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Latin American Canadians
Latin American Canadians as percent of population by census division (2021)
Total population
Est. 1.2 million
(all, 2023 Census estimates)[1]
3.3% of Canadian population
Regions with significant populations
Toronto and Leamington • Brampton• Montreal and Longueuil, Quebec • increasing populations in Ottawa–Gatineau, Metro Vancouver, Vancouver Island, Calgary and Edmonton
Languages
Canadian English, Canadian French, Spanish, Portuguese, Spanglish, Frespañol, Porglish
Religion
Predominantly Christianity (Roman Catholicism; minority Protestantism)
Related ethnic groups
Latin Americans, Hispanic and Latino Americans, Spanish Canadians, Portuguese Canadians, Native Americans

Latin American Canadians (French: Canadiens d'Amérique latine; Portuguese: Canadenses da América Latina; Spanish: Canadienses de América Latina) are Canadians who are descendants of people from countries of Latin America. The majority of Latin American Canadians are multilingual, primarily speaking Spanish, Portuguese, French and English. Most are fluent in one or both of Canada's two official languages, English and French. Spanish and Portuguese are Romance languages and share similarities in morphology and syntax with French.

Latin American Canadians have made distinguished contributions to Canada in all major fields, including politics, the military, diplomacy, music, philosophy, sports, business and economy, and science.

The largest Latin American groups represented in Canada are Mexican Canadians, Colombian Canadians and Salvadoran Canadians. The Latino population is mostly concentrated in the provinces of Ontario, Quebec, Alberta and British Columbia. Ontario holds the largest Latin American population with Toronto having the largest concentration (including the suburbs of Mississauga and Brampton), as well as other cities such as London, Leamington, Ottawa and Kitchener-Waterloo. Quebec has the second-largest Latin American population with Montreal having the largest concentration.

Latin American Canadians make up one of the major groups designated as a visible minority according to Statistics Canada.[2]

Over 1 million (3% of Canadians) are of Latin American or Hispanic descent, according to 2023 Statistics Canada data estimates.

History

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The majority of Latin American Canadians are recent immigrants who arrived in the late 20th century from Mexico, Colombia, El Salvador, Puerto Rico, Peru with smaller communities from Chile, Venezuela, Brazil, Cuba, Guatemala, and elsewhere, with nearly all Latin American countries represented.[3] Reasons for immigrating include Canada's better economic opportunities and politics or civil war and political repression in their native countries, as in the case of Cubans fleeing from the Fidel Castro revolution, Chileans escaping from Augusto Pinochet's rule, Salvadorans fleeing from the Salvadoran Civil War, Peruvians escaping from the Internal conflict in Peru, Dominicans opposed to the regimes of Rafael Trujillo and Joaquin Balaguer, Mexicans escaping from the Mexican Drug War, Colombians from the violence in their country and Venezuelans opposed to the rule of the Socialist Unity Party.[citation needed]

Demographics

As of the 2021 Canadian Census, the largest Latin American communities are in the census metropolitan areas of Toronto (396,459; 3.5%),[4] Montreal (287,856; 3.2%),[5] Vancouver (151,500; 2.0%),[6] Calgary (134,395; 2.3%),[7] Edmonton (121,960; 1.6%),[8] Ottawa (90,620; 1.4%),[9] and Hamilton (30,605; 1.9%).[9] The fastest growing are in the provinces of Alberta, Manitoba, and Nova Scotia.

Latin American population of Canada by census year

Census Latin American population Change from previous census Total Canadian population Change from previous census Latin American population (%)
1996[10] 176,970 N/A 28,528,125 N/A 0.6%
2001[11] 216,980 22.6% 29,639,030 3.9% 0.7%
2006[12] 304,245 40.2% 31,241,030 5.4% 1%
2011[13] 381,280 25.3% 32,852,325 5.2% 1.2%
2016 447,325 17.3% 34,460,065 4.9% 1.3%

Latin American Canadian population in Canada by province or territory according to the Census

Province 2001 2011 2016 2021
Number % Number % Number % Number %
Ontario 106,835 0.9% 172,560 1.4% 195,950 1.5% 249,190 1.8%
Québec 59,520 0.8% 116,380 1.5% 133,920 1.7% 172,925 2.0%
Alberta 18,745 0.6% 41,305 1.2% 55,090 1.4% 66,520 1.6%
British Columbia 23,885 0.6% 35,465 0.8% 44,115 1.0% 65,970 1.3%
Manitoba 4,775 0.4% 9,140 0.8% 9,895 0.8% 12,835 1.0%
Saskatchewan 2,010 0.2% 3,255 0.3% 4,195 0.4% 5,680 0.5%
Nova Scotia 520 0.0% 1,360 0.2% 1,685 0.2% 2,915 0.3%
New Brunswick 425 0.0% 1,160 0.2% 1,285 0.2% 2,450 0.3%
Prince Edward Island 75 0.1% 235 0.2% 255 0.2% 585 0.4%
Newfoundland and Labrador 80 0.0% 185 0.0% 635 0.1% 755 0.2%
Yukon 45 0.1% 105 0.3% 130 0.4% 235 0.6%
Northwest Territories 60 0.2% 105 0.3% 135 0.3% 125 0.3%
Nunavut 10 0.0% 30 0.1% 40 0.1% 60 0.2%
Canada 216,980 0.8% 381,280 1.2% 447,325 1.3% 580,235 1.6%

