European Canadian
| Total population | |
|---|---|
|
European Origins Only 20,157,965 Canada 2011 Census 79.35% of the total Canadian population |
|
| Regions with significant populations | |
| All areas of Canada | |
| Languages | |
| Mostly English • French • Historically Scottish Gaelic • Irish were spoken in certain regions |
|
| Religion | |
|
Predominantly Christian also Judaism • Deism • Muslim • Baha'i • pagan/Wiccan • Unitarian Universalism |
|
|
^1 An additional 10,563,805 (32.1%) people chose "Canadian" as their ethnic group in the Census. |
European Canadians (also known as Euro-Canadians) are Canadians with ancestry from Europe.
The French were the first Europeans to establish a continuous presence in what is now Canada. Hélène Desportes is considered the first white child born in New France. She was born circa 1620, to Pierre Desportes (born Lisieux, Normandie, France) and Françoise Langlois.
In the 2006 census, the largest European ancestry groups were English (21.03%), French (15.82%), Scottish (15.11%), Irish (13.94%), German (10.18%), Italian (4.63%). However, the country's largest self-reported ethnic origin is "Canadian" (accounting for 32.22% of the population). Since 1996, "Canadian" as an ethnic group has been added to census questionnaires for possible ancestry. English-Canadians, British-Canadians and French-Canadians are considered an under-count. In the National Household Survey Profile, Canada, 2011 10,563,805 people (32.1%) chose "Canadian" as their ethnic group.
The table shows the European-Canadian population showing a gradual increase from the 1871 Census, however, their proportion of the total Canadian population has been decreasing gradually since the mid-twentieth century to the most recent census in 2011. Canada enumerated its population by race between 1871 and 1971 and ethnic origins.
Europeans are still the largest ethnic group in Canada. Elements of Aboriginal, French, British and more recent immigrant customs, languages and religions have combined to form the culture of Canada and thus a Canadian identity. Canada has also been strongly influenced by its linguistic, geographic and economic neighbour, the United States.
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