Latin American Canadians


Latin American Canadians are Canadians who are descendants of people from countries of Latin America. The majority of Latin American Canadians are multilingual, primarily speaking Spanish or Portuguese. Most are fluent in one or both of Canada's two official languages, English and French. Spanish, Portuguese and French are Romance languages and share some similarities in morphology and syntax.
Latin American Canadians have made distinguished contributions to Canada in all major fields, including politics, the military, music, philosophy, sports, business and economy, and science.
The largest Latin American immigrant groups in Canada are Mexican Canadians, Colombian Canadians and Salvadoran Canadians.
Latin Americans comprise a heterogeneous variation of ancestral and racial origins that span from South and North America to Europe, Africa, and Asia. Therefore, a Latin American can be of any ancestry but the most frequent ancestral backgrounds found in the region are Mestizos, Whites and Native Americans. Blacks/Afro-Latinos, Arabs and Asians are also common.

History

The majority of Latin American Canadians are recent immigrants who arrived in the late 20th century from Mexico, Colombia, El Salvador, Peru, and Brazil, with smaller communities from Chile, Venezuela, Argentina, Cuba, Guatemala, and elsewhere, with nearly all Latin American countries represented. 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.

Demographics

As of the 2016 Canadian Census, the largest Latin American Canadian communities are in the census metropolitan areas of Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Ottawa, and Hamilton. The fastest growing are in the provinces of Alberta, Manitoba, and Nova Scotia.

Latin American population of Canada by census year

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

ProvinceLatin Americans 2001% 2001Latin Americans 2011% 2011Latin Americans 2016% 2016
Ontario106,8350.9%172,5601.4%195,9501.5%
Québec59,5200.8%116,3801.5%133,9201.7%
Alberta18,7450.6%41,3051.2%55,0901.4%
British Columbia23,8850.6%35,4650.8%44,1151.0%
Manitoba4,7750.4%9,1400.8%9,8950.8%
Saskatchewan2,0100.2%3,2550.3%4,1950.4%
Nova Scotia5200.0%1,3600.2%1,6850.2%
New Brunswick4250.0%1,1600.2%1,2850.2%
Prince Edward Island750.1%2350.2%2550.2%
Newfoundland and Labrador800.0%1850.0%6350.1%
Yukon450.1%1050.3%1300.4%
Northwest Territories600.2%1050.3%1350.3%
Nunavut100.0%300.1%400.1%
Canada216,9800.8%381,2801.2%447,3251.3%

Immigration

Source: Canada 2016 Census
National average: 1.3%

Alberta

Music

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.
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.

2008 Montreal riots

The Latin American community of Quebec was brought into the spotlight when 18-year-old Honduran immigrant Fredy Alberto Villanueva was shot and killed by police officers of the SPVM on 9 August 2008. The following day, what started out as a peaceful protest against the officers' actions in the borough of Montréal-Nord erupted into a riot in which neighborhood stores were looted, several cars and garbage cans were set on fire, one paramedic and two police officers were wounded and one female police officer was shot.