Kurdish Canadians

Last updated
Kurdish Canadians
Total population
16,315 (2016 census) [1]
Regions with significant populations
Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Ottawa
Languages
Kurdish, Canadian English, Canadian French
Religion
Majority Islam

(Sunni Muslim, Shia Islam)

with minorities of Kurdish Alevism, Yazidism, Yarsanism, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity
Related ethnic groups
Kurdish diaspora

Kurdish Canadians refers to people of Kurdish origin who are born in or living in Canada.

Contents

The Kurdish community in Canada is 16,315 [1] based on the 2016 Canadian Census, among which the Iraqi Kurds make up the largest group of Kurds in Canada, exceeding the numbers of Kurds from Turkey, Iran and Syria.

In Canada, Kurdish immigration was largely the result of the Iran–Iraq War, the Gulf War and Syrian Civil War. Thus, many Iraqi Kurds immigrated to Canada due to the constant wars and suppression of Kurds and Shiites by the Iraqi government. [2] Many Kurds arrived in Canada in the 1980s and the 1990s, most of whom were refugees resettled by the Government of Canada. However, smaller numbers of them also immigrated to Canada in the 1960s and 1970s.

Like all Canadians with origins in West Asia, Kurdish Canadians are legally defined as a visible minority, irrespective of their appearance. [3] [4]

2011 census

Provinces and territories Kurdish as mother tongue [5]
Flag of Ontario.svg  Ontario 6,830
Flag of Alberta.svg  Alberta 1,465
Flag of British Columbia.svg  British Columbia 1,435
Flag of Quebec.svg  Quebec 1,415
Flag of Manitoba.svg  Manitoba 260
Flag of Saskatchewan.svg  Saskatchewan 110
Flag of Nova Scotia.svg  Nova Scotia 55
Flag of New Brunswick.svg  New Brunswick 40
Flag of Prince Edward Island.svg  Prince Edward Island 30

2016 census

Province or territoryNumber of Kurdish speakers [6]
Flag of Ontario.svg  Ontario 8,095
Flag of British Columbia.svg  British Columbia 1,915
Flag of Alberta.svg  Alberta 1,680
Flag of Quebec.svg  Quebec 1,040
Flag of Manitoba.svg  Manitoba 440
Flag of Saskatchewan.svg  Saskatchewan 155
Flag of Nova Scotia.svg  Nova Scotia 125
Flag of New Brunswick.svg  New Brunswick 55
Flag of Newfoundland and Labrador.svg  Newfoundland and Labrador 10
Flag of Nunavut.svg  Nunavut 5
Flag of the Northwest Territories.svg  Northwest Territories
Flag of Prince Edward Island.svg  Prince Edward Island
Flag of Yukon.svg  Yukon

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 "Ethnic origin population". www12.statcan.gc.ca/. Statistics Canada. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
  2. Powell, John (2005). Encyclopedia of North American Immigration . Infobase Publishing. p. 152. ISBN   0-8160-4658-1.
  3. "Classification of visible minority". Archived from the original on 2016-07-18. Retrieved 2016-07-13.
  4. "Immigration and Ethnocultural Diversity in Canada". 12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 27 May 2018.
  5. "2011 National Household Survey: Data tables". Statistics of Canada. Statistics of Canada. Retrieved 19 January 2013.
  6. "Proportion of mother tongue responses for various regions in Canada, 2016 Census". Statistics of Canada. Retrieved 8 August 2017.