The original inhabitants of Canada
In Canada, the term Indigenous peoples (or Aboriginal peoples) refers to First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples. These are the original inhabitants of the land that is now Canada. In the 2016 Census (Statistics Canada), over 1.6 million people in Canada identified as Indigenous, making up 4.9 per cent of the national population.
Though severely threatened and in certain cases
extinguished by colonial forces, Indigenous culture,
language and social systems have shaped the
development of Canada and continue to grow and
thrive despite extreme adversity.