  | |
| Total population | |
| 349,640 (by ancestry,2016 Census)[1] 1.0% of Canada's population | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Languages | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
Swedish Canadians (Swedish:Svenskkanadensare) areCanadian citizens of Swedish ancestry orSwedes who emigrated to and reside in Canada. The Swedish Canadian community in Canada numbered 349,640 in the 2016 population census. The vast majority of them reside west ofLake Superior, primarily inWinnipeg, Calgary,Edmonton andVancouver.Toronto is the most popular settlement spot for newcomers.[2] Despite having an influential presence and distinctive cultural bond, only 14,000 Canadian persons of Swedish descent speak Swedish.[3]
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1921 | 61,503 | — |
| 1931 | 81,306 | +32.2% |
| 1941 | 85,396 | +5.0% |
| 1951 | 97,780 | +14.5% |
| 1961 | 121,757 | +24.5% |
| 1971 | 101,870 | −16.3% |
| 1981 | 78,360 | −23.1% |
| 1986 | 203,875 | +160.2% |
| 1991 | 236,660 | +16.1% |
| 1996 | 278,975 | +17.9% |
| 2001 | 282,760 | +1.4% |
| 2006 | 334,765 | +18.4% |
| 2011 | 341,845 | +2.1% |
| 2016 | 349,640 | +2.3% |
| Source:Statistics Canada [4]: 17 [5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16] Note: 1981 Canadian census did not include multiple ethnic origin responses, thus population is an undercount. | ||
A few Swedes immigrated into Canada before it became a country in 1867, but the first real wave of immigration began in the late 1890s and ended with the onset of theFirst World War in 1914. Included in this group were a significant number[quantify] of farmers who had settled first in the United States.
The first Swede,Jacob Fahlström, arrived in Canada in 1809, as an employee of theHudson's Bay Company. He was succeeded in 1812 by another Swedish man, who was accompanied by two other men fromNorway and Ireland to populate theRed River Colony in lowerManitoba. A much more substantive wave of Swedish settlers immigrated to Canada from the United States between 1868 and 1914, as land for farming became more and more scarce in America. Crop failures in their home country between 1866 and 1868 encouraged a similar exodus from Sweden.[citation needed]
The second and largest wave, which came during the 1920s, endured both the depression of the 1930s and theSecond World War 1939–45. The third wave, although not as numerous, has been steady since the 1950s.[2]
The immigrant pattern in Canada differs slightly from their counterpart in the United States. Whereas the majority of the earlier Swedish immigrants in America are from south-central Sweden, a significant portion of the Swedish immigrants in Canada are from the Stockholm region and Northern Sweden.[17]
As the economic situation improved after the Second World War, the overall emigration rate of Sweden slowed considerably. Very much like recent Swedish emigrants found in other parts of the world, many of the newcomers are connected with Swedish companies, and do not intend to remain in the country permanently.[citation needed]
Most Swedes settled in western Canada, fromNorthern Ontario toBritish Columbia. There were only a handful of strictly Swedish communities, the earliest being Scandinavia, Manitoba, in 1885 andStockholm, Saskatchewan, in 1886. TheCensus of Canada shows that Swedish immigrants could be found scattered throughout every province and territory, with pockets in rural areas and in some towns and cities.
Winnipeg acted as the Swedish capital of Canada until the 1940s whenVancouver took over this title. A significant number[quantify] of Swedes live in Calgary and Edmonton and their environs, but theToronto area is home to the largest concentration of newcomers, where it has one of the largest concentration of Swedish business in North America.[18]
More than 175 places' names in Canada are of Swedish origin,[19] which include Uppsala (Ontario), Stockholm (Saskatchewan) and Thorsby (Alberta).
Swedish Canadian population by province and territory in Canada in 2011:
| Province or territory | Swedish Canadians | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Canada | 341,845 | 1.1% |
 British Columbia | 106,085 | 2.45% |
 Alberta | 96,890 | 2.72% |
 Ontario | 67,795 | 0.54% |
 Saskatchewan | 32,705 | 3.24% |
 Manitoba | 22,575 | 1.92% |
 Quebec | 6,265 | 0.08% |
 Nova Scotia | 3,815 | 0.42% |
 New Brunswick | 2,640 | 0.36% |
 Newfoundland and Labrador | 955 | 0.18% |
 Yukon | 945 | 2.84% |
 Prince Edward Island | 600 | 0.44% |
 Northwest Territories | 510 | 1.25% |
 Nunavut | 65 | 0.21% |
Assimilation was considered by most Swedes as a primary goal to succeed.[citation needed] Early immigrants made every effort to master the English language[citation needed] while supporting a fairly large number of Swedish-language newspapers, including two weeklies. The only Swedish magazine in North America today, theSwedish Press, is published inVancouver.
Swedes are accustomed to four distinct seasons. Although Sweden is located quite far north (in theWestern Hemisphere it would lie in the middle ofHudson Bay), theGulf Stream keeps Sweden significantly more temperate than would be expected. The reason that so many Swedes settled on the prairies, despite the very different landscape and significantly colder winters, was the availability of land.
Noteworthy Canadians of Swedish origin include formerNHL Hockey starDaniel Alfredsson, who is originally from Sweden but has lived in Canada since playing 19 years for theOttawa Senators, and he eventually acquired Canadian citizenship in September 2016; Canadian SenatorPamela Wallin; JudgeTom Berger, who headed theMackenzie Valley Pipeline inquiry; architectArthur Erickson, who designedRoy Thomson Hall in Toronto and the Canadian Embassy in Washington, D.C.; singer-songwriter and recording artistMichael Saxell;Harry Strom, who was the premier ofAlberta (1968–1971); naturalistLouise de Kiriline Lawrence, who was the most prolific contributor to theAudubon; andRalph Gustafson, who won the Governor General's Award for poetry in 1974.
