English and French remain dominant languages, new census data shows The number of Canadians who predominantly speak a language other than English or French hit a record high in 2021, according to new census data released on Wednesday. English and French remain the dominant languages in Canada according to Statistics Canada, but the number of people who speak a non-dominant language at home grew to 4.6 million, or roughly 13 per cent of the population. Meanwhile, at least one in four Canadians reported having at least one first language other thanRead more

Threats include government plans to release oilsands tailings into watershed A United Nations body that monitors some of the world’s greatest natural glories is in Canada again to assess government responses to ongoing threats to the country’s largest national park, including plans to release treated oilsands tailings into its watershed. In a series of meetings beginning Thursday, UNESCO investigators are to determine whether Wood Buffalo National Park should be on the list of World Heritage Sites In Danger— a move the agency has already deemed “likely.” “Canada is not delivering,” said Melody Lepine of the Mikisew Cree First Nation, whichRead more

More than half of English speakers live in multilingual households The proportion of people in Quebec who mainly speak French at home has continued to dwindle, according to Statistics Canada. In 2021, 85.5 per cent of Quebecers reported speaking French at home at least regularly, according to census data published by the government agency Wednesday. That compares to 87.1 per cent in 2016. Although the number of people speaking French at home has increased — rising from 6.4 million in 2016 to 6.5 million in 2021 — they now makeRead more

Diane Therrien explains why she sent out a profanity-filled tweet about a weekend protest The mayor of a small Ontario city is getting a lot of attention today — not for ducking a tough question, but for answering one in some very direct terms. Peterborough mayor Diane Therrien was called on to respond to a scene that unfolded in her city east of Toronto over the weekend. A few dozen people had gathered outside the city’s police station after a call from a QAnon conspiracy theorist who purports to be the “QueenRead more

‘History will show this was a total overreaction’ — Dean French The man who negotiated on the City of Ottawa’s behalf with Tamara Lich and other organizers of the Freedom Convoy says an agreement for truckers to leave the city’s residential streets wasn’t given enough time to play out before the federal government used its emergency powers to quell the weeks-long occupation. “This is a black mark on Canadian history,” Dean French said of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s decision to invoke the Emergencies Act on Feb. 14, just a day afterRead more