East Asian Canadians
Shintoism · Taoism · Irreligion | |
Related ethnic groups | |
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East Asian diaspora |
According to the 2021 Canadian census, 2,289,805 Canadians had trace their ancestry to East Asia, constituting 6.3 percent of the total population and 31.2 percent of the total Asian Canadian population.[1][2][a][b] Additionally as of 2021, East Asians comprise the third largest pan-ethnic group in Canada after Europeans (69.8 percent)[3] and South Asians (7.1 percent).[2]
Terminology
For Canadian government census purposes and contemporary Canadian parlance, East Asian Canadians are typically identified and referred under the term "Asian"; popular usage of this term in Canada generally excludes both West and South Asians, both groups with ancestral origins in the Middle East and in the Indian subcontinent respectively, and instead solely referring to individuals who trace their ancestry to the East Asian mainland.
History
Year | Pop. | ±% |
---|---|---|
2001 | 1,314,225 | — |
2006 | 1,628,260 | +23.9% |
2011 | 1,817,590 | +11.6% |
2016 | 2,148,230 | +18.2% |
2021 | 2,289,805[a] | +6.6% |
Source: Statistics Canada [1][2][4][5][6][7] |
18th century
The first record of East Asians in what is known as Canada today can be dated back to 1788 when renegade British Captain John Meares hired a group of Chinese carpenters from Macau and employed them to build a ship at Nootka Sound, Vancouver Island, British Columbia. After the outpost was seized by Spanish forces, the eventual whereabouts of the carpenters was largely unknown.
19th century
In the mid-late 19th century, early settlers from East Asia, namely China and Japan, emigrated to Canada, predominantly settling in the province of British Columbia.
During the mid-19th century, many Chinese arrived to take part in the British Columbia gold rushes. Beginning in 1858, early settlers formed Victoria's Chinatown and other Chinese communities in New Westminster, Yale, and Lillooet. Estimates indicate that about 1/3 of the non-native population of the Fraser goldfields was Chinese.[8][9] Later, the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway prompted another wave of immigration from the East Asian country. Mainly hailing from Guangdong, the Chinese helped build the Canadian Pacific Railway through the Fraser Canyon.
Many Japanese people also arrived in Canada during the mid to late 19th century and became fishermen and merchants in British Columbia. Early immigrants from the East Asian island nation most notably worked in canneries such as Steveston along the pacific coast.
By 1884,
In 1885, soon after the construction on the railway was completed, the federal government passed the
Many Chinese workers settled in Canada after the railway was constructed, however most could not bring the rest of their families, including immediate relatives, due to government restrictions and enormous processing fees. They established Chinatowns and societies in undesirable sections of the cities, such as East Pender Street in Vancouver, which had been the focus of the early city's red-light district until Chinese merchants took over the area from the 1890s onwards.[13]
20th century
Immigration restrictions stemming from
Heightened anti-East Asian sentiment resulted in the infamous anti-East Asian pogrom in Vancouver in 1907. Spurred by similar riots in Bellingham targeting Punjabi Sikh South Asian settlers, The Asiatic Exclusion League organized attacks against homes and businesses owned by East Asian immigrants under the slogan "White Canada Forever!"; though no one was killed, much property damage was done and numerous East Asian Canadians, namely Chinese and Japanesen Canadians were beaten up.
