ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the historical and contemporary context of multilingualism in Canada with a particular focuses on the construction, status, and maintenance of heritage languages. Canada distinguishes between its official languages, English and French, and its non-official languages, i.e., heritage languages, such as Spanish and Punjabi, and indigenous languages, such as Cree and Inuktitut. Given that immigrant languages are normally spoken by entire societies in sending countries, it might appear that supporting heritage languages would be less challenging than sustaining indigenous languages. Nevertheless, language shift data reveal otherwise. Linguistic diversity in Canada, as elsewhere, is closely connected with its political, social, and educational history, policies, and initiatives—as well as events leading to the migration of those seeking better or safer lives. The chapter presents the demographics of Canada's three largest cities, which have been major hubs of immigration, (re)settlement, and commerce.
