 Spanish ancestry by census division (2021) | |
| Total population | |
| 342,040 (by ancestry,2021 Census)[1] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Languages | |
| Religion | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Part ofa series on the |
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_alternate_colours.svg) Rojigualda (historical Spanish flag) |
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| SignificantSpanish diaspora |
 Category •  Spain portal |
Spanish Canadians (Spanish:hispanocanadienses or canadienses españoles) areCanadians of full or partialSpanish who hold citizenship from Spain as well as one from Canada. They likely also include many Canadians of Latin-American ethnic origin who use the term "Spanish" as apanethnicethnonym rather than only their specific country of ancestry. For example, someone whose familial origins are fromEl Salvador,Honduras,Colombia orGuatemala may call themself "Spanish" to identify with the larger Spanish speaking community. SeeLatin American Canadian for more information.
The laws in Spain (seeSpanish nationality law) limit who may be granted Spanish citizenship from Latin America to parents and grandparents who once held Spanish citizenship. More recently the legal system in Spain has granted citizenship to Cubans who can prove that their grandparents immigrated toCuba during theSpanish Civil War (seeHistorical Memory Law).
Spain had land claims to all of Canada sinceChristopher Columbus claimed theNew World for Spain on 12 October 1492. Through the Treaty of Tordesillas signed 7 June 1494 thePope Alexander VI divided the New World between Spain and Portugal. Portugal received the eastern portion of Brazil and Spain received the rest, which included Canada.(seeTreaty of Tordesillas)[2]
Later the Spanish conquistador and explorerVasco Núñez de Balboa became the first European to see and stand in the waters of the eastern shore of thePacific Ocean. He accomplished this feat after an arduous trek through the jungles of what is now Panama. Once there Balboa with raised hands, his sword in one and a standard with the image of the Virgin Mary in the other, he walked knee-deep into Ocean, and claimed possession of the Pacific Ocean and all adjoining lands (which included British Columbia) for Spain in the name of his Spanish sovereigns on 13 September 1513.
Then a Greek born Spanish explorerJuan de Fuca in the service of the king ofSpain,Philip II, explored theStrait of Anián in 1592, now known as theStrait of Juan de Fuca, betweenVancouver Island, now part ofBritish Columbia,Canada and northwesternWashington state,United States.
People from northwestern Spain known asBasques have been landing inNewfoundland since the late 14th century to dry their cod fish, which they caught in theGrand Banks of Newfoundland. By 1578,Anthony Parkhurst, a merchant, explorer, and advocate of English settlement in Newfoundland, was able to count over 100 Spanish vessels at Newfoundland, all seeking cod. In contrast, the level of English activity during this period was quite small. Parkhurst claimed that in 1573, there were only four English vessels at Newfoundland.
Starting in the mid-18th century, Spain's claim began to be challenged in the form ofBritish andRussian fur trading and colonization. KingCharles III of Spain and his successors sent a number of expeditions to present-day Canada and Alaska between 1774 and 1793, to counter the threat of Russian and British colonizers and to strengthen the Spanish claim. During this period of history it was important for a nation's claims to be backed up by exploration and the "first European discovery" of particular places.
Since Spain was busy colonizing Latin America, Canada was ignored until the 18th century when Spain made an effort to explore and set up forts in British Columbia. While it is thought that SirFrancis Drake may have explored the British Columbian coast in 1579, it wasJuan Pérez who completed the first documented voyage, which took place in 1774.Juan Francisco de la Bodega y Quadra explored the coast in 1775. In doing so, Pérez and de la Bodega reasserted theSpanish claim for the Pacific coast, first made byVasco Núñez de Balboa in 1513.
A major war between Spain and Britain over British Columbia could have begun via the Nootka Sound dispute in 1789. Spain at the time sentJosé Martínez to occupyNootka Sound and establish exclusive Spanish sovereignty. During the summer of 1789, a number of fur trading vessels, British and American, arrived at Nootka. A conflict over sovereignty arose between the captain of the BritishArgonaut,James Colnett, and Martínez. By the end of the summer Martínez had arrested Colnett, seized several British ships, and arrested their crews. Colnett had come to Nootka Sound intending to build a permanent trading post and colony on land previously acquired by his business associateJohn Meares. At the end of the summer Martínez abandoned Nootka and took the captured ships and prisoners toSan Blas,New Spain. The news about these events triggered a confrontation between Spain and Britain known as theNootka Crisis which nearly led to war. A major war over British Columbia with the British was peacefully resolved via the Nootka Convention, with both parties retaining their claims until a future solution could be finalized.