In 1923, the
According to the 1931 Canadian census, subdivisions including Richmond (East Asians formed 40 percent of the total population), Skeena Coast (37 percent), Fraser Mills (34 percent), Cumberland (32 percent), Maple Ridge (27 percent), West Vancouver Island (27 percent), Mission (24 percent), Bella Coola Coast (24 percent), Duncan (18 percent), and Pitt Meadows (17 percent) had the largest East Asian concentrations in British Columbia.[14]: 482
Subdivision | Type | ||
---|---|---|---|
Population | Percentage | ||
Vancouver | Urban | 21,339 | 8.65% |
Victoria | Urban | 3,999 | 10.23% |
Richmond | Urban | 3,262 | 39.87% |
Maple Ridge | Urban | 1,351 | 27.39% |
South Vancouver Island | Rural | 1,315 | 8.56% |
New Westminster | Urban | 1,200 | 6.85% |
Skeena Coast | Rural | 955 | 36.96% |
Mission | Urban | 868 | 24.16% |
Bella Coola Coast | Rural | 865 | 24.11% |
Upper Okanagan & Shuswap | Rural | 809 | 9.17% |
Cumberland | Urban | 769 | 32.43% |
West Vancouver Island | Rural | 614 | 26.92% |
Surrey | Urban | 596 | 7.11% |
Delta | Urban | 567 | 15.29% |
Howe Sound | Rural | 529 | 10.96% |
South East Coast Vancouver Island | Rural | 523 | 9.81% |
Nicola | Rural | 475 | 8.26% |
North Cowichan | Urban | 449 | 13.64% |
North East Coast Vancouver Island | Rural | 442 | 6.08% |
Saanich | Urban | 432 | 3.33% |
Nanaimo | Urban | 420 | 6.49% |
Prince Rupert | Urban | 390 | 6.14% |
Duncan | Urban | 337 | 18.29% |
Kamloops | Urban | 329 | 5.33% |
Kelowna | Urban | 322 | 6.92% |
North Vancouver Island | Rural | 279 | 11.08% |
Burnaby | Urban | 266 | 1.04% |
Saltspring & Islands | Rural | 266 | 9.65% |
Knight Inlet Coast | Rural | 228 | 17.18% |
Vernon | Urban | 218 | 5.54% |
Port Alberni | Urban | 217 | 9.21% |
Fraser Mills | Urban | 210 | 34.09% |
Matsqui
|
Rural | 200 | 5.22% |
Coast
|
Rural | 195 | 3.21% |
Nelson | Urban | 176 | 2.94% |
Coquitlam | Urban | 175 | 3.59% |
Upper Kootenay River | Rural | 173 | 2.27% |
Portland Canal-Nass | Rural | 167 | 6.18% |
Similkameen River | Rural | 154 | 2.48% |
Lower Fraser Valley | Rural | 151 | 3.2% |
Port Moody | Urban | 155 | 12.3% |
Cranbrook | Urban | 147 | 4.79% |
Pitt Meadows | Urban | 145 | 17.43% |
North Vancouver | Rural | 126 | 2.63% |
Chilliwack | Rural | 119 | 2.05% |
Armstrong | Urban | 107 | 10.82% |
Revelstoke | Urban | 106 | 3.87% |
Trail | Urban | 102 | 1.35% |
Upper Columbia River | Rural | 93 | 2.34% |
Kootenay & Slocan Lakes | Rural | 91 | 0.95% |
Summerland | Urban | 88 | 4.91% |
Langley | Urban | 86 | 1.55% |
West Vancouver | Urban | 86 | 1.8% |
University Endowment Area | Urban | 83 | 14.43% |
Coldstream | Urban | 78 | 9% |
Prince George | Urban | 77 | 3.11% |
Cariboo | Rural | 75 | 3.97% |
North Thompson | Rural | 74 | 3.24% |
Oak Bay | Urban | 73 | 1.24% |
Chilliwack | Urban | 68 | 2.76% |
