—| B1-C1 (intermediate to advanced) |—

If you are planning on immigrating to Canada, it is a good idea to learn the different words that Canadians use to refer to people or things that come from specific regions in the country. Otherwise, you might find yourself lost in conversation. For example, if you want to talk about someone who lives in Toronto, there is a Canadian English word for that. If you want to refer to travelling to the east coast, Canadian English has a specific word for that, as well. So, sit back and enjoy practicing your reading comprehension and building your vocabulary in standard Canadian English as it relates to the nation’s social geography.

CANADIAN (countable noun; adjective)

In Anglo-Canada, this term refers to any person or thing from Canada. In the province of Quebec, however, this term typically only refers to Anglo-Canada.

ANGLO-CANADA (place)

This geographic region includes all officially English-speaking provinces, territories and areas of Canada: British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, southern New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador, Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut.

ANGLO-CANADIAN (countable noun; adjective)

Anglo-Canadian refers to anyone and anything that comes from Anglo-Canada.

FRENCH CANADA (place)

Though this term is often considered controversial due to its inaccurate depiction of Franco-Canadian life and identity, French Canada remains as the standard expression in Canadian English to refer to the officially French-speaking provinces and areas of Canada: Quebec and northern New Brunswick.

FRENCH CANADIAN / FRANCO-CANADIAN (countable noun; adjective)

For those who do not like the term, French Canadian, the expression Franco-Canadian is often used, instead. Both these terms refer to a someone or something that comes from the officially French-speaking regions of Canada.

WESTERN CANADA (place)

This geographic region consists of four provinces: British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba.

BRITISH COLUMBIAN (countable noun; adjective)

The western-most province in Canada is British Columbia. If a person lives in this province, they are called a British Columbian. If something comes from this province, then it too is considered British Columbian.

METRO VANCOUVER (place)

This term, which is a shortened version of the expression Metropolitan Vancouver, refers to the city of Vancouver, British Columbia, and all of its surrounding suburbs: West Vancouver, North Vancouver, Burnaby, New Westminster, Richmond, etc.

VANCOUVER, PROPER (place)

This phrase is used to specifically refer to the city limits of Vancouver, British Columbia, meaning its suburbs are not included.

VANCOUVERITE (countable noun)

A person who lives or was born in the city of Vancouver, or its suburbs, is called a Vancouverite.

THE ISLAND (place)

This Vancouver slang refers to someone who lives on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. It is a one-and-a-half-to-two-hour ferry ride from the city of Vancouver.

ALBERTAN (countable noun; adjective)

A resident of the province of Alberta is known as an Albertan.

EDMONTONIAN (countable noun; adjective)

Edmonton is the capital city of Alberta. Its residents and anything characteristic of it is called Edmontonian.

CALGARIAN (countable noun; adjective)

Anyone or anything from the city of Calgary, Alberta, is known as Calgarian.

SASKATCHEWANIAN (countable noun; adjective)

People and things from the province of Saskatchewan are called Saskatchewanian.

SASKATONIAN (countable noun; adjective)

If a person was born in or lives in the city of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, they are known as a Saskatonian.

MANITOBAN (countable noun; adjective)

All people and things that hail from the province of Manitoba is considered Manitoban.

WINNIPEGGER (countable noun)

Residents of Manitoba’s capital city, Winnipeg, are called Winnipeggers.

CENTRAL CANADA (place)

According to the Government of Canada in conversations about politics, the expression “Central Canada” refers to the most populous regions of Canada: Ontario and Quebec. However, outside of these regions, this terminology is considered largely controversial, as it does not accurately depict the geography of the country and is, therefore, seen by many as a political skew.

EASTERN CANADA (place)

This geographic region in Canada includes the following provinces: Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador.

ONTARIAN (countable noun; adjective)

Anyone and anything from Ontario is known as Ontarian.

OTTAWAN (countable noun; adjective)

The capital city of Canada, Ottawa, receives the demonym, Ottawan.

THE GREATER TORONTO AREA (place)

To refer to the city of Toronto, Ontario, and any of its suburbs (Scarborough, North York, Vaughn, etc.), one will use the term, the Greater Toronto Area.

TORONTONIAN (countable noun; adjective)

Things and people from the city of Toronto, Ontario, and sometimes its suburbs, are often referred to as Torontonian.

QUEBECKER (countable noun)

A person from the province of Quebec is a Quebecker. This word can be spelled in multiple ways: Quebecker, Quebeccer, Quebecer.

[THE] QUEBECOIS / QUÉBÉCOIS[E] (uncountable nouns; adjectives)

These expressions are used to refer to someone or something from the province of Quebec. When used as a noun, the word “the” is required. As an adjective, “the” is removed. If you are using a French loan word in English (which there are many), and this word is considered of the feminine grammatical gender in the French language, then you must add an E to the end of the English adjective, “Québécois” (e.g. Québécoise cuisine, Québécoise fiancée, etc.). In this context, it is incorrect to use the English adjective “Quebecois.”

MONTREALER (countable noun)

A person who lives in the city of Montreal, Quebec, is called a Montrealer.

THE MARITIMES (place)

The Maritimes refers to the Canadian east coast and the provinces located along it: New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador.

MARITIMER (countable noun)

A person who resides in the Maritimes is a Maritimer.

NEW BRUNSWICKER (countable noun)

Someone from the province of New Brunswick is known as a New Brunswicker.

NOVA SCOTIAN (countable noun; adjective)

To refer to someone or something from the province of Nova Scotia, the word “Nova Scotian” is used.

ISLANDER (countable noun)

This noun refers to a person who was born or lives in the province of Prince Edward Island.

NEWFOUNDLANDER (countable noun)

Someone from the maritime province of Newfoundland and Labrador is called a Newfoundlander.

THE TERRITORIES (place)

Canada is made up of 10 provinces and three territories. These territories are located in the northern half of the country. To refer to them, Canadians use the simple expression, “the Territories.”

YUKONER (countable noun)

The western-most territory of Canada is the Yukon. Someone from this region is called a Yukoner.

NORTHWEST TERRITORIAN (countable noun; adjective)

The middle-placed territory of Canada is the Northwest Territories. People and things from this region are known as Northwest Territorian.

NUNAVUMMIUQ / NUNAVUMMIUT (nouns)

The youngest territory of Canada is Nunavut. To refer to a singular person from Nunavut, the word “Nunavummiuq” is used in Canadian English. To refer to multiple people from this region, “Nunavummiut” is used. Nunavummiuq (singular), Nunavummiut (plural).

How many of these terms did you already know? Which ones surprised you the most? Let me know in the comments below.