ABSTRACT
Canada’s existence has long been a defiance of both geography and history. Nearly all the 30 million Canadians live in a 3,000-mile-long strip of land bordering the United States; but, despite strong American influences, they have maintained a separate identity. In a sense, however, it has been a double identity. Historically, Canada’s origins were bilingual. About 30% of Canadians speak French; only 42% are of British or Irish origin, but most immigrants of other origins have chosen to learn and speak English.
