Total population | |
---|---|
38,480 [1] 0.11% of the total Canadian population (2016) | |
Languages | |
Canadian English, Canadian French, Serbo-Croatian, Macedonian, Slovene Albanian (to a lesser extent) | |
Religion | |
Christianity, Islam | |
Related ethnic groups | |
Yugoslav Americans, European Canadians |
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Yugoslav Canadians are Canadians of full or partial Yugoslav ancestry. At the 2016 Census, the total number of Canadians whose origins lie in former Yugoslavia, majority of whom indicated specific ethnic origin, was 386,340 or 1.12% of the total population. [1] [nb 1]
On the same census, there were 38,480 people who specifically indicated Yugoslav or Yugoslav Canadian as their ethnic origin; [1] a 20% decrease from the 2011 Census when their number was 48,320. [2]
Year | Pop. | ±% |
---|---|---|
1921 | 3,906 | — |
1931 | 16,174 | +314.1% |
1941 | 21,214 | +31.2% |
1951 | 21,404 | +0.9% |
1961 | 68,587 | +220.4% |
1971 | 104,955 | +53.0% |
1981 | 124,640 | +18.8% |
1986 | 167,125 | +34.1% |
1991 | 179,860 | +7.6% |
1996 | 248,425 | +38.1% |
2001 | 296,245 | +19.2% |
2006 | 346,805 | +17.1% |
2011 | 346,325 | −0.1% |
2016 | 386,340 | +11.6% |
Source: Statistics Canada [3] : 17 [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [2] [1] Note1: 1981 Canadian census did not include multiple ethnic origin responses, thus population is an undercount. |
The first Serbs to arrive in Canada came to British Columbia in the 1850s. [14] Many of them came from the state of California in the United States, while others directly emigrated from the Balkans. [15] They primarily originated from the Bay of Kotor and the Dalmatian coast which had similar climates as their destinations. [16] [17] [18] The majority of these migrants came from territories controlled by Austria-Hungary for political and economic reasons, and only a small number came directly from Independent Serbia. [17] Those who settled were typically young single men and employed in mining or forestry near such towns as Phoenix, Golden Prince Rupert and Kamloops. [19]
The history of Bosnian arrivals to Canada dates back to as far as the 19th century. [20]
Many thousands of Aegean Macedonians emigrated to Canada in the 1890s. They settled primarily in Ontario, especially Toronto. Many early Aegean Macedonian immigrants found industrial work in Toronto. Later migrants found work as factory in abattoirs and foundries. Chatham and Windsor attracted many Macedonian immigrants who worked along the railroads. Many later settled in Detroit, Michigan.
In the first half of the 20th century, most of the Macedonians were largely classified as Bulgarians or Macedono-Bulgarians. [21] [22] [23]
During the second wave of emigration, Serbs arrived in the prairies. In Saskatchewan, they took up farming. [17] In Alberta, coal mining and road construction was a source of employment. Many Serbs worked on the construction of railway lines that now extend from Edmonton to the Pacific coast. [24] Communities of Serbs emerged in Regina, Lethbridge, Edmonton and Calgary while significant populations formed in Atlin, British Columbia and Dawson, Yukon. [25] In Ontario and Quebec, Serbs were drawn to work in the industry sector. By 1914, the Serbian community of the city of Hamilton, Ontario numbered around 1,000. [26] Further Serb settlement was established in Niagara Falls, London, and Windsor. [14] The first Serbian immigrants to the city of Toronto arrived in 1903; by 1914 there were more than 200 Serbs. [14]
Many Macedonians emigrated to Canada as "pečalbari" (seasonal workers) in the early 20th century. [27] Thousands of Macedonians emigrated to Canada after the failure of the Ilinden Uprising. [27] Many early Macedonian immigrants found industrial work in Toronto, either as factory hands or labourers in abattoirs, or in iron and steel foundries. Many ended up running and owning restaurants, butchers and groceries. Macedonian entrepreneurs and their descendants eventually employed their numerical strength within the food service industry as a catapult into a variety of larger and more sophisticated ventures. [28]
An internal 1910 census counted 1090 Macedonians in Toronto, who were principally from Florina (Lerin) and Kastoria (Kostur) then in Ottoman empire. [27] During the same year, they established the Sts. Cyril and Methody Macedono-Bulgarian Orthodox Church in Toronto. [27] and that church published The First Bulgarian-English Pocket Dictionary in 1913. [29] Prior to World War I, many arriving Serbs were variously categorized under related Balkan groups, making the exact number of Serb immigrants difficult to determine.
