Armenians in Canada ( Armenian կանադահայեր , kanadahayer ) is a community of ethnic Armenians living in Canada . According to the 2006 census, their number was 50,500 people [3] of which 30,130 people consider Armenian their native language. [4] Most of the Armenian diaspora in Canada come from the Middle East and some European countries. [5] Recently, Canada has also seen an increase in immigration from Armenia , especially after the collapse of the Soviet Union .
| Armenians in Canada | |
|---|---|
| Abundance and area | |
| Total: 55,740 (2011), [1] other estimates up to 100,000 [2] | |
| Tongue | Armenian (mainly Western Armenian , a minority of Eastern Armenian ), English , French |
| Religion | Armenian Apostolic Church |
Content
History
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Armenians fleeing persecution settled in communities in southern Ontario . The first refugees gathered in the reading rooms (kratarans), where Armenians and Canadians jointly studied Armenian literature. [6]
Thousands of Armenians moved to Canada after federal immigration policies became less restrictive in the 1950s. Many immigrants came from Middle Eastern countries that suffered from riots such as Egypt , Iran , Lebanon , Syria and Turkey . In the early 1990s, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, new immigrants began to arrive in Canada. Since 2015 , as a result of the Syrian civil war , thousands of ethnic Armenians fled from Syria to Canada. [7]
Most Canadian Armenians are concentrated in the provinces of Quebec and Ontario and are actively involved in the public life of these provinces. Small communities exist in the Central Provinces and Primorsky Provinces , and a small community is also located in British Columbia .
Communities
Montreal and Laval
In Montreal, there are 21,765 people of Armenian descent, [3] the city is the center of two Armenian apostolic prelates that regulate the activities of not only the Montreal community, but also all Armenian communities throughout Canada:
- Diocese of the Armenian Church of Canada (representing the See of Holy Etchmiadzin )
- Parishes: St. Gregory the Illuminator (in Outremont, Montreal) and the Armenian Church of the Holy Cross ( Laval )
- Canadian Diocese of the AAC (representing the Holy See of Cilicia )
- Parishes: Cathedral of St. Hakob ( Montreal ) and St. Gevorg of the Apostolic Armenian Church ( Laval )
There is also the Notre Dame de Nareg Church of the Armenian Catholic Church (in the Ville Saint Laurent suburb of Montreal) and several churches of the Armenian Evangelical Church , primarily the First Armenian Evangelical Church ( Montreal ) and the Armenian Evangelical Church ( Laval ).
The Armenian community in Montreal has two full-time Armenian schools, the St. Hakob School and the Armen-Québec Manukyan School. In Laval, there is the Higher Catholic School of Notre Dame de Nareg.
Montreal also boasts the publication of two long-running pan-Canadian Armenian weeklies, Abak appeared in 1975 and Horizon appeared in 1979 . Both weeklies are actually trilingual, as in addition to their content in Armenian, they have special sections in English and French, which are also published on a weekly basis. Horizon Weekly also publishes a monthly literary supplement, as well as a monthly youth supplement in addition to the annual New Year edition.
Montreal also has a monument commemorating the victims of the genocide. The monument also serves as a memorial to all the victims of the genocide . It is located in the Marseille-Wilson Park located in the Aouncic-Cartierville area.
Toronto
The 2006 Toronto- based Armenian community numbered 16,310 people, [3] concentrated in the vicinity of Don Valley Village and Pleasant View in north-central Toronto. The community is concentrated around the Community Center of Armenia in Toronto, the complex is located in Victoria Park and 401.
Built in the early 1960s, the Toronto Community Center in Armenia has become the center of the Toronto Armenian community since 1979 . The complex of the Armenian Public Center also includes the ARS Armenian School (which includes nurseries, kindergarten, primary and secondary schools), St. Mary of the AAC Church and the Armenian Youth Center, as well as several Armenian public organizations, such as the Armenian Relief Society, Homenetmen Pan-Armenian Sports and the Scout Union, Armenian National Cultural and Educational Society, Armenian National Committee of Canada, Armenian Youth Federation, Student Association Armen Caro, A.R. The Youngest Organization of Canada and the Club of Retired Armenians.
