Canadian Arabs are one of the largest non-European ethnic groups in this enormous and peaceful country. In 2001, almost 350,000 people of Arab origin lived in Canada, representing 1.2% of the total Canadian population. The Lebanese are the largest group within the Arab-Canadian community, with the smallest communities being Algerian and Palestinian.
Many of Canada’s Arabs live on the eastern side of Canada, either in Ontario or Quebec, and more than half have settled in the capitals of these provinces: Montreal and Toronto. About half of Canada’s Arabs are Muslim while most of the other half belongs to a variety of Christian religious groups and relatively few state they have no religious affiliation.
A Community that’s Growing from Strength to Strength
Most of the Arabs who live in Canada today were born abroad and the strongest migration has occurred over the past 20 years, (must be the smell of all that maple syrup…) What’s more, the Arab population in Canada is growing so rapidly that the numbers of Arabs are increasing more than 10 times as quickly as the native Canadian population!
The Arab community in Canada is relatively young. In 2001, children under the age of 15 made up almost a third of the total Canadian Arab population. And they can certainly talk the talk: almost all Canadians of Arab origin can hold a conversation in at least one official language. Almost all are perfectly capable of conversing in one or both official languages and very few can speak neither English nor French. The majority have a mother tongue that they speak at home but for work purposes almost all who are employed speak English or French on the job.
Canadian Arabs the Most Likely to Marry
When it comes to settling down, Arabs are generally more likely than other Canadians to be married. In 2001, 53% of those aged 15 and over were married, compared with 50% of all Canadian adults. Arabs are also less likely to live alone and seniors in particular often live with members of their extended family.
Support for Canada’s Arab community issues and political voice has been going strong for over 40 years thanks to The Canadian Arab Federation. CAF was formed in 1967 to represent the interests of Arab Canadians when it comes to Public Policy in Canada and has over 40 member organizations. The Federation also promotes the richness of Muslim and Arab Culture and its objectives include protecting civil liberties and human rights while combating racism within Canada.
Canadian Arabs <3 the Maple Leaf
According to an Ethnic Diversity Survey, almost all Canadians of Arab origin feel a strong sense of belonging to Canada, while at the same time, over half said that they had strong ties to their ethnic or cultural group. Arabs are also very active in Canadian society when it comes to voting and participating in sports teams or community associations.