Assyrians | |
|---|---|
| Total population | |
| 31,800 (by ancestry,2021 census)[1] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| major:Toronto,Hamilton,Ottawa minor:Vancouver,Windsor,London | |
| Languages | |
| English·French·Assyrian Neo-Aramaic | |
| Religion | |
| MainlyChristianity (majority:Syriac Christianity; minority:Protestantism) |
Assyrian Canadians (French:Canadiens Assyriens) areCanadians ofAssyrian descent or Assyrians who haveCanadian citizenship. According to the2011 census, there were 10,810 Canadians who claimed Assyrian ancestry,[2] an increase compared to the 8,650 in the 2006 Census.[3]
They are the indigenouspre-Arab andpre-Turkic people of northernIraq, southeastTurkey, northeasternSyria, and northwestIran, who speak dialects ofEastern Aramaic and are mainly Christian, although some are irreligious. Although most come from the aforementioned countries, many Assyrians have immigrated to Canada fromJordan,Georgia andArmenia as well.
The vast majority of Assyrian Canadians live in Ontario; 17,100 of the 20,000 while 1,000 live inWindsor.[4]Greater Toronto Area contains the bulk of Ontario's Assyrians, especially in the communities ofBrampton andMississauga.
There, however, are very few outside ofOntario within Canada. For instance,Quebec only has 900 Assyrians, only 0.01% of its population.
Battleford's News-Optimist on June 22, 1979, noted that, "The Canadian West has no greater settlement story than that of theAssyrians who landed on Canadian soil on January 1, 1903."[5][6]
Reverend Dr. Isaac Adams organized two groups of Assyrian immigrants fromUrmia, one in 1903 and 1906. Unlike many other immigrant groups at the time, the settlers were composed of families and not just men. They were the first Presbyterians in the region.[6]
ThePresbyterian Record, on January 1, 2008, the anniversary of the arrival of the Assyrian settlers, entitled their commemorative article: "Presby-Assyrians: they escaped persecution to form a unique community inSaskatchewan", connoting their religious and ethnic heritage.[7]
Most Assyrians arrived in Canada due to bothethnic persecution andreligious persecution, mainly from their ancient ancestralAssyrian homeland in northernIraq, southeastTurkey, northeastSyria and northwestIran. The migration to Canada may be broken up into a number of distinct periods: early settlement and the subsequent waves of migration sparked by theAssyrian genocide in present-day Turkey and Iran, theIranian Revolution of 1979 and, more recently, theIraq War andSyrian Civil War. The last 2006Census Canada counted 8,650[3]
The first period of known mass-migration came just after theAssyrian genocide in the dying days of the TurkishOttoman Empire. The second and perhaps largest wave of migration into came during theIran–Iraq War. Under the shadow of war, Saddam Hussein'sal-Anfal Campaign constituted a major force for migration for Iraq's Assyrian population.
In 2014 after theISIS attacks on the Nineveh plains, a rally on behalf ofAssyrian genocide recognition was organized inWindsor, Ontario, at theCity Hall. Over 100 attendants, mostlyAssyrian Christians, came out to rally theCanadian government to create anAssyrian State, through theUN. The rally received the support ofBrian Masse of theNDP who spoke briefly, as well as a priest from the localGreek Orthodox Church.[8]
According to the 2021Canadian Census a total of 27,690 individuals classified "Aramaic languages" as their mother tongue including 17,220 statingAssyrian, 8,860 statingChaldean, and 1,600 simply stating Aramaic.[9]
Under the Ethnic or Cultural origin section, 19,685 identified asAssyrian and 12,115 asChaldean for a total of 31,800.[9]
| Provinces and territories | (2011)[10] |
|---|---|
 Ontario | 9,420 |
 British Columbia | 444 |
 Alberta | 380 |
 Manitoba | 260 |
 Saskatchewan | 175 |
| Provinces and territories | (2016)[11] |
|---|---|
| Ontario | 12,075 |
| British Columbia | 545 |
| Alberta | 560 |
| Manitoba | 40 |
| Saskatchewan | 215 |
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