Until World War II, most people who today identify themselves as Macedonian Canadians claimed a Bulgarian ethnic identity and were recorded as part of the Bulgarian ethnic group. [30] [31] [21] [32] The term Macedonian was used as a geographic/regional term rather than an ethnic one. [32] At that time the political organization by the Slavic immigrants from the region of Macedonia, the Macedonian Patriotic Organization, also promoted the idea of Macedonian Slavs being Bulgarians. [33]
During the Great War, military-aged Serb males who hailed from Serbia or Montenegro were considered allies but those who were born in Austro-Hungarian territories were deemed enemy aliens by Canadian law, even though their sympathies tended to lie with the allied cause. The latter were restricted in their freedom of movements, had to wear special identity cards and had to identify themselves regularly at the police station. [26] Several hundred were interned in prison camps throughout the country under terrible conditions. [34] Physicist Mihajlo Pupin, Serbia's consul in New York during the war, and Antun Seferović, the honorary consul of Serbia in Montreal, advocated for the rights of the classified aliens and internees through diplomacy via the Srpska Narodna Odbrana u Kanadi (Serbian National League of Canada) which resulted in exemption, compensation and the release of many ethnic Serbs. [35] Another advocate for the rights of Serbs of Austro-Hungarian origin was Serbian-born court interpreter Bud Protich, who enlisted in the Canadian Army and was wounded in action in 1917. [36]
After 1921, all immigrants from Yugoslavia, including Serbs, were designated as "Yugoslavs". [18] The interwar period saw a major increase in Serbian immigration to Canada. [16] More than 30,000 Yugoslavs came to Canada between 1919 and 1939, including an estimated 10,000 Serbs. Many of these immigrants were single, working men who settled in the northern region of the province of Ontario. [14]
After the Second World War, Serbian political émigrés who were opposed to the newly established Yugoslav communist government sought refuge in Canada. [16] Many of these were POWs and laborers from Austria and Germany who refused to return to their homeland. They settled in cities such as Toronto, Sudbury and Hamilton. [14]
In Canada, the first ethnic Croatian parish was established in Windsor in 1950. Soon, parishes were established in Toronto (1951), Hamilton (1958), Vancouver (1967), Winnipeg (1968). Today there are ethnic Croatian parishes and missions in seventeen cities in Canada. One of the most prominent Croatian Catholic parishes is the Queen of Peace Catholic Church in Norval, Ontario. The establishment of the parish began in 1976 when community members, under the guidance of the Franciscan Friars, gathered for one evening to discuss the necessity and logistics of creating a place of gathering and cultural and faith building and preservation for the large Croatian immigrant population. In May 1977, 160 acres of property were purchased by the organizing committee with the specific dedication to Croatian Catholics. [37]
Between 1957 and 1971, some 23,000 Yugoslavs arrived in Canada, of whom 10-15% were Serbs. They established organizations, newspapers and cultural events. [14]
In the late 1980s, Yugoslavia's communist government was on the verge of collapse. Shortly after the breakup of Yugoslavia in 1991, a large group of Serbs moved to Canada, mostly to Southern Ontario. This was a major brain drain, with educated Serbs fleeing serious economic problems and an undemocratic government. [38] Other Serbs who came during the 1990s were refugees who fled the various civil wars in Yugoslavia. [16]
The traditional centers of residence and culture for Bosnian Canadians are located in Toronto, Montreal, Edmonton and Calgary. The majority of Bosnian Canadians emigrated to Canada as refugees during and after the Bosnian War, which lasted from 1992-1995.
Serbian Canadians protested the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia which lasted from March 24 to June 10, 1999. [39]
In 2016, the total number of Canadians whose origins lie in former Yugoslavia, majority of whom indicated specific ethnic origin was 386,340.
