Canadians of Sri Lankan origin
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| (139,415 (by ancestry, 2011 Census)) |
|
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Ontario · Quebec · British Columbia · Alberta | |
| Languages | |
| Canadian English · Tamil · Sinhalese · Sri Lankan Malay | |
| Religion | |
| Hinduism · Buddhism · Islam · Christianity | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Sri Lankan people · South Asian Canadians |
Sri Lankan Canadians refers to people from Sri Lanka who have arrived and settled in Canada. Among these immigrants include members from the Tamil, Sinhalese, Moor, Malay and Burgher ethnicities. As of 2006 there are 103,625 Sri Lankans in Canada.
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.
The Sri Lankan Canadian Population according to Statistics Canada in the 2006 census in the 10 Canadian Provinces and 3 territories:
Some Sri Lankan Canadians are holding the citizenship of both countries, 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.
Since almost all the Sri Lankans who immigrated to Canada under skilled migration schemes have received their higher education free, there is a moral tendency among them to obtain dual citizenship in addition to the fact that they left behind relatives and accrued wealth.{Ref:to be added}
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]).
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