Latin American Canadians

Latin American Canadians (French: Canadiens d'Amérique latine; Portuguese: Canadenses da América Latina; Spanish: Canadienses de América Latina), sometimes also referred to as Spanish Canadians, are Canadians who are descendants of people from countries of Latin America. The majority of Latin American Canadians are multilingual, primarily speaking Spanish, Portuguese, French and English. Most are fluent in one or both of Canada's two official languages, English and French. Spanish and Portuguese are Romance languages and share similarities in morphology and syntax with French.

Latin American Canadians

Canadiens d'Amérique latine (French) Canadenses da América Latina (Portuguese) Canadienses de América Latina (Spanish)
Latin American Canadians as percent of population by census division (2021)
Total population
Est. 1.2 million (all, 2023 Statistics Canada estimates)[1] 3.3% of Canadian population
Regions with significant populations
Toronto and Leamington • Brampton• Montreal and Longueuil, Quebec • increasing populations in Ottawa–Gatineau, Metro Vancouver, Vancouver Island, Calgary and Edmonton
Languages
Canadian English, Canadian French, Spanish, Portuguese, Spanglish, Frespañol, Porglish
Religion
Predominantly Christianity (Roman Catholicism; minority Protestantism)
Related ethnic groups
Latin Americans, Hispanic and Latino Americans, Spanish Canadians, Portuguese Canadians, Native Americans

Latin American Canadians have made distinguished contributions to Canada in all major fields, including politics, the military, diplomacy, music, philosophy, sports, business and economy, and science.

The largest Latin American groups represented in Canada are Mexican Canadians, Colombian Canadians and Salvadoran Canadians. The Latino population is mostly concentrated in the provinces of Ontario and Quebec. Ontario holds the largest Latin American population with Toronto having the largest concentration (including the suburbs of Mississauga and Brampton), as well as other cities such as London, Leamington, Ottawa and Kitchener-Waterloo. Quebec has the second-largest Latin American population with Montreal having the largest concentration.

Latin American Canadians make up one of the major groups designated as a visible minority according to Statistics Canada.^[2]

Over 1 million (3% of Canadians) are of Latin American or Hispanic descent, according to 2023 Statistics Canada data estimates.

History

The majority of Latin American Canadians are recent immigrants who arrived in the late 20th century from Mexico, Colombia, El Salvador, Puerto Rico, Peru with smaller communities from Chile, Venezuela, Brazil, Cuba, Guatemala, and elsewhere, with nearly all Latin American countries represented.^[3] 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 2021 Canadian Census, the largest Latin American communities are in the census metropolitan areas of Toronto (396,459; 3.5%),^[4] Montreal (287,856; 3.2%),^[5] Vancouver (151,500; 2.0%),^[6] Calgary (134,395; 2.3%),^[7] Edmonton (121,960; 1.6%),^[8] Ottawa (90,620; 1.4%),^[9] and Hamilton (30,605; 1.9%).^[9] 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[10]	176,970	N/A	28,528,125	N/A	0.6%
2001[11]	216,980	22.6%	29,639,030	3.9%	0.7%
2006[12]	304,245	40.2%	31,241,030	5.4%	1%
2011[13]	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	2001		2011		2016		2021
	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%
Ontario	106,835	0.9%	172,560	1.4%	195,950	1.5%	249,190	1.8%
Québec	59,520	0.8%	116,380	1.5%	133,920	1.7%	172,925	2.0%
Alberta	18,745	0.6%	41,305	1.2%	55,090	1.4%	66,520	1.6%
British Columbia	23,885	0.6%	35,465	0.8%	44,115	1.0%	65,970	1.3%
Manitoba	4,775	0.4%	9,140	0.8%	9,895	0.8%	12,835	1.0%
Saskatchewan	2,010	0.2%	3,255	0.3%	4,195	0.4%	5,680	0.5%
Nova Scotia	520	0.0%	1,360	0.2%	1,685	0.2%	2,915	0.3%
New Brunswick	425	0.0%	1,160	0.2%	1,285	0.2%	2,450	0.3%
Prince Edward Island	75	0.1%	235	0.2%	255	0.2%	585	0.4%
Newfoundland and Labrador	80	0.0%	185	0.0%	635	0.1%	755	0.2%
Yukon	45	0.1%	105	0.3%	130	0.4%	235	0.6%
Northwest Territories	60	0.2%	105	0.3%	135	0.3%	125	0.3%
Nunavut	10	0.0%	30	0.1%	40	0.1%	60	0.2%
Canada	216,980	0.8%	381,280	1.2%	447,325	1.3%	580,235	1.6%

