14.12 Elimination of Racial and Ethnic Stereotyping, Identification of groups

Be aware of the current self-identification preferences of racial and cultural groups in Canada:

• Black(s) not Negro(es)
• ethnic (or cultural) minorities not ethnics
• Aboriginal person not Aboriginal
• Aboriginal people(s) in Canada not Aboriginal Canadians
• Native people(s) not Natives
• Inuk (singular), Inuit (plural) not Eskimo
• Métis not Metis

Note that the term African American is gaining currency in the U.S.A.

Note also that the terms used to designate the Indigenous peoples of Canada have undergone considerable change in recent years. Although the Canadian Constitution Act, 1982, uses the term aboriginal peoples in the lower case, the words Aboriginal, Indigenous and Native have since come to be capitalized when used in the Canadian context. The terms currently preferred are the following:

• Aboriginal people(s)
• Native people(s)
• Indigenous people(s)
• First people(s)

© Travaux publics et Services gouvernementaux Canada, 2013
TERMIUM Plus^®, la banque de données terminologiques et linguistiques du gouvernement du Canada
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