10 Facts About Native Canadian Communities

Did you know that 5% of the Canadian population identifies as an Aboriginal person? That’s over 1.8 million people!  

While many Canadians may be familiar with Indigenous cultures in a general sense, the depth, diversity, and resilience of these communities are often misunderstood. Centuries of colonial policies damaged — and in many cases attempted to erase — Indigenous languages, traditions, and governance systems. Yet, despite these injustices, Indigenous cultures have endured, adapted, and continued to thrive.

Read more to discover!

Ten facts about Indigenous Canadian communities you never knew! 

1. Indigenous Peoples Belong to Three Distinct Groups 

Broadly, Indigenous Canadians fall into three groups: the First Nations, the Métis, and the Inuit.

Each has a distinct history, culture, governance structure, and language. Even within these categories, diversity is immense — with over 630 First Nations, dozens of Inuit communities, and Métis groups with unique cultural identities across the Prairies and beyond.

2. The First Nations: Canada’s Original Peoples

The term “First Nations” describes Canada’s original occupants, and was chosen in 1980 in the Declaration of First Nations to reflect the status of Canada’s first people as equal builders in the nation. Over a million Canadians identified as First Nations on the 2021 Census, but First Nations is a political identity that brings together over 630 different Nations, primarily those south of the Arctic. 

“First Nations” is exclusive to Canadian Indigenous people, and doesn’t apply to any other Indigenous groups. Unlike the Métis and Inuit, 40% of First Nations live on reserve lands, to which they hold rights. 

3. The Métis: A Distinct People and Culture

The Métis are not simply “mixed ancestry” individuals.
They are a distinct Indigenous people with their own history, culture, and nationhood stemming from the relationships between First Nations women and European fur traders.

Today, more than 600,000 Canadians identify as Métis, with strong cultural ties in the Prairies, Ontario, and Quebec.

4. The Inuit: The People of the Arctic

The Inuit (“the people” in Inuktitut) primarily live in Inuit Nunangat, which includes land, water, and ice across the Arctic regions of Canada.
Roughly 70,000 Inuit reside in Canada, speaking several dialects of Inuktut across eight main cultural groups.

Inuit communities also thrive in Alaska and Greenland.

5. Orange Shirt Day - A National Day of Truth and Reconciliation

Since 2021, Canada has formally recognized September 30 as the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, also known as Orange Shirt Day.
The day honors the thousands of children taken to residential schools, many of whom never returned home. The orange shirt symbolizes the story of Phyllis Webstad, whose new orange shirt was confiscated on her first day of school.

More than 1,000 unmarked graves have been identified near former residential school sites, bringing renewed urgency to reconciliation.

6. A growing population 

The population of Indigenous Canadians has grown roughly 42.5% between 2006 and 2016.

They are also the youngest demographic — in 2016, 44% were under 25 — which has major implications for education, health care, language programs, and employment opportunities.

7. International Decade of Indigenous Languages (2022-2032)

In 2021, 237, 420 Indigenous Canadians reported that they could speak an Indigenous language well enough to have a conversation. That’s a decline of 4% from the last reported census in 2016, and the first decline since record keeping started in 1991.  

Because residential schools and the Indian Act forbade the speaking of Indigenous languages, they were hugely suppressed. Maintaining and growing them is so important that UNESCO has declared 2022 to 2032 the International Decade of Indigenous Languages.   

8. Over 70 Indigenous Languages — and Many Are Endangered 

Canada is home to more than 70 Indigenous languages, belonging to several distinct language families.
Many communities report fewer than 500 fluent speakers, making revitalization urgent.

However, second-language learning is rising. More youth are reclaiming linguistic heritage through immersion programs, community schools, and digital resources.

9. Revitalization and Preservation 

The 2007 UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples enshrines the right to language. 2019 saw Canada pass the Indigenous Languages Act. Indigenous Canadians have emphasized the importance of language for cultural and community preservation. 

Most indigenous languages have experienced some decline, but there are groups that have grown. Efforts in British Columbia revitalize “sleeping” languages – numbers of speakers of Haisla, Halkomelem, Heiltsuk and Michif have all grown by a third since the 2016 Census. 

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Mi’kmaw, a language spoken in Nova Scotia for over 10,000 years, was acknowledged as the province’s first language in 2022. This means the province will move to preserve and promote it. 

10. Indigenous Sign Languages Exist

Indigenous languages are not only spoken — some are signed.
Historically, Deaf Indigenous Peoples used sign languages across Canada, including:

• Plains Indigenous Sign Language (PISL)

• Inuit Sign Language (IUR)

• Plateau Sign Language

While many of these are endangered today, revitalization projects are underway to preserve and document them.

Honoring Indigenous Communities — and Their Languages

More than 70 Indigenous languages are still spoken across Canada today. Despite attempts to suppress them through residential schools, assimilation policies, and cultural erasure, Indigenous Peoples continue to reclaim, strengthen, and celebrate their linguistic heritage.

At Ad Astra, we proudly support this work through culturally respectful, community-informed language services. Whether translating educational materials, supporting Indigenous governance, or helping communities preserve knowledge systems, we honor the resilience and diversity of Indigenous cultures every step of the way.

Language shapes identity, memory, and belonging — and preserving Indigenous languages strengthens us all.