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 + Sri Lankan Canadian demography by religionReligious group20212001 Hinduism 74,910 39,090 Christianity 34,550 15,350 Buddhism 19,050 3,440 Irreligion 10,220 1,715 Islam 5,425 1,470 Judaism 60 55 Sikhism 55 40 Indigenous spirituality 0 0 Other 225 145 Total Sri Lankan Canadian population 144,485 61,315
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:Ethnocultural Portrait of Canada Highlight Tables (choose desired city in the left column and look under the term "Sri Lankan" in the chart)
ProvinceSri Lankans Ontario85,935 Quebec10,750 British Columbia4,150 Alberta1,740 Manitoba445 Saskatchewan240 Nova Scotia155 Newfoundland and Labrador115 New Brunswick45 Yukon25 Northwest Territories10 Nunavut10 Prince Edward Island0 Canada103,625
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.
See also
South Asian Canadian Tamil Canadians
Notes
References
External links Canadian Tamil Business Directory