Coptic Canadians
Total population | |
---|---|
16,255 (by religion, 2011 Census)[1] 35,000 (estimated by Canadian Coptic Association) | |
Regions with significant populations | |
Ontario: Mississauga, Toronto (North York, Scarborough, Etobicoke), Hamilton, Kitchener; Quebec: Montreal, Laval, Quebec City; etc. | |
Languages | |
Canadian English · Canadian French Mainly older people: Arabic (Egyptian Arabic, Sudanese Arabic, Libyan Arabic) Liturgical: Coptic language. | |
Religion | |
Coptic Orthodoxy, Coptic Catholicism, Coptic Evangelical and |
Copts in Canada are Canadian citizens of Coptic descent or people of Coptic descent residing in Canada.
Population and distribution[]
According to the 2011 Census there were 3,570 Canadians who reported Coptic ancestry (this figure combines single and multiple ethnic origin responses). Of this number, 755 Canadians reported Coptic as their only ancestry, whereas 2,810 reported Coptic as one of multiple ancestries.[2]
In the same survey, 16,255 Canadians said they belonged to the Coptic Orthodox church. Of this number, 12,645 were immigrants and 3,365 were born in Canada.[1]
The Canadian Coptic Association estimates that there are 35,000 Copts living in Canada; according to CBC News, "if other sects with strong ties to the Coptic community are included, the figure is possibly higher still."[3] (Note: There is likely a typo in the CBC article where an extra zero was added, thereby erroneous stating that there are 350,000 Copts in Canada).
Toronto and the surrounding metropolitan region have the largest concentration of Copts in Canada.[3]
Immigration history[]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0d/Saint_Mina_and_Saint_Kyrillos_Coptic_Orthodox_Church.jpg/220px-Saint_Mina_and_Saint_Kyrillos_Coptic_Orthodox_Church.jpg)
The immigration of the Copts to Canada might have started as early as the late 1950s. Due to an increasing amount of discrimination towards Copts in Egypt in the 1970s, many decided to emigrate in order to escape the rising racial tensions. Canada has been receiving a greater number of these immigrants, and the number of Coptic immigrants into Canada has been growing ever since.[4]
Coptic Orthodox Church in Canada[]
In 1964, St. Mark Coptic Orthodox Church was established in Toronto; this was the first Coptic church established in the Coptic diaspora.[5]
In 2002, a survey showed 22 Coptic Orthodox parishes in Canada, indicating growth.[6]
In 2011, there were five Coptic Orthodox churches in Montreal.[7]
Notable Coptic Canadians[]
- Manuel Tadros – singer, songwriter, actor, comedian and voice actor
- Xavier Dolan – filmmaker
- Mena Massoud – actor
- - entrepreneur
See also[]
- Middle Eastern Canadians
- List of Coptic Orthodox Churches in Canada
- Copts
- Coptic diaspora
- Coptic Americans
- Coptic Australians
- Copts in Egypt
- Copts in Sudan
- Copts in Libya
References[]
- ^ a b "2011 National Household Survey: Data tables – Religion (108), Immigrant Status and Period of Immigration (11), 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". 8 May 2013.
- ^ Statistics Canada (8 May 2013). "2011 National Household Survey: Data tables". Retrieved 11 February 2014.
- ^ a b Coptic Christians in Canada, CBC News (January 3, 2011).
- ^ Ibrahim, Youssef M. (15 March 1993). "Muslims' Fury Falls on Egypt's Christians". The New York Times.
- ^ Saad Michael Saad, "Coptic Civilization in the Diaspora" in Coptic Civilization: Two Thousand Years of Christianity in Egypt (ed. Gawdat Gabra: American University in Cairo Press, 2014), p. 291.
- ^ Charles D. Smith, "The Egyptian Copts: Nationalism, Ethnicity, and Definition of Identity for a Religious Minority" in Nationalism and Minority Identities in Islamic Societies (ed. Maya Shatzmiller: McGill-Queen's University Press, 2005), p. 60.
- ^ Coptic churches in Canada on alert, CBC News (January 4, 2011).
- Ethnic groups in Canada
- Canadian people of Coptic descent
- Coptic diaspora in North America
- Coptic Canadian
- Middle Eastern Canadians