Immigration

Latin Americans in Canada by country of origin (2016)^[14]

Region	Number of immigrants	Region's share of total Latin American immigrants to Canada	As % of Canada's total immigrant population from all areas of the world
Mexico	80,585	18.8%	1.1%
Colombia	70,035	16.4%	0.9%
El Salvador	48,075	11.2%	0.6%
Peru	29,620	6.9%	0.4%
Brazil	29,116	6.8%	0.4%
Chile	26,705	6.2%	0.4%
Venezuela	20,775	4.9%	0.3%
Argentina	19,425	4.5%	0.3%
Cuba	17,850	4.2%	0.2%
Guatemala	17,270	4%	0.2%
Ecuador	14,970	3.5%	0.2%
Dominican Republic	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%
Uruguay	6,535	1.5%	0.1%
Bolivia	4,395	1%	0.1%
Costa Rica	3,945	0.9%	0.1%
Panama	2,620	0.6%	0%
Puerto Rico	505	0.1%	0%
Total Latin American immigrant population	428,180	100%	5.5%
Total immigrant population	7,482,860	N/A	100%

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

Source: Canada 2021 Census^[15]
National average: 1.6%

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

• Leamington (7.1%)
• Abitibi (6.4%)
• Bradford West Gwillimbury (3.8%)
• Toronto (3.3%)
• Kitchener (3%)
• London (3%)
• Grand Valley (2.7%)
• Pic River (2.7%)
• Vaughan (2.6%)
• Milton (2.6%)
• Innisfil (2.6%)
• Mississauga (2.4%)
• Newbury (2.3%)
• St. Catharines (2.2%)
• New Tecumseth (2.2%)
• Brampton (2.1%)
• Hamilton (2%)
• Oakville (2%)
• Barrie (2%)
• Waterloo (1.9%)
• Burlington (1.7%)
• Cambridge (1.7%)
• Caledon (1.7%)

Quebec

• Sainte-Justine (6%)
• Brossard (5%)
• Courcelles-Saint-Évariste (4.9%)
• Longueuil (4.5%)
• Montréal (4.4%)
• Saint-Jean-de-l'Île-d'Orléans (4.4%)
• La Guadeloupe (3.6%)
• Saint-Didace (3.6%)
• Saint-René (3.7%)
• Dorval (3.5%)
• Lyster (3.5%)
• Laval (3.4%)
• Candiac (3.3%)
• Saint-Constant (3.3%)
• Plessisville (3.1%)
• Châteauguay (3.1%)
• Grand-Saint-Esprit (3.1%)
• Saint-Hyacinthe (2.9%)
• Saint-Lambert (2.9%)
• Montréal-Est (2.8%)
• Delson (2.8%)
• Vaudreuil-Dorion (2.6%)
• Sainte-Catherine (2.6%)
• Saint-Gédéon-de-Beauce (2.6%)
• Saint-Jacques-le-Mineur (2.5%)
• Très-Saint-Sacrement (2.5%)
• L'Île-Perrot (2.4%)
• Saint-Édouard-de-Lotbinière (2.4%)
• Hampstead (2.4%)
• Deux-Montagnes (2.3%)
• Boucherville (2.3%)
• La Prairie (2.3%)
• Bois-des-Filion (2.3%)
• Repentigny (2.2%)
• Terrebonne (2.1%)
• Pointe-Claire (2.1%)
• Saint-Amable (2.1%)
• Charlemagne (2.1%)
• Saint-Antoine-de-Tilly (2.1%)
• Sherbrooke (2%)
• Saint-Rémi (2%)
• Gatineau (1.9%)
• Saint-Alexis-de-Matapédia (1.9%)
• Boisbriand (1.9%)
• Rosemère (1.9%)
• Saint-Denis-sur-Richelieu (1.9%)
• Marieville (1.8%)
• Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue (1.8%)
• Sainte-Marthe-sur-le-Lac (1.8%)
• Beaconsfield (1.8%)
• Saint-Basile-le-Grand (1.8%)
• Noyan (1.8%)
• Ham-Nord (1.8%)
• Louiseville (1.7%)
• Blainville (1.7%)
• Dollard-des-Ormeaux (1.7%)
• Joliette (1.7%)
• Mont-Royal (1.7%)
• Lorraine (1.7%)
• Les Cèdres (1.7%)
• Montréal-Ouest (1.7%)
• Léry (1.7%)
• Saint-Polycarpe (1.7%)
• Mascouche (1.6%)
• Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville (1.6%)
• Saint-Philippe (1.6%)
• Saint-Isidore (1.6%)

