Iranian Canadians

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Iranian Canadians
ایرانیان کانادایی
Total population
280,805 (2021 census) [1] [a]
0.8% of the total Canadian population (2021)
262,625(Persian-speaking Canadians) [2]
0.7% of the total Canadian population (2021)
Regions with significant populations
Richmond Hill, Toronto, North Vancouver, Montreal, Ottawa
Languages
Persian, Canadian English, Canadian French Azerbaijani, Armenian, Kurdish, Mandaic, and other languages of Iran.
Religion
Predominantly Shia Islam and Irreligion
Minorities include Agnosticism, Baháʼí Faith, Christianity (Protestantism and Catholicism), Judaism, Sunni Islam, Zoroastrianism and Mandaeism
Related ethnic groups
Iranian diaspora (Iranians of UAE • Ajam of Bahrain • Ajam of Qatar • Ajam of Iraq • 'Ajam of Kuwait • Iranians of Canada • Iranians of America • Iranians of UK • Iranians of Germany • Iranians of Israel • Iranians in Turkey)

Iranian Peoples (Lurs, Achomis, Baluchs, Kurds, Iranian Azeris), Turkic peoples (Qashqai, Azerbaijanis), Huwala

Iranian Canadians or Persian Canadians [3] [4] are Canadians of Iranian origin. [5] From the 2016 Canadian census, the main communities can be found in Southern Ontario, British Columbia, and Quebec. As of 2016 a total of 97,110 Iranians reside in the Greater Toronto Area, [6] 46,255 in the Greater Vancouver Area, [7] and 23,410 in the Greater Montreal Area, [8] with the remainder spread out in the other major cities of Canada, based on the 2016 Canadian Census. These numbers represent the people who stated "Iranian" as their single or joint ethnic origin in the census survey.

Contents

Terminology

Iranian-Canadian is used interchangeably with Persian-Canadian, [9] [10] [11] [12] partly due to the fact [13] that, in the Western world, Iran was known as "Persia". On the Nowruz of 1935, Reza Shah Pahlavi asked foreign delegates to use the term Iran, the endonym of the country used since the Sasanian Empire, in formal correspondence. Since then the use of the word "Iran" has become more common in the Western countries. This also changed the usage of the terms for Iranian nationality, and the common adjective for citizens of Iran changed from "Persian" to "Iranian". In 1959, the government of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, Reza Shah Pahlavi's son, announced that both "Persia" and "Iran" could officially be used interchangeably. [14] However the issue is still debated today. [15] [16]

While the majority of Iranian-Canadians come from Persian backgrounds, there is a significant number of non-Persian Iranians such as Azeris [17] [18] [19] and Kurds within the Iranian-Canadian community, [20] [21] leading some scholars to believe that the label "Iranian" is more inclusive, since the label "Persian" excludes non-Persian minorities. [20] The Collins English Dictionary uses a variety of similar and overlapping definitions for the terms "Persian" and "Iranian". [22] [23]

Demography

Population

Iranian-Canadian
Population History
YearPop.±%
1981 5,600—    
1986 15,745+181.2%
1991 43,210+174.4%
1996 64,405+49.1%
2001 88,220+37.0%
2006 121,505+37.7%
2011 163,290+34.4%
2016 210,405+28.9%
2021 280,805 [a] +33.5%
Source: Statistics Canada
[24] [25] [26] [27] [28] [29] [30] [31] [32] [1]

Immigration

In 2021, there were 213,160 individuals in Canada who had been born in Iran, of which 70,395 had immigrated to Canada since 2011.

Religion

Among all Iranian-Canadians, 103,560 (49%) identified as Muslim. Among immigrants since 2011, about 39,860 (57%) identified as Muslim while most of the rest did not identify with any religion. [33]

Iranian Canadian demography by religion
Religious group2021 [34] [b] 2001 [35] [c]
Pop. % Pop. %
Islam 123,04559,700
Irreligion 120,25011,630
Christianity 18,2706,565
Judaism 1,235455
Hinduism 24095
Buddhism 22060
Sikhism 150105
Indigenous spirituality 359,610
Other (primarily Zoroastrianism )17,350-
Total Iranian
Canadian population		280,805 [a] 88,220
Iranian/Persian Canadian demography by Christian sects
Religious group2021 [34] 2001 [36] [d]
Pop. %Pop.%
Catholic 5,1002,775
Orthodox 870460
Protestant 3,0401,765
Other Christian9,2601,565
Total Iranian/Persian Canadian christian population18,2706,565

