Haitian Canadians (French: Haïtiano-Canadiens) are Canadians of Haitian descent or Haiti-born people who reside in Canada. As of 2016, more than 86% of Haitian Canadians reside in Quebec.[2]
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 178,990 (by ancestry, 2021 Census)[1] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Mostly Quebec, with smaller populations in Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia, New Brunswick | |
| Languages | |
| Canadian French, Canadian English, Haitian Creole | |
| Religion | |
| Predominantly: Roman Catholicism and Haitian Vodou Minority: Protestantism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Haitians, French Canadians, Black Canadians, Haitian Americans |
Haitian migration to Canada
Immigration
1960–1980
Immigration from Haiti to Quebec started in 1963.[3] Haitian settlement in the Quebec municipality Montreal increased about 40% between the late 1960s and the early 1970s. Immigration data from 1968 shows that Haiti placed fifteenth in overall origin countries outputting migrants to Quebec; in addition, Haiti had 1.6% of the total immigration percentage of Quebec in 1968. In the span of five years, Haiti became the second-largest source country for Quebec immigration, accounting for 8.4% of the total number of immigrants to Quebec in 1973.[3]
The impact of Nationalism and Political Tension in Haiti on Immigration
The migration of Haitian immigrants between 1969 and 1974 can be understood through the political institutions in place within Haiti at the time. Haiti was governed by way of a dictatorship, led by François Duvalier.[3] Duvalier had been contested by the leftist Unified Party of Haitian Communists, who failed in resisting Duvalier's authoritarian regime.[3] Duvalier's death and the subsequent succession of his son Jean-Claude Duvalier led to the notion of “patriotic action”, a declaration of nationalism directed towards Haitian Canadian and Haitian American immigrants, as well as a call to action in assisting their Haitian brethren.[3] Haitian Canadians joined forces with their home country brethren in some cases to assist in the "“resolution of the Haitian crisis” and to attempt to establish greater leftist political power.[4] The idea of “patriotic action” finalized with the potential deportation faced by around 700 Haitian Canadians from 1972 to 1973.[3] These Haitian Québécois joined forces under a protest movement in regards to their rights as citizens; these protests were organized by the Christian community of Haitians of Montreal.[3]
Demographics
| Number of Haitian nationals granted permanent residence in Canada by year[5] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Number of Haitian nationals admitted | Total number of permanent residents admitted | Proportion of permanent residents admitted |
| 2002 | 2,217 | 229,048 | 1% |
| 2003 | 1,945 | 221,349 | 0.9% |
| 2004 | 1,657 | 235,823 | 0.7% |
| 2005 | 1,719 | 262,242 | 0.7% |
| 2006 | 1,650 | 251,640 | 0.7% |
| 2007 | 1,614 | 236,753 | 0.7% |
| 2008 | 2,509 | 247,246 | 1% |
| 2009 | 2,085 | 252,174 | 0.8% |
| 2010 | 4,552 | 280,691 | 1.6% |
| 2011 | 6,208 | 248,748 | 2.5% |
Haitian Canadians by Canadian province or territory (2016)
| Province | Population | Percentage | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
 Quebec | 143,165 | 1.8% | [6] |
 Ontario | 17,715 | 0.1% | [7] |
 Alberta | 2,235 | 0.1% | [8] |
 British Columbia | 1,140 | 0.0% | [9] |
 Nova Scotia | 355 | 0.0% | [10] |
 New Brunswick | 305 | 0.0% | [11] |
 Manitoba | 235 | 0.0% | [12] |
 Saskatchewan | 185 | 0.0% | [13] |
 Prince Edward Island | 35 | 0.0% | [14] |
 Newfoundland and Labrador | 25 | 0.0% | [15] |
 Northwest Territories | 10 | 0.0% | [16] |
 Nunavut | 0 | 0.0% | [17] |
 Yukon | 0 | 0.0% | [18] |
 Canada | 165,095 | 0.5% | [19] |
Notable Haitian Canadians
See also
- Canada–Haiti relations
- Haitian Americans
- Haitian diaspora
- Black Canadians in Montreal
- Roxham Road, unofficial border crossing used irregularly by many Haitians temporarily in the U.S. to seek asylum in Canada during 2017