Immigration

Latin Americans in Canada by country of origin (2016)[14]
Region Number of immigrants Region's share of total Latin American immigrants to Canada As % of Canada's total immigrant population from all areas of the world
 Mexico 80,585 18.8% 1.1%
 Colombia 70,035 16.4% 0.9%
 El Salvador 48,075 11.2% 0.6%
 Peru 29,620 6.9% 0.4%
 Brazil 29,116 6.8% 0.4%
 Chile 26,705 6.2% 0.4%
 Venezuela 20,775 4.9% 0.3%
 Argentina 19,425 4.5% 0.3%
 Cuba 17,850 4.2% 0.2%
 Guatemala 17,270 4% 0.2%
 Ecuador 14,970 3.5% 0.2%
 Dominican Republic 10,605 2.5% 0.2%
 Nicaragua 9,865 2.3% 0.1%
 Honduras 7,785 1.8% 0.1%
 Paraguay 7,300 1.7% 0.1%
 Uruguay 6,535 1.5% 0.1%
 Bolivia 4,395 1% 0.1%
 Costa Rica 3,945 0.9% 0.1%
 Panama 2,620 0.6% 0%
 Puerto Rico 505 0.1% 0%
Total Latin American immigrant population 428,180 100% 5.5%
Total immigrant population 7,482,860 N/A 100%

List of Canadian census subdivisions with Latin American populations higher than the national average

Source: Canada 2021 Census[15]
National average: 1.6%

Alberta

British Columbia

Manitoba

Ontario

Quebec

List of notable Latin American Canadians

Music

Writers

Diplomacy / International Relations

Entertainment

Photography

Politics

Science and technology

Sport

Visual Art

Cultural adjustment

In 2002, 82% of those who reported Latin American origin said they had a strong sense of belonging to Canada. At the same time, 57% said that they had a strong sense of belonging to their ethnic or cultural group.[citation needed]

People with Latin American origins are also active in Canadian society. For example, 66% of Canadians of Latin American origin who were eligible to vote did so in the 2000 federal election.[17]

See also

References

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (October 2008) (Learn how and when to remove this message)
  1. ^ %5b%5bStatistics Canada%5d%5d "New statistics reveal Canada's Latin American community includes more than 1.1 million people". Retrieved 20 January 2024. ((cite web)): Check |url= value (help)
  2. ^ "Visible Minority and Population Group Reference Guide, Census of Population, 2021". Statistics Canada. 30 March 2022. Archived from the original on 18 June 2023. Retrieved 18 June 2023. The main groups designated as visible minorities are South Asian, Chinese, Black, Filipino, Arab, Latin American, Southeast Asian, West Asian, Korean and Japanese.
  3. ^ Canada, Government of Canada, Statistics. "Statistics Canada: Ethnocultural Portrait of Canada Highlight Tables, 2006 Census". www12.statcan.ca.((cite web)): CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  4. ^ "Profile table, Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population - Toronto [Census metropolitan area], Ontario". 9 February 2022.
  5. ^ "Profile table, Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population - Montréal [Census metropolitan area], Quebec". 9 February 2022.
  6. ^ "Profile table, Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population - Vancouver [Census metropolitan area], British Columbia". 9 February 2022.
  7. ^ "Profile table, Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population - Calgary [Census metropolitan area], Alberta". 9 February 2022.
  8. ^ "Visible minority (Latin American), both sexes, age (total), Canada, Alberta and census metropolitan areas and census agglomerations, 2016 Census – 25% Sample data". Canada 2016 Census. Canada 2016 Census. 25 October 2017. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
  9. ^ a b "Visible minority (Latin American), both sexes, age (total), Canada, Ontario and census metropolitan areas and census agglomerations, 2016 Census – 25% Sample data". Canada 2016 Census. Canada 2016 Census. 25 October 2017. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
  10. ^ [1], Total Population by Visible Minority Population(1), for Canada, Provinces and Territories, 1996
  11. ^ [2], 2001 Community Profiles
  12. ^ [3], Community Profiles from the 2006 Census, Statistics Canada - Province/Territory
  13. ^ [4], National Household Survey (NHS) Profile, 2011
  14. ^ Canada, Government of Canada, Statistics (27 October 2017). "Immigrant population by selected places of birth, admission category and period of immigration, Canada, provinces and territories, census metropolitan areas and areas outside of census metropolitan areas, 2016 Census". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 12 April 2018.((cite web)): CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  15. ^ [5], Canada 2021 Census Profile, 2021
  16. ^ "Quien Es Ricardo Miranda? | Hola Calgary". Hola Calgary. 9 April 2017. Retrieved 14 April 2017.
  17. ^ "latin calgary". www.myfriendfernando.ca.
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