North Columbia River | Rural | 65 | 3.4% |
Bridge-Lillooet | Rural | 62 | 3.39% |
Shuswap | Rural | 62 | 1.36% |
Penticton | Urban | 60 | 1.29% |
Spallumcheen | Urban | 52 | 3.19% |
Merritt | Urban | 48 | 3.7% |
Skeena-Bulkley | Rural | 42 | 1.61% |
North Vancouver | Urban | 39 | 0.46% |
Quesnel | Urban | 39 | 8.74% |
Kent | Urban | 35 | 2.9% |
Elk & Flathead Rivers | Rural | 35 | 0.73% |
South Columbia River | Rural | 34 | 0.47% |
Rossland | Urban | 33 | 1.16% |
Salmon Arm | Urban | 33 | 3.98% |
Kaslo | Urban | 32 | 6.12% |
Port Coquitlam | Urban | 32 | 2.44% |
Kettle River | Rural | 27 | 0.81% |
North Coast | Rural | 27 | 8.88% |
Courtenay | Urban | 26 | 2.13% |
Fernie | Urban | 25 | 0.92% |
Queen Charlotte Islands | Rural | 25 | 2.69% |
Salmon Arm | Rural | 25 | 1.5% |
Smithers | Urban | 25 | 2.5% |
Esquimalt | Urban | 23 | 0.7% |
South Chilcotin | Rural | 20 | 8.77% |
Ladysmith | Urban | 18 | 1.25% |
Kiskatinaw River | Rural | 15 | 0.32% |
Sumas | Urban | 15 | 0.83% |
Glenmore | Urban | 14 | 4.62% |
North Chilcotin | Rural | 14 | 1.98% |
Nechako-Fraser-Parsnip | Rural | 12 | 0.46% |
Abbotsford | Urban | 10 | 1.96% |
Creston | Urban | 10 | 1.44% |
East Lillooet | Rural | 10 | 1% |
Grand Forks | Urban | 10 | 0.77% |
Hope | Urban | 9 | 2.41% |
Enderby | Urban | 8 | 1.44% |
Terrace | Urban | 8 | 2.27% |
Williams Lake | Urban | 8 | 1.99% |
Alberni | Urban | 7 | 1% |
Stikine-Liard | Rural | 7 | 2.33% |
Atlin Lake | Rural | 5 | 1.02% |
Burns Lake | Urban | 5 | 2.48% |
Fraser-Canoe | Rural | 5 | 0.21% |
Vanderhoof | Urban | 5 | 1.64% |
Upper Nechako | Rural | 3 | 0.16% |
Babine-Stuart-Takla Lakes | Rural | 2 | 0.32% |
Beaton River | Rural | 2 | 0.12% |
Silverton | Urban | 2 | 0.74% |
Tadanac | Urban | 2 | 0.43% |
Greenwood | Urban | 1 | 0.58% |
British Columbia | Total | 49,344 | 7.11% |
World War II prompted the federal government used the War Measures Act to brand Japanese Canadians enemy aliens and categorized them as security threats in 1942. Tens of thousands of Japanese Canadians were placed in internment camps in British Columbia; prison of war camps in Ontario; and families were also sent as forced labourers to farms throughout the prairies. By 1943, all properties owned by Japanese Canadians in British Columbia were seized and sold without consent.
Unlike Korean Americans who have relatively much longer history settling in the United States, very few settled in Canada; as late as 1965, the total permanent Korean population of Canada was estimated at only 70.[15] However, with the 1966 reform of Canadian immigration laws, South Korean immigration to Canada began to grow.[15] By 1969, there were an estimated 2000 Koreans in Canada.[16]
In the late 1990s,
When Hong Kong reverted to mainland Chinese rule, people emigrated and found new homes in Canada.
