Egyptian Canadians
Canadians of Egyptian ancestry
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Egyptian Canadians (Egyptian Arabic: كنديين مصريين) are Canadian citizens of Egyptian descent, first-generation Egyptian immigrants, or descendants of Egyptians who immigrated to Canada. According to the 2011 Census there were 73,250 Canadian citizens who are from Egypt,[6] having an increase compared to those in the 2006 Census.
كنديين مصريين | |
|---|---|
| Total population | |
| 105,245 (by ancestry, 2021 Census)[1] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 Ontario | 54,210[2] |
 Quebec | 30,240[3] |
 Alberta | 9,585[4] |
 British Columbia | 5,810[5] |
| Languages | |
| Egyptian Arabic, Coptic, Sa'idi Arabic, Canadian English, Canadian French | |
| Religion | |
| Christianity (56%), Islam (33%), Irreligion (8%), Jewish (2%) and other (1%) | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Egyptians, Egyptian diaspora | |
Egyptian-Canadians are mainly either Christians or Muslims. Most Christians are Coptic Orthodox with small numbers of Coptic Catholic and Coptic Protestant. Muslims are mostly Sunni.
During the 1960s, 75% of Egyptian immigrants settled in Montreal. By 1991, 49% of Egyptian Canadians were in Quebec, whereas 41% were living in Ontario. By 2011, 54% of Egyptian Canadians were living in Ontario and 31% in Quebec.[7] Most Egyptian Canadians are concentrated in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver.
Geographical distribution
| Province | Population | Percentage | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ontario | 52,840 | 0.4% | [8] |
| Quebec | 29,400 | 0.4% | [9] |
| Alberta | 8,530 | 0.2% | [10] |
| British Columbia | 4,520 | 0.1% | [11] |
 Manitoba | 1,340 | 0.1% | [12] |
 Nova Scotia | 800 | 0.1% | [13] |
 Saskatchewan | 540 | 0.1% | [14] |
 Newfoundland and Labrador | 320 | 0.1% | [15] |
 New Brunswick | 210 | 0.0% | [16] |
 Prince Edward Island | 115 | 0.1% | [17] |
 Northwest Territories | 10 | 0.0% | [18] |
 Nunavut | 10 | 0.0% | [19] |
 Yukon | 10 | 0.0% | [20] |
 Canada | 99,140 | 0.3% | [21] |
Religion
Throughout the 1970s, immigrants from Egypt to Canada consisted of both Christians and Muslims, who mostly left due to poverty in their home country.[7] Starting in 1985, the Canadian government encouraged investors to immigrate, which attracted wealthy Egyptians; these are described as "more conservative and less exposed to European influences than previous arrivals”.[7]
A 1989 survey of Egyptian Canadians in Quebec found that 35% were Copts, 20% Catholics, and 19% Muslims, while 13% followed other faiths and 12% did not indicate any religion.[22]
The 2011 Census found that 73,250 people reported "Egyptian" ancestry and 3,570 reported "Coptic" ancestry.[6] It also found that 16,255 people reported Coptic Orthodox church as their religion.[23]
| Religious group | 2021[24][a] | 2001[25] | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pop. | % | Pop. | % | |
| Catholic | 11,815 | 9.24% | 10,075 | 24.39% |
| Protestant | 2,905 | 2.27% | 2,100 | 5.08% |
| Oriental Orthodox | 43,835 | 34.3% | 12,650 | 30.62% |
| Non-denominational Christian | 15,180 | 11.88% | 3,370 | 8.16% |
| (Total Christian) | 73,735 | 57.69% | 28,195 | 68.25% |
| Islam | 40,670 | 31.82% | 10,450 | 25.3% |
| Judaism | 1,630 | 1.28% | 545 | 1.32% |
| Other | 360 | 0.28% | 150 | 0.36% |
| Irreligious | 11,415 | 8.93% | 1,965 | 4.76% |
| Total Egyptian Canadian population | 127,815 | 100% | 41,310 | 100% |
Notable people
- Sheref Sabawy – Member of Provincial Parliament in Ontario, first elected of Egyptian origion
- Athena Karkanis – film actor, voice actor
- Maryse Andraos – writer
- Manuel Tadros – singer, songwriter, actor, comedian and voice actor
- Xavier Dolan – filmmaker, son of Manuel Tadros
- Mohamed Fahmy – journalist, author
- Jean Mohsen Fahmy – writer
- Alex Erian – one of the two vocalists of Despised Icon
- Mena Massoud – actor
- Yasmine Mohammed – human rights activist, author
- Ariel Helwani – sports journalist, born in Canada to an Egyptian Jewish father and Lebanese Jewish mother
- Omar Marmoush – footballer, born in Egypt to Egyptian-Canadian parents and has dual Egyptian-Canadian citizenship
- Noor Naga – writer
- Adel Sedra – electrical engineer and University Professor
- Marcus Youssef – playwright
- Zeina – pop singer
- Michael Hage – hockey player of Egyptian descent selected 1st round in the 2024 NHL draft with the Montreal Canadiens.
- Vanessa Lengies – actress
- Amir Ali – Canadian-American judge
See also
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Notes
- Religious breakdown proportions based on "Egyptian" and « Coptic » ethnic or cultural origin response on the 2021 census.[24]