Latin American Canadians

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Latin American Canadians

Total population
447,325 (all, 2016 Census)[1] 2% of the total Canadian population (2016)
Regions with significant populations
Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Ottawa, Leamington, London, Kitchener, Winnipeg, Brandon, Laval, Burnaby, Sherbrooke, Red Deer
Languages
Canadian English, Canadian French, Latin American Spanish, Portuguese, Indigenous American languages
Religion
Predominantly Christianity (Roman Catholicism; minority Protestantism)
Related ethnic groups
Latin Americans, French Canadians, Spanish Canadians, Portuguese Canadians, Latino Americans, Native Americans

Latin American Canadians (French: Canadiens d'Amérique latine; Portuguese: Canadenses da América Latina; Spanish: Canadienses de América Latina) are Canadians who are descendants of people from countries of Latin America. The majority of Latin American Canadians are multilingual, primarily speaking Spanish, Portuguese and French. 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, Native Americans, Blacks/Afro-Latinos, Arabs and Asians.

History[]

The majority of Latin American Canadians are recent immigrants who arrived in the late 20th century from Mexico, Colombia, El Salvador, Peru, with smaller communities from Chile, Venezuela, Brazil, Cuba, Guatemala, and elsewhere, with nearly all Latin American countries represented.^[2] 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.^{[citation needed]}

Demographics[]

As of the 2016 Canadian Census, the largest Latin American Canadian communities are in the census metropolitan areas of Toronto (132,945),^[3] Montreal (110,200),^[4] Vancouver (34,800),^[5] Calgary (27,710),^[6] Edmonton (18,755),^[6] Ottawa (15,635),^[3] and Hamilton (10,910).^[3] The fastest growing are in the provinces of Alberta, Manitoba, and Nova Scotia.

Latin American population of Canada by census year[]

Census	Latin American population	Change from previous census	Total Canadian population	Change from previous census	Latin American population (%)
1996[7]	176,970	N/A	28,528,125	N/A	0.6%
2001[8]	216,980	22.6%	29,639,030	3.9%	0.7%
2006[9]	304,245	40.2%	31,241,030	5.4%	1%
2011[10]	381,280	25.3%	32,852,325	5.2%	1.2%
2016	447,325	17.3%	34,460,065	4.9%	1.3%

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

Province	Latin Americans 2001	% 2001	Latin Americans 2011	% 2011	Latin Americans 2016	% 2016
Ontario	106,835	0.9%	172,560	1.4%	195,950	1.5%
Québec	59,520	0.8%	116,380	1.5%	133,920	1.7%
Alberta	18,745	0.6%	41,305	1.2%	55,090	1.4%
British Columbia	23,885	0.6%	35,465	0.8%	44,115	1.0%
Manitoba	4,775	0.4%	9,140	0.8%	9,895	0.8%
Saskatchewan	2,010	0.2%	3,255	0.3%	4,195	0.4%
Nova Scotia	520	0.0%	1,360	0.2%	1,685	0.2%
New Brunswick	425	0.0%	1,160	0.2%	1,285	0.2%
Prince Edward Island	75	0.1%	235	0.2%	255	0.2%
Newfoundland and Labrador	80	0.0%	185	0.0%	635	0.1%
Yukon	45	0.1%	105	0.3%	130	0.4%
Northwest Territories	60	0.2%	105	0.3%	135	0.3%
Nunavut	10	0.0%	30	0.1%	40	0.1%
Canada	216,980	0.8%	381,280	1.2%	447,325	1.3%

Immigration[]

Latin Americans in Canada by country of origin (2016)[11]
Region	Number of immigrants	% of Latin American immigrants	% of total immigrant population
Mexico	80,585	19%	1.1%
Colombia	70,035	16.5%	0.9%
El Salvador	48,075	11.3%	0.6%
Peru	29,620	7%	0.4%
Brazil	29,315	6.9%	0.4%
Chile	26,705	6.3%	0.4%
Venezuela	20,775	4.9%	0.3%
Cuba	17,850	4.2%	0.2%
Guatemala	17,270	4.1%	0.2%
Ecuador	14,970	3.5%	0.2%
Dominican Republic[a]	10,605	2.5%	0.2%
Nicaragua	9,865	2.3%	0.1%
Honduras	7,785	1.8%	0.1%
Paraguay	7,300	1.7%	0.1%
Bolivia	4,395	1%	0.1%
Costa Rica	3,945	0.9%	0.1%
Total Latin American immigrant population	423,585	100%	5.5%
Total immigrant population	7,482,860	N/A	100%

• ^a The number of Dominican Republic immigrants compared to Dominica immigrants is not specified, due to both countries using the term "Dominican".

