The Surprising Split: Most Of Canada Isn't Privately Owned
It surprises a lot of people to learn that roughly 89% of Canada's land is Crown land — government-owned — split roughly between the federal government (about 41%) and the provinces and territories (about 48%), according to figures cited by sources including The Canadian Encyclopedia. That leaves under 11% of the country in private hands.
For a land buyer, that split matters practically: the pool of land you can actually purchase outright is a fraction of the country's total area, concentrated in specific regions rather than spread evenly across it.
What Crown Land Actually Is
Crown land is land owned by the federal or a provincial/territorial government, held on behalf of the public and administered under provincial or federal land-management legislation rather than bought and sold like private real estate. It's used for resource extraction (forestry, mining, oil and gas), conservation and parks, recreation, and various leases and permits — but it is not, by default, land available for anyone to simply buy or build on.
Can You Buy Or Lease Crown Land?
Sometimes, yes — but the process is completely different from buying private land. Depending on the province and the type of land, acquiring an interest in Crown land can involve a formal application, a public auction, or in some cases a lottery, and it's generally administered by a provincial ministry of natural resources or an equivalent body.
Compared to a private sale, this process is typically slower and less certain: timelines can run from months to years, there's no guarantee an application is approved, and leasing — rather than outright purchase — is often the more commonly available option. It's a fundamentally different transaction than agreeing to buy a specific, privately-held parcel from a willing seller.
How This Compares To Buying Privately-Held Land
A private land purchase — like the parcels Firmground sells — is a standard transaction between a buyer and a seller who already holds title, without a government application, auction, or lottery process standing between you and the property. It closes on a timeline both sides agree to, rather than an administrative timeline set by a government body, and (owner financing aside) doesn't depend on the outcome of a competitive process.
Common Points Of Confusion
"Unorganized territory" — a region without an incorporated municipal government — is not the same thing as Crown land; plenty of unorganized territory is privately owned, and plenty of organized, municipally-governed areas still contain large blocks of Crown land. Being next to, or surrounded by, Crown land also doesn't grant a private landowner any special right to use it. And a recreational Crown land permit — for hunting, fishing, or camping, for example — is a limited-use permission, not any form of ownership or long-term claim.