Geographical distribution

Provinces & territories

Iranian Canadians by province and territory (2001−2021)
Province/Territory 2021 [1] [a] 2016 [32] 2011 [31] 2006 [30] 2001 [29]
Pop. %Pop.%Pop.%Pop.%Pop.%
Flag of Ontario.svg Ontario 155,855117,06592,63570,59551,775
Flag of British Columbia.svg British Columbia 68,54547,98539,28529,26521,910
Flag of Quebec.svg Quebec 34,01025,53017,82512,3709,535
Flag of Alberta.svg Alberta 15,18513,9259,2155,8353,130
Flag of Manitoba.svg Manitoba 2,0101,8851,2651,485630
Flag of Saskatchewan.svg Saskatchewan 1,8251,340795630525
Flag of Nova Scotia.svg Nova Scotia 1,6401,4051,240805390
Flag of New Brunswick.svg New Brunswick 845670445380185
Flag of Newfoundland and Labrador.svg Newfoundland and Labrador 5352151806035
Flag of Prince Edward Island.svg Prince Edward Island 2702953351525
Flag of the Northwest Territories.svg Northwest Territories 4560554520
Flag of Nunavut.svg Nunavut 202001010
Flag of Yukon.svg Yukon 2015201045
Flag of Canada.svg Canada280,805210,405163,290121,50588,220

British Columbia

Ontario

Islamic republic politicians/sympathizers

Canada in 2022 banned ten thousand IRGC seniors and officers from entry. [37] Iranian celebrities and government former ministers and officials are often mentioned in the news residing or traveling in Canada as well. [38] [39] [40] [41]

Notable Canadians of Iranian descent

Editorial team of Shahrvand weekly in Toronto, the largest Persian newspaper in Canada Persian Newspaper Shahrvand in Toronto Editorial Team 2014.jpg
Editorial team of Shahrvand weekly in Toronto, the largest Persian newspaper in Canada

Academia

Little Persia on Yonge Street at North York, 2014 Persian Plaza - Yonge Street - Toronto 2014.jpg
Little Persia on Yonge Street at North York, 2014

Art and literature

Beauty pageants

Business

The Ghermezians, an Iranian-Canadian family, own the West Edmonton Mall. Sea Life Cavern wing at West Edmonton Mall.jpg
The Ghermezians, an Iranian-Canadian family, own the West Edmonton Mall.

Crime

Entertainment

Journalism

ITC TV, one of the Persian-language TV stations in Toronto ITC TV - Persian TV Station in Toronto 2014.jpg
ITC TV, one of the Persian-language TV stations in Toronto

Various Persian-language media (including TV and newspapers) are active in Canada, including Shahrvand and Salam Toronto, which cover local events as well. [44]

Politicians

Sport

Technology

See also

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Total population with "Iranian" (200,465 persons) and "Persian" (80,340 persons) ethnic or cultural origin responses on the 2021 census. [1]
  2. 1 2 Religious breakdown proportions based on "Iranian" and "Persian" ethnic or cultural origin responses on the 2021 census. [34]
  3. ↑ Religious breakdown proportions based on "Iranian" ethnic or cultural origin responses on the 2001 census. [35]
  4. ↑ Religious breakdown proportions based on "Iranian" ethnic or cultural origin response on the 2001 census. [35]
  5. ↑ Does not those who don't have permanent residency (e.g study permit holder)