List of Canadian census subdivisions with Latin American populations higher than the national average[]

Source: Canada 2016 Census^[12]
National average: 1.3%

Alberta[]

• Brooks (4.3%)
• Calgary (2.1%)
• Edmonton (1.9%)
• Red Deer (1.8%)
• Lethbridge (1.7%)

British Columbia[]

• Greater Vancouver A (2.1%)
• Burnaby (2%)
• New Westminster (1.8%)
• Vancouver (1.8%)
• Port Moody (1.7%)
• Coquitlam (1.6%)

Manitoba[]

• Brandon (5%)

Ontario[]

• Bradford (3.4%)
• Leamington (3%)
• Toronto (2.9%)
• Kitchener (2.6%)
• Brampton (2.4%)
• London (2.4%)
• Milton (2.4%)
• Vaughan (2.4%)
• Mississauga (2.3%)
• Oakville (1.9%)
• St. Catharines (1.7%)
• Hamilton (city) (1.6%)

Quebec[]

• Brossard (4.3%)
• Montreal (4.1%)
• Dorval (3.6%)
• Longueuil (3.1%)
• Laval (3%)
• Saint-Lambert (2.8%)
• L'Ile-Perrot (2.6%)
• Châteauguay (2.6%)
• Candiac (2.3%)
• Dollard-des-Ormeaux (2.1%)
• Sherbrooke (1.7%)
• Terrebonne (1.7%)

List of notable Latin American Canadians[]

Music[]

• Addictiv, R&B singer
• Eva Avila, pop singer and 2006 Canadian Idol winner
• Boogat, rapper
• Fito Blanko, tropical/urban singer-songwriter, born in Panama
• Patricia Cano, singer
• Marco Castillo, singer-songwriter
• José Miguel Contreras, rock musician and lead vocalist of By Divine Right
• Criollo, hip-hop group
• Beto Cuevas, rock musician and former lead vocalist of La Ley
• Eliana Cuevas, singer-songwriter
• Lhasa de Sela, folk musician
• Carlos del Junco, harmonica player, member of the Cuban del Junco family
• Quique Escamilla, Mexican-born musician
• Carole Facal, rock musician
• Alberto Guerrero, music composer and pianist, born in Chile
• DJ Kemo, producer and DJ for hip-hop group Rascalz
• Tom Landa, Mexican-born folk-rock musician
• Oscar Lopez, flamenco musician, born in Chile
• Lindi Ortega, singer-songwriter
• John Paul Ospina, singer
• Adonis Puentes, singer-songwriter
• Alexis Puentes, musician known by the stage name Alex Cuba
• Quilla, singer-songwriter
• Jessie Reyez, singer-songwriter
• Alejandra Ribera, singer-songwriter

Writers[]

• Rodrigo Bascuñán, author and journalist, born in Chile
• Gloria Escomel, writer and journalist born in Uruguay
• Gabriela Etcheverry, poet and novelist, born in Chile
• José Latour, novelist, born in Cuba.

Entertainment[]

• Joana Ceddia, Youtube Personality (of Brazilian descent)
• Juan Chioran, stage actor, born in Argentina
• Nick Cordero, stage actor, Costa Rican descent
• Tasya Teles, actress
• Carlos Díaz, television and film actor, born in Chile
• Ona Grauer, television and film actress, born in Mexico
• Flora Martínez, actress Colombian
• Emma Rabbe, television and film actress
• Klea Scott, television and film actress, born in Panama
• Jorgito Vargas, Jr., actor (of Bolivian and Argentinian descent)
• Michael Mando, film and television actor (of Mexican descent).
• Emilia McCarthy, actress (of Mexican descent).

Photography[]

• Bruce Chun, cinematographer, born in Mexico
• Federico Hidalgo, filmmaker and film professor.