Ethnic group | 2016 [1] | 2011 [2] | 2006 [13] | 2001 [12] | 1996 [11] | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Population | % | Population | % | Population | % | Population | % | Population | % | |
Croatian Canadians | 133,970 | 34.68% | 114,880 | 33.17% | 110,880 | 31.97% | 97,050 | 32.76% | 84,495 | 34.01% |
Serbian Canadians | 96,535 | 24.99% | 80,320 | 23.19% | 72,690 | 20.96% | 55,540 | 18.75% | 40,200 | 16.18% |
Slovene Canadians | 40,475 | 10.48% | 37,170 | 10.73% | 35,940 | 10.36% | 28,910 | 9.76% | 25,875 | 10.42% |
Macedonian Canadians | 43,105 | 11.16% | 36,985 | 10.68% | 37,050 | 10.68% | 31,265 | 10.55% | 30,915 | 12.44% |
Yugoslav Canadians | 38,480 | 9.96% | 48,320 | 13.95% | 65,305 | 18.83% | 65,505 | 22.11% | 66,940 | 26.95% |
Bosnian Canadians | 26,740 | 6.92% | 22,920 | 6.62% | 21,040 | 6.07% | 15,720 | 5.31% | 8,975 | 3.61% |
Montenegrin Canadians | 4,165 | 1.08% | 2,970 | 0.86% | 2,370 | 0.68% | 1,055 | 0.36% | N/A | N/A |
Kosovar Canadians [lower-alpha 1] | 2,870 | 0.74% | 2,760 | 0.8% | 1,530 | 0.44% | 1,200 | 0.41% | N/A | N/A |
Total population | 386,340 | 100% | 346,325 | 100% | 346,805 | 100% | 296,245 | 100% | 248,425 | 100% |
Statistics Canada conducts a country-wide census that collects demographic data every five years on the first and sixth year of each decade. The 2021 Canadian census enumerated a total population of 36,991,981, an increase of around 5.2 percent over the 2016 figure, Between 2011 and May 2016, Canada's population grew by 1.7 million people, with immigrants accounting for two-thirds of the increase. Between 1990 and 2008, the population increased by 5.6 million, equivalent to 20.4 percent overall growth. The main driver of population growth is immigration, and to a lesser extent, natural growth.
According to the 2021 Canadian census, over 450 "ethnic or cultural origins" were self-reported by Canadians. The major panethnic origin groups in Canada are: European (52.5%), North American (22.9%), Asian (19.3%), North American Indigenous (6.1%), African (3.8%), Latin, Central and South American (2.5%), Caribbean (2.1%), Oceanian (0.3%), and Other (6%). Statistics Canada reports that 35.5% of the population reported multiple ethnic origins, thus the overall total is greater than 100%.
Polish Canadians are citizens of Canada with Polish ancestry, and Poles who immigrated to Canada from abroad. At the 2016 Census, there were 1,106,585 Canadians who claimed full or partial Polish heritage.
Dutch Canadians are Canadians with full or partial Dutch ancestry. According to the Canada 2006 Census, there were 1,035,965 Canadians of Dutch descent, including those of full or partial ancestry. This increased to 1,111,655 in 2016.
Swedish Canadians are Canadian citizens of Swedish ancestry or Swedes who emigrated to and reside in Canada. The Swedish Canadian community in Canada numbered 349,640 in the 2016 population census. The vast majority of them reside west of Lake Superior, primarily in Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver. Toronto is the most popular settlement spot for newcomers. Despite having an influential presence and distinctive cultural bond, only 14,000 Canadian persons of Swedish descent speak Swedish.
Finnish Canadians are Canadian citizens of Finnish ancestry or Finns who emigrated to and reside in Canada. In 2016, 143,645 Canadians claimed Finnish ancestry. Finns started coming to Canada in the early 1880s, and in much larger numbers in the early 20th century and well into the mid-20th century. Finnish immigration to Canada was often a direct result of economic depressions and wars, or in the aftermath of major conflicts like the Finnish Civil War. Canada was often chosen as a final destination because of the similarity in climate and natural conditions, while employment in logging or homesteading attracted landless farmers in the early 20th century. Migratory movements of Finns between Canada and the United States was very common as well.
Icelandic Canadians are Canadian citizens of Icelandic ancestry, or Iceland-born people who reside in Canada.
