Statistics Being Studied Were the General Demographic

¶ … statistics being studied were the general demographic statistics from the 2006 census. These statistics provide insight into the ethnic diversity of Canada. There were a number of significant statistics that were noted. The statistics on languages spoken at home reveal a number of different things. Among them is the substantial amount of diversity among First Nations, but also the lack of native language speakers in that group, with the largest being Cree at 47,190 speakers but most being only a few hundred or thousand speakers. Native speakers of other languages are also varied. There are sixteen languages with at least 100,000 people who speak the language at home. The list of languages spoken at least somewhat at home reveals even more about the diversity of the country with over 10,000 speakers of dozens of different languages, some quite obscure.

There are also interesting statistics with respect to the source of immigrants. The figures illustrate that immigrants come from all over the world, with a fairly even distribution from a number of key regions. The figures with respect to ethnicity are also interesting -- First Nations are the largest visible minority group when taken as a whole and there are some very large other groups as well.

2. From these statistics, the conclusion can be drawn that Canada has a high level of diversity. In terms of percentage of population, many groups make a significant contribution to Canada's make up. It is also possible to conclude that many of these are relatively new immigrants, as there is a considerable number of Canadians who speak non-official languages at home still. These types of general observations can be drawn from the statistics, as they are easy to see. It is reasonable to interpret that these figures represent a greater degree of diversity than can be found in most other countries. The degree to which this is possible is limited by the fact that statistics for other countries are not available, but there are few countries in the world where the native inhabitants only account for 5.37% of the population.

The conclusion can also be drawn that Canada is an aging population, if the previous census' data is known as well. The current data only reflects the average age of Canadians, but does not encompass trends. The data provides only a snapshot, and other data sets are required to move beyond generating conclusions that reflect the snapshot only.

3. For the most part, these statistics are only useful for drawing generalizations. The data is general, and is simply a reflection of reality. The data is not useful for significant interpretation. For example, it cannot be interpreted the age of the different immigrant groups, as this is not published. In addition, no conclusions can be definitively drawn about the timing of immigration flows -- those are only guessed at. In addition, there are no statistics provided in this report about the economic condition of immigrants or their settlement patterns. No conclusion can be drawn about the age of native speakers, with respect to determining the risk those languages face of extinction. The age of native speakers can be reasonably guessed, but not on the basis of the data provided in this report.

4. These statistics could impact our perception of certain topics by delivering facts about the subject. By providing accurate information, the basis is formed for the reader of the statistics to understand the facts surrounding an issue. Many topics become either politicized or subject to erroneous assumptions. Both can be countered with the use of facts. There is often a gap between perception and reality, but by understanding the reality a new and more accurate perception can be created. This will benefit anybody studying these issues, as they are able to separate out the facts from the perceptions more easily.

5. There are a number of predictions for the future that can be made using these statistics. Such conclusions can be drawn in particular if the figures from the previous census are also made available. With the 2001 figures, trends can be determined in the populations of different ethnic groups. This can assist with a number of public functions in particular, such as English or French as a second language provision and other public service provisions. If trends on ethnic diversity and language use are known, then stakeholders can better understand the ethic makeup of Canada going forward, allowing for better decisions both in terms of public policy and commerce.