语言对海外华人的文化认同和价值观有重要影响，世界不同地区海外华人的语言使用呈现不同特点。本文使用2016年加拿大人口普查数据对加拿大华人的语言使用概况进行了整体性的描述分析，同时对具备不同特征的华人的语言使用进行了列联分析。研究发现，虽然能够使用加拿大官方语言的华人有所增多，但是大部分加拿大华人认为自己的母语是中文。加拿大华人的年龄阶段、地理分布、移民身份和祖先来源对其语言使用有显著影响。本文最后提出帮助加拿大华人父母及其子女学好中文尤其是普通话的建议。
Language plays an important role in the cultural identity and values of overseas Chinese，and language use of overseas Chinese in different parts of the world presents different characteristics. This paper gives a general description of the language use of Canadian Chinese by analyzing the 2016 Canada census data，and gives a crosstabs analysis of the language use of Canadian Chinese with different characteristics. It is found that although there has been an increase in the number of Canadian Chinese who can speak the official Canadian languages，most Canadian Chinese recognize Chinese as their mother tongue. The age，geographical distribution，immigration status and ancestral origin of Canadian Chinese have significant influence on their language use. Finally，the paper puts forward some suggestions to help Canadian Chinese parents and their children learn Chinese well，especially mandarin.