The demographics of Toronto, Ontario, Canada make Toronto one of the most multicultural and multiracial cities in the world. In 2021, 57.0 percent of the residents of the metropolitan area belonged to a visible minority group, compared with 51.4 percent in 2016, and 13.6 percent in 1981. Toronto also has established ethnic neighbourhoods such as the multiple Chinatowns, Corso Italia, Little Italy, Little India, Greektown, Koreatown, Little Tokyo, Little Jamaica, Little Portugal, Little Malta, Roncesvalles (Polish), Bloor West Village (Ukrainian), which celebrate the city's multiculturalism. Data from the suburban municipalities are also included for some metrics as most of these municipalities are part of the Toronto CMA.
Danish Canadians are Canadian citizens of Danish ancestry. According to the 2006 Census, there were 200,035 Canadians with Danish background, 17,650 of whom were born in Denmark.
The demographics of Metro Vancouver indicate a multicultural and multiracial region. Metro Vancouver is a metropolitan area, with its major urban centre being Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The Vancouver census metropolitan area, as defined by Statistics Canada, encompasses roughly the same territory as the Metro Vancouver Regional District, a regional district in British Columbia. The regional district includes 23 local authorities. Figures provided here are for the Vancouver census metropolitan area and not for the City of Vancouver.
British Columbia is a Canadian province with a population of about 5.5 million people. The province represents about 13.2% of the population of the Canadian population. Most of the population is between the ages of 15 and 49. About 60 percent of British Columbians have European descent with significant Asian and Aboriginal minorities and just under 30% of British Columbians are immigrants. Over half of the population is irreligious, with Christianity and Sikhism being the most followed religions.
Ontario, one of the 13 provinces and territories of Canada, is located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province by a large margin, accounting for nearly 40 per cent of all Canadians, and is the second-largest province in total area. Ontario is fourth-largest in total area when the territories of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut are included. It is home to the nation's capital city, Ottawa, and the nation's most populous city, Toronto.
Norwegian Canadians refer to Canadian citizens who identify themselves as being of full or partial Norwegian ancestry, or people who emigrated from Norway and reside in Canada.
The community of Serbian Canadians includes Canadian citizens of Serb ethnicity, or people born in Serbia who permanently reside in Canada. Serbs have migrated to Canada in various waves during the 20th century. Today there are five or more generations of Serbs in the country. The 2021 census recorded 93,360 people in Canada declaring themselves as "Serbian". Serbian Canadians generally belong to the Serbian Orthodox Church and follow the Eastern Orthodox tradition.
Alberta has experienced a relatively high rate of growth in recent years, due in large part to its economy. Between 2003 and 2004, the province saw high birthrates, relatively high immigration, and a high rate of interprovincial migration when compared to other provinces. Approximately 81% of the population live in urban areas and only about 19% live in rural areas. The Calgary–Edmonton Corridor is the most urbanized area in Alberta and is one of Canada's four most urban regions. Many of Alberta's cities and towns have also experienced high rates of growth in recent history. From a population of 73,022 in 1901, Alberta has grown to 3,645,257 in 2011 and in the process has gone from less than 1.5% of Canada's population to 10.9%. As of July 1, 2018, Alberta's population represented 11.6% of Canada's total population of 37,058,856 making it the fourth most populated province in Canada. According to the 2018 third quarter report, Alberta's population increased by 23,096 to 4,330,206, the largest increase since the 2014 economic downturn.
European Canadians, or Euro-Canadians, are Canadians who were either born in or can trace their ancestry to the continent of Europe. They form the largest panethnic group within Canada.
Pakistani Canadian refers to the community in Canada of Pakistani heritage or descent. It can also refer to people who hold dual Pakistani and Canadian citizenship. Categorically, Pakistani Canadians comprise a subgroup of South Asian Canadians which is a further subgroup of Asian Canadians.
Belgian Canadians are Canadian citizens of Belgian ancestry or Belgium-born people who reside in Canada. According to the 2011 census there were 176,615 Canadians who claimed full or partial Belgian ancestry. It encompasses immigrants from both French and Dutch-speaking parts of Belgium.
The demographics of Winnipeg reveal the city to be a typically Canadian one: multicultural and multilingual. Winnipeg is also prominent in the size and ratio of its First Nations population, which plays an important part in the city's makeup. About 12.4% of Winnipeggers are of Indigenous descent, which vastly exceeds the national average of 5.0%.
Austrian Canadians are Canadian citizens who are of Austrian ancestry or Austrian-born people who reside in Canada. According to the 2021 Census, there were 189,535 Canadians who claimed either full or partial Austrian ancestry.