In the early 19th century, Spain was weakened due to theNapoleonic Wars and theSpanish American Wars of Independence it had to fight inSouth America againstSimón Bolívar andJosé de San Martín. Eventually, Spain felt that in its weakened state it might lose its North American territories to Britain. As a result of this, Spain decided to transfer its claims to parts of North America to its old ally United States during theAmerican Revolutionary War through theAdams–Onís Treaty of 1819. In exchange, the U.S. promised to pay U.S. residents claims against the Spanish government totaling $5,000,000. Consequently, the United States of America has used its inherited Spanish rights to support its claims to theOregon country which consisted of theOregon Territory andBritish Columbia during theOregon boundary dispute with Britain.
The population of Canadians self-identified as ofSpanish descent is 325,740, including those with multiple ethnic backgrounds.[3] However, the laws in Spain limit[citation needed] the people who may be called Spaniard to those who can hold a European Union Spanish citizenship. For example, a Latin American would not be considered Spanish or a Spaniard in Spain until he can prove that his most recent parents or grandparents once held a Spanish passport or citizenship. The actual population that can legally be called Spaniard is probably only a fraction of the 325,730. This error originates with the actual Canadians who tend to blindly group all Latin Americans who speak the Spanish language as Spanish.
Spanish Canadians who hold Spanish citizenship from Spain are mostly concentrated inEdmonton,Winnipeg,Vancouver,Toronto,Montreal,Ottawa,London, andMississauga.
Spaniards are found in all areas of the city of Montreal as well as in suburbs such asDollard-des-Ormeaux,Laval,Brossard, andGreenfield Park. There is no "Spanish quartier", but Montreal'sRue Saint-Laurent is home to Spanish associations, which should not be confused with Latin American Associations, as well as to the Librería Española. They tend to congregate with otherSouthern Europeans such asPortuguese,Italians, andGreeks, as well asLatin Americans.[4]
The Spanish population in Ontario and Quebec were relatively minor until afterWorld War II and have not really had a profound impact in developing or promoting their language and culture, unlike theHispanophoneLatin American community. This in part is due to the fact that the Spanish population in Canada is much smaller in comparison to the HispanophoneLatin American population. As a rule of thumb, second generation Spanish Canadians seem to have become indifferent or have lost interest in having any ties to Spain[citation needed] and have easily been absorbed into theAnglophone orFrancophone Canadian culture. Those Spanish Canadians who retained their language live along with and/or intermarried with Hispanophone Latin American Canadians[citation needed]; Spanish and French areRomance languages and share similarities inmorphology andsyntax.
The Spanish population inNova Scotia has been growing in size and popularity in the last years. Atiantic Flamenco, a charitable organization to promote Flamenco in the Atlantic Provinces, is based in Halifax and was founded by Madrid born María OsendeFlamenco andBallet dancer and teacher. This organization hosts events regularly such as the “Halifax Feria de Abril” (Halifax April’s fair inEnglish).[5]
| Province | Population | Percentage | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
 Ontario | 171,145 | 1.3% | [6] |
 Quebec | 85,360 | 1.1% | [7] |
 British Columbia | 64,470 | 1.4% | [8] |
 Alberta | 48,055 | 1.2% | [9] |
 Manitoba | 12,620 | 1.0% | [10] |
 Saskatchewan | 5,670 | 0.5% | [11] |
 Nova Scotia | 4,295 | 0.5% | [12] |
 New Brunswick | 2,550 | 0.4% | [13] |
 Newfoundland and Labrador | 1,110 | 0.2% | [14] |
 Prince Edward Island | 510 | 0.4% | [15] |
 Northwest Territories | 315 | 0.8% | [16] |
 Yukon | 270 | 0.8% | [17] |
 Nunavut | 75 | 0.2% | [18] |
 Canada | 396,460 | 1.2% | [19] |
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