Canada is known for its massive land space, cold weather, and multiculturalism. It is known as the second largest country in the world (by land size) and it takes pride in the amount of immigrants it has sheltered. The population continues to grow drastically. In 2012, the population exceeded 35 million and with a projected increase of roughly 500,000 people per year, Canada can expect to reach 40 million people by 2020. Since 1851, Canada has increased in size over 14 times. (Bone, 2014). This rapid increase is not due to only fertility rates increasing. It is highly associated with immigration. One may ask how exactly this increase in immigration affects the country. Indeed, there are a number of positives and negatives that go along with sheltering newcomers.
Canada is at an all time high in regards to immigration increase. Non-European and non-Christian immigrants have been coming to the country in record numbers (Bone, 2014). This changes the way Canada is viewed. Because of the rising multiculturalism, Canada is now housing an abundance of members of Islam, Sikhism, and Hinduism. So what does this mean for Canada? It means that the official languages and religion of the country are slowly diluting. What is diluting the official culture is the number of diverse cultures. Currently, the official languages of Canada are English and French. The Chinese language (Cantonese and Mandarin) is the third most spoken language in Canada (Bone, 2014). In addition, English and French speaking households are declining. In Quebec, a sample of the population that was reported, said that speaking French at home has decreased from 75.1% to 72.8% (from 2006 to 2011). In the rest of Canada, a sample of the population that was reported said that English speaking at home declined from 77.1% to 74.1% (from 2006 to 2011) (Stats Canada, 2014). Canadians who believe in other religions such as Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism, and Buddhism have substantially increased as well, which further dilutes the nations culture (Bone, 2014).
