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| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 136,240 (by place of birth,2021 Census)[1] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Languages | |
| Religion | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
Sri Lankan Canadians refers to people fromSri Lanka who have arrived and settled inCanada. Among theseimmigrants include members from theTamil,Moor,Malay,Sinhalese andBurgher ethnicities. According to the 2021 census there are 136,240 Sri Lankan-born persons in Canada.[2]
| Religious group | 2021[3][a] | 2001[4][b] | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pop. | % | Pop. | % | |
| Hinduism | 74,910 | 51.85% | 39,090 | 63.75% |
| Christianity | 34,550 | 23.91% | 15,350 | 25.03% |
| Buddhism | 19,050 | 13.18% | 3,440 | 5.61% |
| Irreligion | 10,220 | 7.07% | 1,715 | 2.8% |
| Islam | 5,425 | 3.75% | 1,470 | 2.4% |
| Judaism | 60 | 0.04% | 55 | 0.09% |
| Sikhism | 55 | 0.04% | 40 | 0.07% |
| Indigenous spirituality | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% |
| Other | 225 | 0.16% | 145 | 0.24% |
| Total Sri Lankan Canadian population | 144,485 | 100% | 61,315 | 100% |
Sri Lankan Canadians are concentrated in the cities ofToronto (Malvern) andMontreal. According to the 2001 census, there are 62,000 Canadians who claim Sri Lankan ancestry, but only 10,000 claimed to be ofSinhaleseancestry.[5] The number may not be an actual representation because manyTamil Canadians from Sri Lanka classify themselves asTamil rather than Sri Lankan due to history of theSri Lankan Civil War.
The Sri Lankan Canadian Population according to Statistics Canada in the 2006 census in the 10 Canadian Provinces and 3 territories:[6]
Some Sri Lankan Canadians hold citizenship in both Canada and Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankan government encourage Sri Lankan expatriates to obtain the citizenship of their country of birth[19] at a fee and to return to Sri Lanka at a future date. There is a drive to attract the educated Sri Lankan immigrants in Canada for new opportunities arising in the government sector of Sri Lanka (such as universities, research institutes etc.),[20][21] which may sometime require the applicants to be Sri Lankan citizens.
Sri Lankan Organizations and Associations in Canada and their role:There is a considerable number of Sri Lankan associations in Canada. The main objectives of these associations are to help the immigrants, continue their Sri Lankan traditions and to help Sri Lanka. Some of these associations are ethnic based but majority of the cities have associations which cater to all people having a link with Sri Lanka regardless of their ethnic or political orientation (E.g. [Tamil Cultural Association of Waterloo region [community organisation for Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge, Guelph, Brantford]).
List of Sri Lankan organizations and associations in Ontario:
News Papers catering Sri Lankan CanadiansA number of newspapers are printed in Ontario to cater the Sri Lankan diaspora. They are printed in English, Tamil and Sinhalese languages and distributed free. These news papers mainly tell the stories from Sri Lanka (current and old) and talks about the achievements of Canadian Sri Lankans. Sometimes, they get into small discussions on Sri Lankan politics as well as give some general information and tips necessary to help immigrants survive in Canada. These newspapers can be picked up at some grocery stores where they sell Sri Lankan food, places of religious worship, etc.
List of Sri Lankan news papers available in Ontario.
Famous Sri Lankan Canadians includeMichael Ondaatje and his financier brotherChristopher Ondaatje; Principal Research scientist at the National Research Council of CanadaChandre Dharma-wardana; Academic EngineerIndira Samarasekera, musicianNirmala Basnayake, formerly of the bandcontroller.controller; news anchorAnne-Marie Mediwake; anchor novelistShyam Selvadurai; cricketersSanjayan Thuraisingam, film Actor, producer and multiple Guinness World Record-holderSuresh Joachim; andPubudu Dassanayake.
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