Sri Lankan Canadians
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Sri Lankan Canadians refers to people from Sri Lanka who have arrived and settled in Canada. Among these immigrants include members from the Tamil, Moor, Malay, Sinhalese and Burgher ethnicities. According to the 2021 census there are 136,240 Sri Lankan-born persons in Canada.
Demography
| Religious group | 2021 | 2001 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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% |
Geographical distribution
Sri Lankan Canadians are concentrated in the cities of Toronto and Montreal. According to the 2001 census, there are 62,000 Canadians who claim Sri Lankan ancestry, but only 10,000 claimed to be of Sinhalese ancestry. The number may not be an actual representation because many Tamil Canadians from Sri Lanka classify themselves as Tamil rather than Sri Lankan due to history of the Sri Lankan Civil War.
Provinces & territories
The Sri Lankan Canadian Population according to Statistics Canada in the 2006 census in the 10 Canadian Provinces and 3 territories:
| Province | Sri Lankans |
|---|---|
| Ontario | 85,935 |
| Quebec | 10,750 |
| British Columbia | 4,150 |
| Alberta | 1,740 |
| Manitoba | 445 |
| Saskatchewan | 240 |
| Nova Scotia | 155 |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | 115 |
| New Brunswick | 45 |
| Yukon | 25 |
| Northwest Territories | 10 |
| Nunavut | 10 |
| Prince Edward Island | 0 |
| Canada | 103,625 |
Dual citizenship
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 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.), which may sometime require the applicants to be Sri Lankan citizens.
Notable Sri Lankan Canadians
Famous Sri Lankan Canadians include Michael Ondaatje and his financier brother Christopher Ondaatje; Principal Research scientist at the National Research Council of Canada Chandre Dharma-wardana; Academic Engineer Indira Samarasekera, musician Nirmala Basnayake, formerly of the band controller.controller; news anchor Anne-Marie Mediwake; anchor novelist Shyam Selvadurai; cricketers Sanjayan Thuraisingam, film Actor, producer and multiple Guinness World Record-holder Suresh Joachim; and Pubudu Dassanayake.