Middle Eastern Canadians

Middle Eastern Canadians are Canadians who were either born in or can trace their ancestry to the Middle East, which includes both West Asia and North Africa.

History

Initial settlement

Individuals from the Middle East first arrived in Canada in 1882, when a group of Syrian-Lebanese immigrants settled in Montreal. These early Arab immigrants were mostly Christian and arrived primarily from the Levant.
In 1901, approximately 2,000 immigrants from Greater Syria, encompassing modern-day Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel, and Palestine, settled in Canada.

20th century

During World War I, Middle Eastern Canadians of Turkish origin were placed in "enemy alien" internment camps.
The Middle Eastern Canadian population grew rapidly during the latter half of the 20th century; the 1979 Iranian Revolution resulted in a spike of immigration to Canada from the West Asian country.

21st century

The Syrian refugee crisis during the 2010s fueled further growth to the already existing Syrian population; increased immigration from the West Asian country resulted in Syria becoming the third highest source country of immigration to Canada adding 35,000 Syrians becoming permanent residents in 2016.

Demography

Ethnic and national origins

Language

The vast majority of Middle Eastern Canadians speak West Asian and North African languages as a mother tongue or second language. The top five Middle Eastern languages spoken in Canada include Arabic, Persian, Hebrew, Turkish, and Armenian.

Religion

Islam, Christianity, and Judaism are the dominant religions among the Middle Eastern Canadian population.