People of Manitoba

Population composition

Manitoba is home to a number of North American aboriginal groups, including the Assiniboin and Ojibwa First Nations in the south, the Cree and Chipewyan First Nations in the north, and the Inuit (indigenous people of the Arctic and subarctic regions of Canada, Greenland, the United States, and far eastern Russia) on the Hudson Bay coast. The aboriginal peoples have occupied the region for thousands of years, although historically there has been considerable population movement. In addition, their numbers were greatly reduced as a result of exposure to European diseases, particularly smallpox. In the early 19th century the Métis (people of mixed indigenous and European ancestry, whom the Canadian government granted legal recognition as an indigenous group at the beginning of the 21st century) developed a unique plains culture. The early agricultural Red River Settlement attracted a number of Scottish farmers, and improvements to river and rail transportation led to the rapid growth of European settlement between 1870 and 1900. Most early settlers were from elsewhere in Canada, but Icelanders and German-speaking Mennonites also arrived beginning in the 1870s. After 1896 immigration from eastern Europe began in considerable numbers. Manitoba’s population declined during the Great Depression in the 1930s and World War II but grew steadily thereafter, largely through natural increase.

Manitoba is noted for its ethnic diversity. There are many ethnic enclaves within the city of Winnipeg. Notably, the north end of the city retains a strong eastern European character, and the St. Boniface district has one of the largest Francophone communities outside Quebec. Francophones established a number of communities south of Winnipeg; Germans settled in south-central Manitoba; and a sizable Icelandic settlement developed around Gimli, on the shores of Lake Winnipeg. Although more than two-fifths of the current population is of British descent, significant ethnic minorities include Germans, Ukrainians, French, South Asians, Italians, Filipinos, Vietnamese, and Poles. Roman Catholicism and the United Church of Canada are the largest religious denominations, although there are substantial numbers of Anglicans, Lutherans, Mennonites, and adherents to Eastern Orthodoxy and the Ukrainian Catholic (Eastern rite) church, plus many smaller groups. Winnipeg’s Jewish community is the largest in the Prairie Provinces.

Settlement patterns

In the south, Manitoba’s countryside has an older, more occupied look than those of the other Prairie Provinces. The development of the Red River Settlement in the 19th century gave the early province a distinctly rural character. The rapid occupation of the agricultural lands between 1870 and 1914 and subsequent expansion into the Interlake and northwest areas maintained the rural dominance. During World War II, however, the rural-urban balance tipped. Since then, the depopulation of rural Manitoba has continued apace, and Winnipeg and the province’s network of smaller urban centres have grown accordingly. By the turn of the 21st century, nearly three-fourths of the province’s population was urban. Over four-fifths of this urban population (and about three-fifths of the total population of the province) resides in metropolitan Winnipeg.

Other than Winnipeg, the province’s main towns are Brandon, an industrial and agricultural centre serving the southwest; Thompson, a nickel-mining and nickel-processing town in the northern forest; The Pas, a trading and communications centre on the Saskatchewan River; Flin Flon, a mining centre near the Saskatchewan border; Churchill, a trans-shipment centre and port on Hudson Bay; Dauphin, a regional service town in west-central Manitoba; Selkirk, the centre of commercial fishing and water transportation on Lake Winnipeg; and several service towns, such as Steinbach and Morden, in the southeastern region.

Demographic trends

Mainly because Manitoba’s economy faltered in the late 20th century, at least by comparison with the economies of other western Canadian provinces, there has been a steady out-migration of young people and professionals to other provinces—especially the Canadian West. Immigration to the province now comes mainly from less-developed countries. Manitoba’s population also has become consistently older since the end of World War II. The province’s birth rate is slightly higher than the national average. As a result of all of these factors, Manitoba’s population was barely growing at the end of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st.

Agriculture, forestry, and fishing

Agriculture remains an important sector of the Manitoban economy, though climate and soil types limit agricultural production; indeed, some marginal areas, including the Interlake District, have been farmed for several generations with little success. A significant portion of the province lies north of the 53rd parallel, where the Canadian Shield begins, and has an extremely short growing season. While much of the agricultural production is grain for export, a sizable market gardening sector (cultivation of vegetables and flowers for sale in nearby markets) has developed in the lands bordering the Red and Assiniboine rivers. In addition, poultry, hogs, and cattle are raised throughout the southern districts of the province, and the livestock sector has grown significantly. Wheat remains the province’s main crop; others include barley, rapeseed (canola), flaxseed, oats, rye, sugar beets, sunflowers, corn (maize), and canning vegetables. Dairy products, eggs, and potatoes are also important.

Forestry is a key factor in northern Manitoba’s economy. More than one-fourth of the province’s landmass supports valuable timber, although there has been much devastation from forest fires. Manitoba also has a specialized commercial fishing industry, primarily located around the major lakes—Winnipeg, Manitoba, and Winnipegosis.

Resources and power

The province has a range of resources to draw upon, which has allowed it to diversify its economic base. Numerous mineral deposits, including nickel, copper, gold, lead, silver, cadmium, and zinc, make mining a vital part of the economy. Oil and natural gas have been found in the southwest, particularly around Virden, although the fields are relatively small.

Manitoba also has a huge network of streams, rivers, and lakes with considerable potential for hydroelectric development. Manitoba Hydro, the government-owned utility, has developed a number of large power stations along the Nelson and Saskatchewan rivers, and a portion of the power generated is exported. Moreover, Manitoba has arguably the best wind resources in North America, which the province is in the process of developing.