Demography
Ethnic and national origins
Ethnic/National Origins |
2021[1][2] | 2016[4] | 2011[5] | 2006[6] | 2001[7] | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | |
Chinese | 1,715,770 | 74.93% | 1,769,1951 | 82.36% | 1,487,5801 | 81.84% | 1,346,5101 | 82.7% | 1,094,7001 | 83.3% |
Korean | 218,140 | 9.53% | 198,210 | 9.23% | 168,890 | 9.29% | 146,545 | 9% | 101,715 | 7.74% |
Japanese | 129,425 | 5.65% | 121,485 | 5.66% | 109,740 | 6.04% | 98,905 | 6.07% | 85,230 | 6.49% |
Hong Kong | 81,680 | 3.57% | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Taiwanese | 64,020 | 2.8% | 36,515 | 1.7% | 30,330 | 1.67% | 17,705 | 1.09% | 18,080 | 1.38% |
Tibetan | 9,350 | 0.41% | 8,040 | 0.37% | 5,820 | 0.32% | 4,275 | 0.26% | 1,425 | 0.11% |
Mongolian | 9,090 | 0.4% | 7,475 | 0.35% | 5,355 | 0.29% | 3,960 | 0.24% | 1,675 | 0.13% |
Hmong | 1,030 | 0.04% | 805 | 0.04% | 830 | 0.05% | 815 | 0.05% | 595 | 0.05% |
Other East Asian Origins |
61,300 | 2.68% | 6,505 | 0.3% | 9,045 | 0.5% | 9,545 | 0.59% | 10,805 | 0.82% |
Total East Asian Canadian Population[b] |
2,289,805 | 100% | 2,148,230 | 100% | 1,817,590 | 100% | 1,628,260 | 100% | 1,314,225 | 100% |
1Including Hong Kong Canadians. |
Geographical distribution
Provinces & territories
Province | 2016[4] | 2011[5] | 2006[6] | 2001[7] | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | |
Ontario | 1,008,780 | 7.62% | 855,280 | 6.76% | 767,160 | 6.38% | 614,915 | 5.45% |
British Columbia | 679,015 | 14.89% | 586,545 | 13.56% | 539,350 | 13.24% | 457,555 | 11.83% |
Alberta | 232,535 | 5.85% | 191,305 | 5.36% | 166,105 | 5.1% | 129,590 | 4.41% |
Quebec | 140,235 | 1.76% | 117,580 | 1.52% | 105,245 | 1.42% | 74,015 | 1.04% |
Manitoba | 37,825 | 3.05% | 29,000 | 2.47% | 23,200 | 2.05% | 17,550 | 1.59% |
Saskatchewan | 22,950 | 2.14% | 17,150 | 1.7% | 12,775 | 1.34% | 10,815 | 1.12% |
Nova Scotia | 12,570 | 1.38% | 9,045 | 1% | 6,720 | 0.74% | 4,895 | 0.55% |
New Brunswick | 6,585 | 0.9% | 5,345 | 0.73% | 3,960 | 0.55% | 2,430 | 0.34% |
Newfoundland and Labrador | 2,970 | 0.58% | 2,275 | 0.45% | 1,930 | 0.39% | 1,260 | 0.25% |
Prince Edward Island | 3,105 | 2.22% | 2,385 | 1.74% | 475 | 0.35% | 305 | 0.23% |
Northwest Territories | 715 | 1.74% | 620 | 1.52% | 530 | 1.29% | 410 | 1.1% |
Yukon | 825 | 2.35% | 920 | 2.76% | 650 | 2.15% | 365 | 1.28% |
Nunavut | 150 | 0.42% | 110 | 0.35% | 95 | 0.32% | 55 | 0.21% |
Canada | 2,148,230 | 6.23% | 1,817,590 | 5.53% | 1,628,260 | 5.21% | 1,314,225 | 4.43% |
See also
- Chinese Canadians
- Korean Canadians
- Japanese Canadians
- Mongolian Canadians
- Taiwanese Canadians
- Tibetan Canadians
Notes
- ^ a b c Chinese: 1,715,770 persons[2]
Korean: 218,140 persons[2]
Japanese: 129,425 persons[1]
Hong Konger: 81,680 persons[1]
Taiwanese: 64,020 persons[1]
Tibetan: 9,350 persons[1]
Mongolian: 9,090 persons[1]
Hmong: 1,030 persons[1]
Other East Asian: 61,300 persons[1] - ^ a b c d e Statistic includes combined population of Chinese Canadians, Korean Canadians, Japanese Canadians, Hong Kong Canadians Taiwanese Canadians, Tibetan Canadians, Mongolian Canadians, Hmong Canadians, and Other East Asian Canadians.
