🍁 Chapter 2: Who We Are
What are Canada's official languages?
Correct answer: English and French
A English and Inuktitut
B French and Michif
✓ English and French
D English only
💡 Explanation
English and French are the two official languages of the country.
Key facts to remember
- English and French are Canada's official languages
- Society grew from English- and French-speaking Christian civilizations
- Federal services must be offered in both languages across Canada
- Anglophone = English first language; Francophone = French first language
- About 18 million Anglophones, 7 million Francophones (2012 figures)
- One million Francophones in Ontario, New Brunswick and Manitoba
- Only one province is officially bilingual: New Brunswick
Why this is the answer
From the official Discover Canada study guide — 2.3.1 English and French:
Canadian society today grew mainly out of two Christian civilizations that settlers carried across the Atlantic from Europe: one English-speaking, one French-speaking. English and French shape ordinary daily life for most people here, and both are official languages of the country. The law obliges the federal government to offer its services in both of them, anywhere in Canada. That legal duty is one of the clearest signs of how the two language communities sit at the base of the nation.
A person whose first language is English is called an Anglophone; a person whose first language is French is a Francophone. As of 2012, about 18 million people in Canada were Anglophones and around 7 million were Francophones. Most Francophones live in the province of Quebec. About one million more live in Ontario, New Brunswick and Manitoba, with smaller numbers in other provinces. New Brunswick holds a special place among the provinces: it is the only one that is officially bilingual.
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