Asian Canadian

Canadians of Asian ancestry

David Suzuki, Conrad Santos, Grace Park Olivia Chow, Patrick Chan, Irshad Manji Sook Yin Lee, Russell Peters Sitara Hewitt, Ruby Dhalla
Total population
3,403,350 11.2% of Canadian population (2006 census)
Regions with significant populations
British Columbia (Vancouver), southern Ontario (Toronto), Montréal, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, most major Canadian cities
Languages
English, French, Bengali, Chinese, Gujarati, Hindi, Japanese, Korean, Punjabi, Tagalog, Tamil, Urdu, Vietnamese, others
Religion
Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Shinto, Sikhism , others

Asian Canadians ancestry refers to Canadians who can trace their ancestry back to the continent of Asia or the Asian people. Canadians of Asian ancestry comprise the largest visible minority group in Canada, at 11% of the Canadian population, and is the fastest growing. Most "Asian Canadians" are concentrated in the urban areas of southern Ontario, the Greater Vancouver area, Montreal, and other large Canadian cities. In Canada, the term 'Asian' is pan-continental, in contrast to its usage in other English-speaking countries.

History

Canada has a long history of Asian immigration over the past 100 years. During the 19th century, many Chinese arrived to take part in the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway. The Chinese who came from Guangdong Province blasted and chiseled the treacherous western stretch of railway through the Canadian Rockies. Japanese also had arrived in the 1890s and became fishermen and merchants in British Columbia. In 1923, the federal government passed the Chinese Immigration Act of 1923, which banned all Chinese immigration. With this act, all other non-whites were restricted to come. In 1947, the act was repealed.

During and after the Vietnam War, a large wave of Vietnamese refugees began arriving in Canada. The Canadian Parliament created the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada in 1985 to better address issues surrounding Canada-Asia relations, including trade, citizenship and immigration. When Hong Kong reverted to mainland Chinese rule, people emigrated and found new homes in Canada.

In recent decades, a large number of Indians from South Asia have came to Canada.

Today, Asian Canadians form a significant minority within the population, and over 3 million Asians call Canada their home.

Demographics

List of Asian Canadian Demographies according to the 2006 Census

Population of Various Asian Canadian Groups

Ethnic Origins	Population
Chinese Canadians	1,346,510
Indo-Canadians	962,665
Filipino Canadians	436,190
Vietnamese Canadians	180,125
Lebanese Canadians	165,150
Korean Canadians	146,550
Pakistani Canadians	124,730
Iranian Canadians	121,510
Sri Lankan Canadians	103,625
Japanese Canadians	98,900
Taiwanese Canadians	71,705
Afghan Canadians	48,090
Syrian Canadians	31,375
Iraqi Canadians	29,955
Cambodian Canadians	25,245
Bangladeshi Canadians	24,600
Palestinian Canadians	23,975
Laotian Canadians	20,110
Indonesian Canadians	14,320
Malaysian Canadians	12,165
Thai Canadians	10,015
Jordanian Canadians	6,905
Burmese Canadians	4,590
Tibetan-Canadians	4,275
Sakha Canadians	3,989
Mongolian Canadians	3,965
Nepalese Canadians	3,780
Saudi Canadians	2,735
Yemeni Canadians	2,300
Canadians with Singaporean descent	1,390

See also

• Demographics of Canada
• Immigration to Canada
• The Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada
• List of Canadians of Asian ancestry
• Asian American
• Asian Argentine
• Asian Australian
• Asian Brazilian
• South Asians in the United Kingdom
• Desi
• For more Asian Canadians of Chinese ancestry, see Chinese Canadians.
• For more Asian Canadians specifically of Taiwanese ancestry, see Taiwanese Canadians.
• Asian people

External links

• Asian Canadian Website
• Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada
• 2001 demographics from Statistics Canada
• Information for South Asians and Indians in Canada