The People

Of a total population of over 7 million, roughly 6 million francophones are descended from colonists who came from France in the 17th and 18th centuries. English-speaking residents of Quebec are descended mainly from British immigrants, but also from other ethnic groups seeking a better life in North America.

At present, there are more than 590 000 anglophones in Québec, most of whom live in the Montréal area. The population of Québec also includes some 600 000 immigrants. Italians and Eastern Europeans were traditionally the largest

immigrant groups to Quebec, but since 1960 the ranks of new residents have been swollen by Portuguese, Haitians, Lebanese, South Americans and Southeast Asians. Quebec welcomes about 25 000 immigrants from over 100 countries every year.

There are some 72 430 Aboriginal people in Quebec: Mohawk, Cree, Montagnais, Algonquin, Attikamek, Micmac, Huron-Wendat, Abenaki, Malecite and Naskapi, as well as Métis and Inuit. French is the mother tongue of 81 percent of the population, while approximately 8 percent cite English as their mother tongue.