Armenians in Canada
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 2001 Canadian census determined that there were 40,505 Canadians of Armenian ancestry[1] and 27,350 had Armenian as their mother tongue.[2] This number is likely to be underestimated as the Armenian churches speak about more than 80,000 individuals.[4] A large part of the Armenian diaspora in Canada came from Lebanon, Egypt, Iran, etc. [3]
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[edit] History
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Armenians who had escaped persecution from the Armenian Genocide formed communities in southern Ontario. However, Armenian immigration was limited; since the Canadian government had classified Armenians as Asiatic, they were considered alien and undesirable guests.
Thousands of Armenians made their way to Canada after the Immigration Law became less restrictive in the 1950s. Many of the newcomers were originally from Middle Eastern countries which were hampered by conflict, such as Egypt, Iran, Lebanon, Syria and Turkey.
In the early 1990s, some Armenians immigrated to Canada after the disintegration of the Soviet Union.
Most Armenian-Canadians are centered in the provinces of Quebec (with communities in Montreal and Laval) and Ontario (Toronto, Cambridge and St. Catharines) and are active in community life. Smaller communities exist in the central and Maritime Provinces, with a slightly larger community in British Columbia.
[edit] Communities
[edit] Montreal
The Armenian community in Montreal has two full-time Armenian schools, the Sourp Hagop Armenian School and the Alex Manoogian School. In nearby Laval, there is also Nareg School.
[edit] Toronto
The Armenian community in Toronto is centred in the neighbourhoods of Don Valley Village and Pleasant View in north-central Toronto. The hub of the community is the Armenian Community Centre of Toronto complex at Victoria Park and 401.
[edit] Notable Armenian Canadians
- Raffi Armenian – composer.
- André Arthur (half-Armenian, father's original name was Isakian/DerSahag) – radiohost and independent MP; father René and uncle Gérard were also radiohosts.
- Sarkis Assadourian – Former Liberal MP 1993-2004.
- Isabel Bayrakdarian – soprano.
- Ann Cavoukian – Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario.
- Atom Egoyan – filmmaker.
- Noushig Eloyan – municipal politician (Montreal).
- Yousuf Karsh – photographer.
- Malak Karsh – photographer.
- Arsinee Khanjian – actress.
- Patrick Masbourian – (American-born) radio and television host, film director.
- Peter Oundjian – violinist and conductor.
- Alice Panikian – 2006 Miss Universe Canada.
- Raffi – children's singer and songwriter.
- Raymond Setlakwe – entrepreneur, politician, lawyer.
- George Tutunjian – pioneering Armenian Revolutionary Songs performer.
- Jack Kachkar – Businessman. CEO of Inyx Inc.
[edit] Notes
- ^ Statistics Canada, 2001 Census, 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, 97F0010XCB2001001 [1]
- ^ Statistics Canada, 2001 Census, Detailed Mother Tongue (160), Sex (3) and Age Groups (15) for Population, for Canada, Provinces, Territories, Census Metropolitan Areas 1 and Census Agglomerations, 1996 and 2001 Censuses - 20% Sample Data, 97F0007XCB2001001 [2]
- ^ Canadian Encyclopedia article on "Armenians" [3]
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Horizon Weekly Newspaper
- Armenian National Committee of Canada
- Audio file about Montreal Armenians, in French
Armenian diaspora in the Americas • Armenian diaspora in Europe • Armenian diaspora in the Middle East
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