Politics[]

• Pierre Alarie, Ambassador (of Mexican Dsecent)
• Paulina Ayala, former MP for Honoré-Mercier (New Democratic Party), born in Chile
• Estefania Cortes-Vargas, Canadian politician, elected in the Alberta general election, 2015 to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, representing the electoral district of Strathcona-Sherwood Park, born in Colombia
• Joseph Facal, former minister in Quebec (Parti Québécois), born in Uruguay
• Miguel Figueroa, leader and President of the Communist Party of Canada
• Andrés Fontecilla, leader of Québec solidaire, born in Chile
• Rod Loyola, Canadian politician, elected in the Alberta general election, 2015 to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, representing the electoral district of Edmonton-Ellerslie, born in Chile
• Sergio Marchi, former MP (Liberal Party of Canada), born in Argentina
• Ricardo Miranda, Canadian politician, elected in the Alberta general election, 2015 to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, representing the electoral district of Calgary-Cross, born in Nicaragua^[13]
• Osvaldo Nunez, former MP (Bloc Québécois), born in Chile
• Cesar Palacio, first Latino person elected to the Toronto City Council, born in Ecuador
• Saul Polo, MNA in Quebec, born in Colombia
• Pablo Rodríguez, MP for Honoré-Mercier (Liberal Party of Canada), born in Argentina

Science and technology[]

• Ivar Mendez, MD surgeon, Professor and Chairman of Surgery at the University of Saskatchewan, born in Bolivia
• Manuel Buchwald, geneticist and academic, born in Peru
• Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, electronic artist, born in Mexico.

Sport[]

• Eurico Rosa Da Silva, Ice jockey from Brazil
• Tony Menezes, Brazilian soccer player
• Dan DaSilva, Brazilian ice hockey
• Michel Acosta, professional soccer player, born in Uruguay
• Oscar Albuquerque, former professional soccer player, born in Peru
• Keven Aleman, professional soccer player, born in Costa Rica
• Bryce Salvador, hockey player from Brazil
• Manny Aparicio, professional soccer player, born in Argentina
• Mauro Biello, former professional soccer player, current assistant coach of the Canada men's national soccer team
• Marco Bustos, professional soccer player
• Sergio Camargo, professional soccer player, born in Colombia
• Miguel Cañizalez, professional soccer player, born in El Salvador
• Lucas Cavallini, professional soccer player
• Carly Colón, professional wrestler, born in Puerto Rico via Canadian mother
• Oscar Cordon, professional soccer player
• Marco Dominguez, professional soccer player
• Andres Fresenga, professional soccer player
• Kianz Froese, professional soccer player, born in Cuba
• Manny Gomez, professional soccer player, born in Argentina
• Cristián Gutiérrez, professional soccer player
• Juan Cruz Mascia, professional soccer player
• Rosa Mendes, WWE Diva and professional wrestler
• Juan Mendez, professional basketball player
• Ivan Menjivar, mixed martial artist
• Arturo Miranda, professional diver, born in Cuba
• David Monsalve, professional soccer player
• Cristian Nuñez, professional soccer player
• Jonathan Osorio, professional soccer player
• Carlos Patino, professional soccer player, born in Colombia
• Willi Plett, professional hockey player, NHL
• Robyn Regehr, professional hockey player, NHL
• Bryce Salvador, professional hockey player, NHL
• Davis Sanchez, professional football player, CFL and NFL
• Isidro Sánchez Macip, professional soccer player, born in Mexico
• O. J. Santiago, professional football player, NFL and CFL
• Eduardo Sebrango, former professional soccer player, born in Cuba
• Oscar Taveras, late professional baseball player in MLB, born in the Dominican Republic
• Raffi Torres, professional hockey player, NHL.

Cultural adjustment[]

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.^[14]

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.^[15] 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.^[16]

See also[]

• Latino
• Latino diaspora
• Latino Americans
• Argentine Canadians
• Chilean Canadians
• Colombian Canadians
• Cuban Canadians
• Dominican Canadians
• Ecuadorian Canadians
• Mexican Canadians
• Peruvian Canadians
• Salvadoran Canadians
• Uruguayan Canadians
• Venezuelan Canadians

References[]

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (October 2008) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

Armony, Victor. 2014. “Latin American Communities in Canada: Trends in Diversity and Integration.” Canadian Ethnic Studies, 46 (3), p. 7-34.

Lindsay, Colin. 2007. “The Latin American Community in Canada”. Analytical Paper – Profiles of Ethnic Communities in Canada. Statistics Canada.

Mathews, Kelly, Jessica Phelan, Nicholas A. Jones, Sarah Konya, Rachel Marks, Beverly M. Pratt, Julia Coombs, Michael Bently. 2015. 2015 National Content Test Race and Ethnicity Analysis Report. The United States Census Bureau.

Statistics Canada. 2017a. Ethnic Origin Reference Guide. Ottawa: Ministry of Industry.

Statistics Canada. 2017b. Visible Minority and Population Group Reference Guide. Ottawa: Ministry of Industry.