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (2022-10-26). "Ethnic or cultural origin by gender and age: Canada, provinces and territories, census metropolitan areas and census agglomerations with parts". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 2023-01-13.
- ^ a b c d e f g Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (2022-10-26). "Visible minority and population group by generation status: Canada, provinces and territories, census metropolitan areas and census agglomerations with parts". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 2023-01-13.
- ^ Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (2022-10-26). "The Canadian census: A rich portrait of the country's religious and ethnocultural diversity". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 2022-01-10.
In 2021, just over 25 million people reported being White in the census, representing close to 70% of the total Canadian population. The vast majority reported being White only, while 2.4% also reported one or more other racialized groups.
- ^ a b c Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (2019-06-17). "Ethnic Origin (279), Single and Multiple Ethnic Origin Responses (3), Generation Status (4), Age (12) and Sex (3) for the Population in Private Households of Canada, Provinces and Territories, Census Metropolitan Areas and Census Agglomerations, 2016 Census - 25% Sample Data". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 2022-08-31.
- ^ a b c Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (2019-01-23). "Ethnic Origin (264), Single and Multiple Ethnic Origin Responses (3), Generation Status (4), 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". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 2022-08-31.
- ^ a b c Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (2020-05-01). "Ethnic Origin (247), Single and Multiple Ethnic Origin Responses (3) and Sex (3) for the Population of Canada, Provinces, Territories, Census Metropolitan Areas and Census Agglomerations, 2006 Census - 20% Sample Data". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 2022-08-31.
- ^ a b c Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (2013-12-23). "Ethnic Origin (232), Sex (3) and Single and Multiple Responses (3) for Population, for Canada, Provinces, Territories, Census Metropolitan Areas and Census Agglomerations, 2001 Census - 20% Sample Data". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 2022-08-31.
- ^ Claiming the Land, Dan Marshall, UBC Ph.D Thesis, 2002 (unpubl.)
- ISBN 1-55420-001-6
- .
- ISBN 0774842563, 9780774842563. p. 145.
- ^ "How Canada tried to bar the "yellow peril"" (PDF). Maclean's. 1 July 1999. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 October 2015. Retrieved 4 January 2015.
- ISBN 9780199780051.
- ^ a b Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (2013-04-03). "Seventh census of Canada, 1931 . v. 2. Population by areas". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 2023-12-30.
- ^ a b Yoon 2006, p. 17
- ^ Kim, Jung G (Spring–Summer 1982). "Korean-language press in Ontario". Polyphony: The Bulletin of the Multicultural History Society of Ontario. 4 (1): 82. Archived from the original on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2022-09-19.
- ^ Kwak 2004, p. 8
- ^ Kwak 2004, p. 3
- ^ Han & Ibbott 2005, p. 157
- ^ Han & Ibbott 2005, p. 155
- ^ Han & Ibbott 2005, p. 160
Sources
- Han, J. D.; Ibbott, Peter (2005), "Korean Migration to North America: Some Prices That Matter" (PDF), Canadian Studies in Population, 32 (2): 155–176, doi:10.25336/P6XS4T, retrieved September 2, 2014
- Kwak, Min-Jung (July 2004), "An Exploration of the Korean-Canadian Community in Vancouver" (PDF), Research on Immigration and Integration in the Metropolis Working Paper Series, 4 (14), archived from the original (PDF) on July 23, 2011, retrieved July 11, 2007
- Yoon, In-Jin (2006), "Understanding the Korean Diaspora from Comparative Perspectives" (PDF), Transformation & Prospect toward Multiethnic, Multiracial & Multicultural Society: Enhancing Intercultural Communication, Asia Culture Forum, archived from the original (PDF) on September 29, 2007, retrieved July 11, 2007