part of Canada?
- A. The Atlantic provinces
- B. Southern Ontario
- C. The Prairie provinces
- D. Nunavut
Show answer
Answer: C. The Prairie provinces
Most Métis live in the Prairie provinces.Source: Discover Canada, “Who We Are”
Question 4 · Who We Are
What is the name for the deportation of the Acadians by the British between 1755 and 1763?
- A. The Great Migration
- B. The Great Upheaval
- C. The Quiet Revolution
- D. The Conquest of Acadia
Show answer
Answer: B. The Great Upheaval
In the Great Upheaval (le Grand Dérangement), British authorities expelled most Acadians from their lands in the Maritimes, and many families were separated.Source: Discover Canada, “Who We Are”
Question 5 · Who We Are
Which term refers to Canadians whose first language is French?
- A. Anglophones
- B. Allophones
- C. Loyalists
- D. Francophones
Show answer
Answer: D. Francophones
Francophones are French speakers; Anglophones are English speakers.Source: Discover Canada, “Who We Are”
Question 6 · Who We Are
Canada's approach of welcoming newcomers while respecting their cultures is often called what?
- A. Assimilation
- B. Isolationism
- C. Multiculturalism
- D. Colonialism
Show answer
Answer: C. Multiculturalism
Canada embraces multiculturalism: newcomers integrate into Canadian society while keeping and sharing their heritage.Source: Discover Canada, “Who We Are”
Question 7 · Who We Are
Métis communities have both French and English roots.
- A. True
- B. False
Show answer
Answer: A. True
Many Métis descend from French fur traders, others from English or Scottish ones, who partnered with Indigenous families.Source: Discover Canada, “Who We Are”
Question 8 · Who We Are
The Québécois are mostly descendants of whom?
- A. British settlers of the 1800s
- B. Scandinavian explorers
- C. French settlers of the 1600s and 1700s
- D. American Loyalists
Show answer
Answer: C. French settlers of the 1600s and 1700s
Most Québécois trace their roots to French colonists of the 1600s and 1700s and have a distinct culture, identity and language.Source: Discover Canada, “Who We Are”
Question 9 · Who We Are
Which of the following is an example of a First Nation?
- A. The Acadians
- B. The Cree
- C. The Loyalists
- D. The Québécois
Show answer
Answer: B. The Cree
The Cree are one of many First Nations in Canada; Acadians, Loyalists and Québécois are not Indigenous groups.Source: Discover Canada, “Who We Are”
Question 10 · Who We Are
From which continent are the ancestors of Indigenous peoples in North America believed to have come?
- A. South America
- B. Europe
- C. Africa
- D. Asia
Show answer
Answer: D. Asia
Scholars believe their ancestors crossed from Asia many thousands of years ago.Source: Discover Canada, “Who We Are”
Question 11 · Who We Are
In the Inuktitut language, what does the word Inuit mean?
- A. The people
- B. The northerners
- C. The hunters
- D. The ice
Show answer
Answer: A. The people
Inuit means 'the people' in Inuktitut.Source: Discover Canada, “Who We Are”
Question 12 · Who We Are
Which three groups make up Canada's Indigenous (Aboriginal) peoples?
- A. First Nations, Acadians and Métis
- B. First Nations, Inuit and Métis
- C. Inuit, Québécois and Métis
- D. Cree, Mohawk and Acadians
Show answer
Answer: B. First Nations, Inuit and Métis
The Constitution recognizes three distinct groups of Aboriginal peoples: First Nations, Inuit and Métis.Source: Discover Canada, “Who We Are”
Question 13 · Who We Are
Where do most Inuit live?
- A. Along the Great Lakes
- B. In communities across the Arctic
- C. In the Prairie provinces
- D. On the Pacific coast
Show answer
Answer: B. In communities across the Arctic
Inuit communities are spread across Canada's Arctic regions.Source: Discover Canada, “Who We Are”
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