The Armenian Apostolic Church includes the Holy Armenian Church of the Trinity (Diocese of the See of Holy Etchmiadzin ) and the Holy Mary of the Armenian Apostolic Church (in Willowdale, belonging to the diocese of the Holy See of Cilicia )
In the church of St. Mary every Sunday from 8 pm to 11 pm at 1690am, a weekly Armenian radio show is broadcast, each called the voice of Cilicia. [eight]
Roman Catholics have their own church of St. Gregory the Illuminator in Toronto . And they publish the monthly Hai Toronto magazine in Armenian.
Ottawa
In the capital of Canada, there is a small Armenian community of 1375 people [3] , and the parish of St. Mesrop of the Armenian Apostolic Church is located.
Other Armenian Communities in Ontario
With the growth of the Armenian community, many of them began to settle outside of Greater Toronto . New communities formed throughout Ontario, in Mississauga , St. Catharines , Hamilton , Windsor , and Cambridge , totaling about 6,000 Armenians. [3]
The parishes of the Diocese of the See of Holy Etchmiadzin are the churches of St. Vartan in Mississauga , St. Gregory the Illuminator in St. Catharines , St. Mary in Hamilton and the Resurrection in Windsor . The parishes of the diocese of the Holy See of Cilicia are the churches of St. Nisan in Cambridge and St. Paul in St. Catharines .
Vancouver
According to the 2006 Canadian census, the Armenian community of Vancouver has 1,915 people [3] , and has the Church of St. Vartan (Diocese to the See of Holy Etchmiadzin) and the Church of St. Gregory the Illuminator (in Richmond , belonging to the Diocese of the Holy See of Cilicia). The Armenians in Vancouver and British Columbia are immigrants from Iran , Syria , Iraq , Lebanon and Turkey . In 2014, the community opened the Memorial to the Victims of the Armenian Genocide, dedicated to the memory of the Armenian Genocide on April 24, 1915 .
Famous Armenians of Canada
Notes
- ↑ Statistics Canada . 2011 National Household Survey: Data tables . Date of treatment January 28, 2015.
- ↑ Embassy of the Republic of Armenia in Canada.
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 5 6 Statistics Canada, 2006 Census , Ethnic Origin (247), Single and Multiple Ethnic Origin Responses (3) and Sex (3) for the Population of Canada, Provinces, Territories, Census Metropolitan Areas and Census Agglomerations, 2006 Census - 20% Sample Data, 97-562-XCB2006006 [1]
- ↑ Statistics Canada, 2006 Census , Detailed Mother Tongue (103), Knowledge of Official Languages (5), Age Groups (17A) and Sex (3) for the Population of Canada, Provinces, Territories, Census Divisions and Census Subdivisions, 2006 Census - 20% Sample Data, 97-555-XCB2006016 [2]
- ↑ Canadian Encyclopedia article on "Armenians"
- ↑ Kaprielian, Isabel. Armenian political press and its reading rooms (unopened) // Polyphony: The Bulletin of the Multicultural History Society of Ontario. - T. 4 , No. 1 . - S. 30 . (inaccessible link)
- ↑ Syrian refugees get warm welcome at Armenian community center
- ↑ the Voice of Giligia
Links
- Abaka Weekly Newspaper
- Weekly Newspaper Horizon
- Toronto Community Center Ontario
- Armenian National Committee of Canada
- Takejana Cultural Union - Montreal
- Audio file about the Armenians of Montreal, in French
- Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church (from the throne of Holy Etchmiadzin)
- Armenian Mission of Canada (Holy See of Cilicia)
- Armenian Catholic Church Notre Dame de Nareg parish in Montreal
- St. Gregory the Illuminator Armenian Catholic Church in Toronto
- The First Armenian Evangelical Church of Montreal