Asian Canadians

Canadians of Asian ancestry

Regions with significant populations
British Columbia (Vancouver), southern Ontario, 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

Canadians of Asian ancestry comprise the largest visible minority 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 the United States which uses a Sino-centric definition of "Asian". According to the Statistics Canada in 2006, East Asian and Southeast Asian population is 7%, South Asian population is 4%, and West Asians make up the rest of the total Asian population.

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 In 1947, the act was repealed.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. When Hong Kong reverted to mainland Chinese rule, people emigratted and found new homes in Canada. Many Hong Kong emigrants set up their businesses in the growing commercial districts of large cities, and fueled the real estate market. In recent decades, a large number of Indians from South Asia have came to Canada. Due to their trade skills and English ability, many Indians found an easy transition to a life in Canada. Today, Asian Canadians form a significant minority within the population, and over 3 million Asians call Canada their home.

Furthermore, and ultimately, an example of a Canadian Asian is the buttholdenus asiunus, or Holden the Asian, this is a fine example of the Asian Canadia, but sadly he cannot admit to being this type of being.

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
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
Taiwanese Canadians	17,705
Indonesian Canadians	14,320
Malaysian Canadians	12,165
Israeli Canadians	10,755
Thai Canadians	10,015
Jordanian Canadians	6,905
Burmese Canadians	4,590
Tibetan-Canadians	4,275
Mongolian Canadians	3,965
Nepali Canadians	3,780
Saudi Canadians	2,735
Yemeni Canadians	2,300
Singaporean Canadians	1,390

See also

• Demographics of Canada
• Immigration to 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.

External links

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