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (2022-10-26). "Ethnic or cultural origin by gender and age: Canada, provinces and territories, census metropolitan areas and census agglomerations with parts". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 2024-09-28.
  2. ↑ Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (17 August 2022). "Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population Profile table Canada [Country]". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 22 March 2023.
  3. ↑ "PM meets with representatives of the Persian-Canadian community - Prime Minister of Canada". Pm.gc.ca. 2009-08-04. Archived from the original on 2012-03-06. Retrieved 2012-09-10.
  4. ↑ "Nazanin Afshin-Jam: TD Bank 'Misinterpreting' Iran Sanctions In Shutting Persian-Canadians' Accounts". HuffingtonPost.ca. 2012-09-12. Archived from the original on 2018-11-14. Retrieved 2015-04-27.
  5. ↑ "Ethnic origins, 2006 counts, for Canada, provinces and territories - 20% sample data". Statistics Canada. 2008-04-02. Retrieved 2009-10-11.
  6. ↑ Canada, Government of Canada, Statistics. "Census Profile, 2016 Census - Toronto [Census metropolitan area], Ontario and Ontario [Province]". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 2018-03-13.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  7. ↑ Canada, Government of Canada, Statistics. "Census Profile, 2016 Census - Vancouver [Census metropolitan area], British Columbia and British Columbia [Province]". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 2018-03-13.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  8. ↑ Canada, Government of Canada, Statistics. "Census Profile, 2016 Census - Montréal [Census metropolitan area], Quebec and Quebec [Province]". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 2018-03-13.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  9. ↑ Daha, Maryam (September 2011). "Contextual Factors Contributing to Ethnic Identity Development of Second-Generation Iranian American Adolescents". Journal of Adolescent Research. 26 (5): 543–569. doi:10.1177/0743558411402335. S2CID   146592244. ... the majority of the participants self-identified themselves as Persian instead of Iranian, due to the stereotypes and negative portrayals of Iranians in the media and politics. Adolescents from Jewish and Baháʼí faiths asserted their religious identity more than their ethnic identity. The fact Iranians use Persian interchangeably is nothing to do with current Iranian government because the name Iran was used before this period as well. Linguistically modern Persian is a branch of Old Persian in the family of Indo-European languages and that includes all the minorities as well more inclusively.
  10. ↑ Nakamura, Raymond M. (2003). Health in America: A Multicultural Perspective. Kendall/Hunt Pub. p. 31. ISBN   978-0-7575-0637-6. Iranian/Persian Americans – The flow of Iranian citizens into the United States began in 1979, during and after the Islamic Revolution.
  11. ↑ Zanger, Mark (2001). The American Ethnic Cookbook for Students. ABC-CLIO. p. 213. ISBN   978-1-57356-345-1 . Retrieved December 21, 2016.
  12. ↑ Racial and Ethnic Relations in America, Carl Leon Bankston,"Therefore, Turkish and Iranian (Persian) Americans, who are Muslims but not ethnically Arabs, are often mistakenly..", Salem Press, 2000
  13. ↑ Darya, Fereshteh Haeri (2007). Second-generation Iranian-Americans: The Relationship Between Ethnic Identity, Acculturation, and Psychological Well-being. pp. 3–4. ISBN   978-0-542-97374-1 . Retrieved 21 December 2016. According to previous studies, the presence of heterogeneity is evident among Iranian immigrants (also known as Persians – Iran was known as Persia until 1935) who came from myriads of religious (Muslim, Christian, Jewish, Armenian, Assyrian, Baháʼí and Zoroastrian), ethnic (Turk, Kurds, Baluchs, Lurs, Turkamans, Arabs, as well as tribes such as Ghasghaie, and Bakhtiari), linguistic/dialogic background (Persian, Azari, Gialki, Mazandarani, Kurdish, Arabic, and others). Cultural, religious and political, and various other differences among Iranians reflect their diverse social and interpersonal interactions. Some studies suggest that, despite the existence of subgroup within Iranian immigrants (e.g. various ethno-religious groups), their nationality as Iranians has been an important point of reference and identifiable source of their identification as a group across time and setting.
  14. ↑ Yarshater, Ehsan Persia or Iran, Persian or Farsi Archived 2010-10-24 at the Wayback Machine , Iranian Studies, vol. XXII no. 1 (1989)
  15. ↑ Majd, Hooman, The Ayatollah Begs to Differ: The Paradox of Modern Iran, by Hooman Majd, Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, September 23, 2008, ISBN   0385528426, 9780385528429. p. 161
  16. ↑ Frye, Richard Nelson (2005). Greater Iran: A 20th-century Odyssey. Mazda. ISBN   9781568591773 . Retrieved December 21, 2016.
  17. ↑ Svante E. Cornell (20 May 2015). Azerbaijan Since Independence. Routledge. p. 7. ISBN   978-1-317-47621-4.
  18. ↑ Barbara A. West (1 January 2009). Encyclopedia of the Peoples of Asia and Oceania. Infobase Publishing. p. 68. ISBN   978-1-4381-1913-7.
  19. ↑ James Minahan (1 January 2002). Encyclopedia of the Stateless Nations: S-Z. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 1766. ISBN   978-0-313-32384-3.
  20. 1 2 Bozorgmehr, Mehdi (2009). "Iran". In Mary C. Waters; Reed Ueda; Helen B. Marrow (eds.). The New Americans: A Guide to Immigration since 1965. Harvard University Press. p. 469. ISBN   978-0-674-04493-7.
