Latin American Canadian, Latino Canadian, Latin Canadian, and Hispanic Canadian are terms describing a Canadian of Latin American descent or birth. Latin American is the term used by Statistics Canada.[1] The other terms, though conveniently short, may be subject to controversy on whether not only people of Latin American descent, but also Canadians of Spanish descent and even French Canadians and other "Latin" Canadians (such as Italian Canadians) are also included.
The majority of Latino Canadians are recent immigrants arriving in the late 20th century, most of whom came from Mexico, El Salvador, Chile, Colombia, Venezuela, and smaller numbers from Cuba, Peru, Guatemala and elsewhere, with all or nearly all the Latin American countries represented. The largest Latin American Canadian communities are in the Census metropolitan areas of Toronto (with 99,290), Montreal (with 75,400), and Vancouver (with 22,695).[1]
Reasons for immigrating include Canada's better economic opportunities and politics in their native countries, such as Chileans who wanted to escape from Augusto Pinochet's rule, or Salvadorans fleeing the civil war in their country. A small proportion came from the Caribbean islands, such as the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, the latter of which is an U.S. territory and whose citizens are U.S. citizens by law.
The largest Latino Canadian communities are in Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver, and are rapidly growing in size in the provinces of Alberta, Manitoba and Nova Scotia. A sizable Puerto Rican presence is noted in Toronto, but demographers debate if they are more numerous than other Latino groups in Canada.citation needed Many Canadians of American family origin (especially from the state of Texas) in Alberta includes those of Mexican-Texan descent came as oil field workers in the 1960s.citation needed Venezuelans in the 2000s are increasingly involved in the Canadian oil industry.citation needed
The majority of Latino Canadians are bilingual or multilingual, speaking Spanish (or Portuguese if they are from Brazil) and either English or French, more often the former.
List of notable Latin American Canadians
Entertainment
Photography
- Marcos Arriaga - Photographer and film-maker.
- Bruce Chun - Cinematographer, born in Mexico.
- Raul Rincon - Photographer and director who works in the fields of fashion, advertising and fine art photography. Born in Colombia.
Politics
Science and Technology
Sports
See also
References
External links
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