Ontario contains what fraction of Canada's total population?

Discover Canada records this in one direct sentence. The guide writes: At more than 12 million, the people of Ontario make up more than one-third of Canadians. The fraction the test wants is therefore more than one-third.

The number anchors the fraction. Discover Canada commits Ontario's population to more than 12 million — and identifies that as more than one-third of all Canadians. So Ontario alone holds over a third of the country's population. No other province comes close.

Ontario leads other provinces by a wide margin. Discover Canada writes that "nearly eight million people live in Quebec, the vast majority along or near the St. Lawrence River." So Quebec — Canada's second-largest province by population — has nearly 8 million people, compared with Ontario's more than 12 million. The Atlantic, Prairie, and Pacific provinces are smaller still: "Nova Scotia is the most populous Atlantic Province"; "Alberta is the most populous Prairie province." Ontario is bigger than any of them.

Ontario's population powers a vital economy. Discover Canada writes: "The large and culturally diverse population, natural resources and strategic location contribute to a vital economy. Toronto is the largest city in Canada and the country's main financial centre. Many people work in the service or manufacturing industries, which produce a large percentage of Canada's exports." So Ontario's population is concentrated in service and manufacturing sectors that drive a substantial share of Canadian exports. The 12-million-plus population is supported by Ontario's geography near the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence, in Central Canada — the country's industrial and manufacturing heartland (where Ontario and Quebec together produce more than three-quarters of all Canadian manufactured goods). So the more-than-one-third fraction reflects Ontario's combined role as Canada's most populous province AND part of the most economically productive region. So when the test asks the fraction of Canadians in Ontario, the source-precise answer is more than one-third.

The question is testing whether new citizens know Ontario's share of the Canadian population. Discover Canada commits to one fraction: more than one-third. The right test answer matches that.

The wrong answer choices each pick a different fraction. "One-quarter" is too small — the source places Ontario at more than one-third, which exceeds one-quarter. "One-half" is too large — Ontario has 12 million of Canada's 34 million, not half. "Two-thirds" is far too large — Ontario does not have anywhere near two-thirds. Only one-third — the source's exact named fraction — matches.