Indigenous people is also called as first people and Aboriginal people or also refers to First nation, Metis and Inuit peoples. These are the original inhabitants of the land .. is now Canada. In the 2016 census by statics Canada, over 1.6 million people in Canada identified as Indigenous, making up 4.9 per cent of the national population. Though severely threatened — and in certain cases extinguished — by colonial forces, Indigenous culture, language and social systems have shaped the development of Canada and continue to grow and thrive despite extreme adversity.