List of notable Latin American Canadians

Music

• Eva Avila, pop singer and 2006 Canadian Idol winner
• Boogat, rapper
• Fito Blanko, tropical/urban singer-songwriter, born in Panama
• Camila, member of American girl group, Vcha
• 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
• Lido Pimienta, singer-songwriter
• 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
• Smiley, rapper

Writers

• Rodrigo Bascuñán, author and journalist, born in Chile
• Caroline Dawson, born in Chile
• Nicholas Dawson, 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.
• José Luis Rodríguez Pittí, writer and photographer born in Panama.

Diplomacy / International Relations

• Guillermo Rishchynski, was born to Canadian and Panamenian parents. Former Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Canada to the United Nations; Former Executive Director for Canada at the Inter-American Development Bank; former Canadian Ambassador Colombia, Brazil, Mexico; 2008 TLN 10 Most Influential Hispanic Canadian.
• Jose Herran-Lima, former Canadian Ambassador to Panama; former Director of Foreign Languages Centre at Foreign Affairs and International Trade
• Lilly Nicholls, was born in Chile; Canadian High Commissioner to Bangladesh; former Canadian Ambassador to Panama; 2022 TLN 10 Most Influential Hispanic Canadian.
• Patricia Peña, of Spanish heritage; Assistant Deputy Minister for Partnerships for Innovation at Global Affairs Canada; former Canadian Ambassador to Chile; 2019 10 Most Influential Hispanic Canadian.
• Pierre Alarie, of Mexican Descent; former Canadian Ambassador to Mexico; former Vice president, business development and sales at the Canadian Commercial Corporation
• Carlos Rojas-Arbulú, born in Peru; Canadian Counsellor and Senior Trade Commissioner to Chile; former Senior Departmental Advisor to the Minister of International Development & La Francophonie; 2023 TLN 10 Most Influential Hispanic Canadian.
• Andrea Auerbach Vieira, former chair education and cultural projects at Concid, Brazilian Visual Artist and Entrepreneur Founder Longevity Food Company; Artist for UNICEF 2015, Woman of the Year Ontario 2016, Woman of Excellence Delhi 2018, Women Economic Forum, Top75 Most Influential Immigrant by RBC 2016, Top 4% Most Influent user Twitter 2010, Top 1% Most Influent user Instagram 2018, Top 50 Food Blogger Canada 2019, Top 300 Luxury Markets Canada Blogger 2024, Best Latin Web Radio TV show in Canada 2021/2024, Bayer Foundation Women of Influence 2024, Global Recognition Award nomination 2024, Ernest Young Entrepreneur of the Year nomination 2024.
• Lilly Nicholls, was born in Chile; Canadian High Commissioner to Bangladesh; former Canadian Ambassador to Panama; 2022 TLN 10 Most Influential Hispanic Canadian.

Entertainment

• David Alvarez, actor
• Ariane Castellanos, actress
• Joana Ceddia, YouTube Personality (of Brazilian descent)
• Juan Chioran, stage actor, born in Argentina
• Nick Cordero, stage actor, Costa Rican descent
• Nelson Coronado, actor
• Ona Grauer, television and film actress, born in Mexico
• Michael Mando, film and television actor (of Mexican descent).
• Flora Martínez, actress, part-Colombian descent
• Emilia McCarthy, actress (of Mexican descent).
• Emma Rabbe, television and film actress
• Klea Scott, television and film actress, born in Panama
• Tasya Teles, actress

Photography

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

Politics

• 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
• Rosa Galvez, Senator, born in Peru
• 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^[16]
• 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
• Maria M.Torres, Councillor, Montreal West Montreal, Quebec, Canada, born in Venezuela.

