Middle Eastern Canadians
Total population | |
---|---|
1,346,230[1] 4.0% of the total Canadian population (2016) | |
Regions with significant populations | |
Southern Ontario, Southern Quebec, Southwestern BC, Central Alberta | |
Languages | |
Canadian English · Canadian French · Arabic · Persian · Armenian · Turkish · Hebrew Other Middle Eastern languages | |
Religion | |
Islam · Christianity · Baháʼí Faith · Judaism · Druze · Irreligion | |
Related ethnic groups | |
Middle Eastern Americans · Arab Canadians · West Asian Canadians · Asian Canadians |
Middle Eastern Canadians are Canadians who were either born in or can trace their ancestry to the Middle East, which includes West Asia and North Africa.
History
[edit]This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (May 2021) |
Initial settlement
[edit]Individuals from the Middle East first arrived in Canada in 1882, when a group of Syrian and Lebanese immigrants settled in Montreal.[2] Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and Palestine were ruled by the Ottoman Empire at that time. As a result, early Arabic immigrants from these countries were referred to as either Turks or Syrians by Canadian authorities.
20th century
[edit]During World War I, Middle Eastern Canadians of Turkish origin were placed in "enemy alien" internment camps.[3]
The Middle Eastern Canadian population grew rapidly during the latter half of the 20th century; the 1979 Iranian Revolution resulted in a spike of immigration to Canada from the West Asian country.[4]
21st century
[edit]The Syrian refugee crisis during the 2010s fueled further growth to the already existing Syrian population; increased immigration from the West Asian country resulted in Syria becoming the third highest source country of immigration to Canada adding 35,000 Syrians becoming permanent residents in 2016.[5]
Demography
[edit]Ethnic and national origins
[edit]Ethnic/National Origin |
2016[1] | |
---|---|---|
Pop. | % | |
– West Asian | 1,011,145 | 75.1% |
Lebanese | 219,555 | 16.3% |
Iranian | 210,405 | 15.6% |
– Arab, n.o.s.[a] | 111,400 | 8.3% |
Afghan | 83,995 | 6.2% |
Syrian | 77,045 | 5.7% |
Iraqi | 70,925 | 5.3% |
Turkish | 63,955 | 4.8% |
Armenian | 63,810 | 4.7% |
Palestinian | 44,820 | 3.3% |
Israeli | 28,735 | 2.1% |
– West Central Asian and Middle Eastern origins, n.i.e.[b] |
28,735 | 2.1% |
– Kurd | 16,315 | 1.2% |
Jordanian | 14,250 | 1.1% |
– Assyrian | 13,835 | 1% |
– Other | 51,850 | 3.9% |
– North African | 355,045 | 26.4% |
Moroccan | 103,940 | 7.7% |
Egyptian | 99,140 | 7.4% |
Algerian | 67,335 | 5% |
– Berber | 37,060 | 2.8% |
Tunisian | 25,645 | 1.9% |
– Other | 19,480 | 1.4% |
Total population | 1,346,230 | 100% |
Language
[edit]The vast majority of Middle Eastern Canadians speak West Asian and North African languages as a mother tongue or second language. The top five Middle Eastern languages spoken in Canada include Arabic, Farsi, Armenian, Turkish, and Hebrew.
Religion
[edit]Islam, Christianity, and Judaism are the dominant religions among the middle eastern Canadian population.
Geographical distribution
[edit]Province / territory | Population | Percentage |
---|---|---|
Ontario[6] | 610,005 | 4.6% |
Quebec[7] | 465,920 | 5.8% |
Alberta[8] | 120,590 | 3% |
British Columbia[9] | 109,400 | 2.4% |
Nova Scotia[10] | 19,235 | 2.1% |
Manitoba[11] | 15,540 | 1.3% |
Saskatchewan[12] | 11,605 | 1.1% |
New Brunswick[13] | 8,035 | 1.1% |
Newfoundland and Labrador[14] | 3,290 | 0.6% |
Prince Edward Island[15] | 1,830 | 1.3% |
Northwest Territories[16] | 390 | 0.9% |
Yukon[17] | 230 | 0.7% |
Nunavut[18] | 130 | 0.4% |
Canada[1] | 1,366,190 | 4% |
See also
[edit]- Afghan Canadians
- Armenian Canadians
- Egyptian Canadians
- Iranian Canadians
- Iraqi Canadians
- Israeli Canadians
- Kurdish Canadians
- Lebanese Canadians
- Moroccan Canadians
- Palestinian Canadians
- Syrian Canadians
- Turkish Canadians
Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Census Profile, 2016 Census Canada [Country] and Canada [Country]". Statistics Canada. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
- ^ "History of Recent Arab Immigration to Canada".
- ^ "First World War Timeline". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
- ^ "Iranians". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
- ^ IRCC (2017). "2017 Annual Report to Parliament on Immigration". Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Government of Canada. Table 3: Permanent Residents Admitted in 2016, by Top 10 Source Countries. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
- ^ "Census Profile, 2016 Census Ontario [Province] and Canada [Country]". Statistics Canada. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
- ^ "Census Profile, 2016 Census Quebec [Province] and Canada [Country]". Statistics Canada. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
- ^ "Census Profile, 2016 Census Alberta [Province] and Canada [Country]". Statistics Canada. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
- ^ "Census Profile, 2016 Census British Columbia [Province] and Canada [Country]". Statistics Canada. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
- ^ "Census Profile, 2016 Census Nova Scotia [Province] and Canada [Country]". Statistics Canada. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
- ^ "Census Profile, 2016 Census Manitoba [Province] and Canada [Country]". Statistics Canada. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
- ^ "Census Profile, 2016 Census Saskatchewan [Province] and Canada [Country]". Statistics Canada. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
- ^ "Census Profile, 2016 Census New Brunswick [Province] and Canada [Country]". Statistics Canada. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
- ^ "Census Profile, 2016 Census Newfoundland and Labrador [Province] and Canada [Country]". Statistics Canada. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
- ^ "Census Profile, 2016 Census Prince Edward Island [Province] and Canada [Country]". Statistics Canada. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
- ^ "Census Profile, 2016 Census Northwest Territories [Territory] and Canada [Country]". Statistics Canada. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
- ^ "Census Profile, 2016 Census Yukon [Territory] and Canada [Country]". Statistics Canada. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
- ^ "Census Profile, 2016 Census Nunavut [Territory] and Canada [Country]". Statistics Canada. 8 February 2017. Retrieved May 3, 2020.