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. 1.6 million (all, 2023 Statistics Canada estimates) 3.3% of Canadian population | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Central-west Greater Toronto Area, Hamilton-Burlington, St. Catharines, Simcoe County, Southwestern Ontario • Greater Montreal, Sherbrooke, Quebec City Area • increasing populations in Ottawa–Gatineau, Metro Vancouver, Vancouver Island, Greater 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 (French: Canadiens d'Amérique latine; Portuguese: Canadenses da América Latina; Spanish: Canadienses de América Latina), 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 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. However, the census acknowledges the fact that Latin Americans can be white, as is the case of many Latin Americans in Canada, since Latin Americans are not a homogenous race and can have their origins in European, African, Indigenous, Asian people, or any mix of those groups.
Over 1 million (3% of Canadians) are of Latin American or Hispanic descent, according to 2023 Statistics Canada data estimates.