  21. ↑ Elizabeth Chacko, Contemporary ethnic geographies in America // Ines M. Miyares, Christopher A. Airriess (eds.), Rowman & Littlefield, 2007, pp. 325–326
  22. ↑ "Collins English Dictionary – Complete & Unabridged 11th Edition". Collinsdictionary.com. Retrieved September 4, 2012.
  23. ↑ "Definition of "Persian"". Collins English Dictionary. Retrieved January 12, 2016.
  24. ↑ Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (2013-04-03). "1981 Census of Canada : volume 1 - national series : population = Recensement du Canada de 1981 : volume 1 - série nationale : population. Ethnic origin". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 2024-09-28.
  25. ↑ Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (2013-04-03). "Census Canada 1986 Profile of ethnic groups". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 2024-09-28.
  26. ↑ Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (2013-04-03). "1986 Census of Canada: Ethnic Diversity In Canada". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 2024-09-28.
  27. ↑ Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (2013-04-03). "1991 Census: The nation. Ethnic origin". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 2024-09-28.
  28. ↑ Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (2019-06-04). "Data tables, 1996 Census Population by Ethnic Origin (188) and Sex (3), Showing Single and Multiple Responses (3), for Canada, Provinces, Territories and Census Metropolitan Areas, 1996 Census (20% Sample Data)". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 2024-09-28.
  29. 1 2 Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (2013-12-23). "Ethnic Origin (232), Sex (3) and Single and Multiple Responses (3) for Population, for Canada, Provinces, Territories, Census Metropolitan Areas and Census Agglomerations, 2001 Census - 20% Sample Data". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 2024-09-28.
  30. 1 2 Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (2020-05-01). "Ethnic Origin (247), Single and Multiple Ethnic Origin Responses (3) and Sex (3) for the Population of Canada, Provinces, Territories, Census Metropolitan Areas and Census Agglomerations, 2006 Census - 20% Sample Data". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 2024-09-28.
  31. 1 2 Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (2019-01-23). "Ethnic Origin (264), Single and Multiple Ethnic Origin Responses (3), Generation Status (4), Age Groups (10) and Sex (3) for the Population in Private Households of Canada, Provinces, Territories, Census Metropolitan Areas and Census Agglomerations, 2011 National Household Survey". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 2024-09-28.
  32. 1 2 Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (2019-06-17). "Ethnic Origin (279), Single and Multiple Ethnic Origin Responses (3), Generation Status (4), Age (12) and Sex (3) for the Population in Private Households of Canada, Provinces and Territories, Census Metropolitan Areas and Census Agglomerations, 2016 Census - 25% Sample Data". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 2024-09-28.
  33. ↑ "Religion by immigrant status and period of immigration and place of birth: Canada, provinces and territories (customized table)".
  34. 1 2 3 4 5 Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (2023-05-10). "Religion by ethnic or cultural origins: Canada, provinces and territories and census metropolitan areas with parts". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 2024-09-15.
  35. 1 2 3 Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (2023-05-10). "Religion by ethnic or cultural origins: Canada, provinces and territories and census metropolitan areas with parts". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 2024-09-15.
  36. ↑ Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (2013-12-23). "2001 Census Topic-based tabulations Selected Demographic and Cultural Characteristics (105), Selected Ethnic Groups (100), Age Groups (6), Sex (3) and Single and Multiple Ethnic Origin Responses (3) for Population, for Canada, Provinces, Territories and Census Metropolitan Areas, 2001 Census - 20% Sample Data". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 2025-08-06.
  37. ↑ "Canada barring entry to IRGC members in new Iran sanctions push". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
  38. ↑ "واکنش‌ها به حضور قاضی‌زاده در مونترآل؛ اسماعیلیون خواستار پاسخگویی مقامات کانادا شد". Voice of America. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
  39. ↑ "Canada Criticized For Welcoming The Rich Linked To Iranian Regime". Iran International. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
  40. ↑ "Ottawa can look into 'shady' Iranian politicians who have wealth in Canada, says former U.S. State Department spokesperson" . Retrieved 2023-08-14.
  41. ↑ "Tensions rise in Toronto's Persian community as activists try to expose regime links in Canada" . Retrieved 2023-08-14.
  42. ↑ "Payam Akhavan". HuffingtonPost.com. Retrieved 2017-08-20.
  43. ↑ Archived 2012-04-15 at the Wayback Machine
  44. ↑ "Shahrvand Profile". Canadian Minority Media Database. 2014-05-08. Retrieved 2014-06-25.
  45. ↑ حیدری, فهیمه خضر (2021-04-26). "زندگی سانسورشده شایا گلدوست؛ "خیابان‌های شهر تونل وحشت بود"" [The Censored Life of Shaya Goldust; "The streets of the city were tunnels of terror"]. رادیو فردا (Radio Farda) (in Persian). Retrieved 2024-05-30.
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