Cambodian Canadians

Cambodian Canadians
Total population
(34,340
(0.1% of Canada's population))
Regions with significant populations
Montreal, Quebec (6,110),
Ontario, Alberta
Languages
Khmer, Quebec French, Cambodian French, Canadian English
Religion

majority: Theravada Buddhism,

minority:Roman Catholic
Related ethnic groups
Cambodians, Cambodian Americans

Cambodian Canadians, also known as Khmer Canadians, are Canadians of Cambodian ethnic origin or ancestry. According to the 2011 national census, Canada had recorded a Cambodian-Canadian population of 34,340,[1][2] translating into 0.74% of the Asian-Canadian population of 4,659,395, making them one of the smallest minority groups of Asian ancestry.

Many Cambodian-Canadians are bilingual due to France also having a historical influence on Cambodia, whose second official language (during the time of French colonization) was French. Christianity and cultural Buddhism are also the two major religions in which Cambodian-Canadians follow.

History

During the Khmer Rouge genocide of 1975-1979, Cambodians of many ethnic backgrounds escaped to refugee camps in the neighboring countries of Thailand and Vietnam. Due to the mass amount of refugees, many Cambodians migrated to Canada, USA, France and Australia. In 1981 there were 13,000 Cambodian-Canadian Refugees, [3] with most of the population settling into major cities such as Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, Calgary, Edmonton and Quebec City. The Jane and Finch neighbourhood of Toronto has a notably large Cambodian population, in which they make up about 4% of the community.[4]

Demographics

Province or territory Cambodian Canadians
 Quebec 14,695
 Ontario 12,620
 Alberta 3,555
 British Columbia 2,385
 Saskatchewan 80
 Manitoba 345
 Newfoundland and Labrador 0
 New Brunswick 0
 Nova Scotia 10
 Prince Edward Island 0
 Yukon 0
 Northwest Territories 0
 Nunavut 0
 Canada 34,340[1][5]

Religion

Cambodians are formally known as Theravada Buddhists, but follow a mix of a cultural adaptation of Buddhism and ancient religious views and principles. Ever since Cambodia was under French colonization, the amount of Christian followers among Cambodian populations has also increased, leading to several Cambodian-Christian establishments throughout Ontario. Buddhist followers however pray throughout the year, with the celebration of Khmer New Year lasting three days centered around the 13th of April.

The religious festival of Pchum Ben, also known as Ancestor's Day, is the remembrance of the deceased. On this day is when Cambodians pay their respects to deceased relatives and ancestors. On Ancestor's day, people would offer food to the monks, who would then give their blessings to the people and their ancestors. The significance of food to this festival correlates with the belief that the ghosts of their ancestors will receive it.

Organizations

In 1979, members of the Cambodian-Canadian community established the CCAO (Cambodian-Canadian Association of Ontario), alongside other notable community organizations such as the Khmer Buddhist Group.

Notable people

See also

References

  1. 1 2 NHS Profile, Canada, 2011, Statistics Canada
  2. ↑ http://www12.statcan.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/hlt/97-562/pages/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo=PR&Code=01&Data=Count&Table=2&StartRec=1&Sort=3&Display=All&CSDFilter=5000
  3. ↑ http://www.photius.com/countries/cambodia/society/cambodia_society_migration_and_refuge~1.html
  4. ↑ NHS Profile, 0312.02, Ontario, 2011, Statistics Canada
  5. ↑ http://www12.statcan.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/tbt/Rp-eng.cfm?TABID=1&LANG=E&APATH=3&DETAIL=0&DIM=0&FL=A&FREE=0&GC=0&GK=0&GRP=1&PID=89424&PRID=0&PTYPE=88971,97154&S=0&SHOWALL=0&SUB=0&Temporal=2006&THEME=72&VID=0&VNAMEE=&VNAMEF=
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