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

• Eleider Álvarez professional boxer, born in Colombia
• 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
• 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
• Eurico Rosa Da Silva, Ice jockey from Brazil
• Marco Dominguez, professional soccer player
• Chris Duarte, professional basketball player
• Leylah Fernandez, professional tennis player
• Marcelo Flores, professional soccer player
• Andres Fresenga, professional soccer player
• Kianz Froese, professional soccer player, born in Cuba
• Manny Gomez, professional soccer player, born in Argentina
• Vladimir Guerrero Jr., professional baseball player
• Cristián Gutiérrez, professional soccer player
• Melissa Humana-Paredes, professional beach volleyball player
• Otto Lopez, professional baseball player, born in the Dominican Republic
• Juan Cruz Mascia, professional soccer player
• Rosa Mendes, WWE Diva and professional wrestler
• Juan Mendez, professional basketball player
• Tony Menezes, Brazilian soccer 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
• Damiano Palmegiani, professional baseball player
• Carlos Patino, professional soccer player, born in Colombia
• Yoana Peralta, professional soccer player
• Daniel Pinero, professional baseball player
• Willi Plett, professional hockey player, NHL
• Robyn Regehr, professional hockey player, NHL
• Óscar Rivas professional boxer, born in Colombia
• 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
• Abraham Toro, professional baseball player
• Raffi Torres, professional hockey player, NHL
• Samuel Vargas, professional boxer, born in Colombia

Visual Art

• Gustavo Chams, visual artist

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.^{[citation needed]}

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.^[17]

See also

• Canada portal
• Latin America portal

• Latino
• Latin American diaspora
• Hispanic Americans
• Portuguese Canadians
• Spanish Canadians

References

1. %5b%5bStatistics Canada%5d%5d "New statistics reveal Canada's Latin American community includes more than 1.1 million people". Retrieved 20 January 2024. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
2. "Visible Minority and Population Group Reference Guide, Census of Population, 2021". Statistics Canada. 30 March 2022. Archived from the original on 18 June 2023. Retrieved 18 June 2023. The main groups designated as visible minorities are South Asian, Chinese, Black, Filipino, Arab, Latin American, Southeast Asian, West Asian, Korean and Japanese.
3. Canada, Government of Canada, Statistics. "Statistics Canada: Ethnocultural Portrait of Canada Highlight Tables, 2006 Census". www12.statcan.ca.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
4. "Profile table, Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population - Toronto [Census metropolitan area], Ontario". 9 February 2022.
5. "Profile table, Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population - Montréal [Census metropolitan area], Quebec". 9 February 2022.
6. "Profile table, Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population - Vancouver [Census metropolitan area], British Columbia". 9 February 2022.
7. "Profile table, Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population - Calgary [Census metropolitan area], Alberta". 9 February 2022.
8. "Visible minority (Latin American), both sexes, age (total), Canada, Alberta and census metropolitan areas and census agglomerations, 2016 Census – 25% Sample data". Canada 2016 Census. Canada 2016 Census. 25 October 2017. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
9. "Visible minority (Latin American), both sexes, age (total), Canada, Ontario and census metropolitan areas and census agglomerations, 2016 Census – 25% Sample data". Canada 2016 Census. Canada 2016 Census. 25 October 2017. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
10. , Total Population by Visible Minority Population(1), for Canada, Provinces and Territories, 1996
11. , 2001 Community Profiles
12. , Community Profiles from the 2006 Census, Statistics Canada - Province/Territory
13. , National Household Survey (NHS) Profile, 2011
14. Canada, Government of Canada, Statistics (27 October 2017). "Immigrant population by selected places of birth, admission category and period of immigration, Canada, provinces and territories, census metropolitan areas and areas outside of census metropolitan areas, 2016 Census". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 12 April 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
15. , Canada 2021 Census Profile, 2021
16. "Quien Es Ricardo Miranda? | Hola Calgary". Hola Calgary. 9 April 2017. Retrieved 14 April 2017.
17. "latin calgary". www.myfriendfernando.ca.