Swiss Canadians

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Swiss Canadians
Schweiz-Kanadier
Svizzero-canadesi
Suisse-Canadiens
Total population
155,120
(by ancestry, 2016 Census)[1]
Regions with significant populations
Quebec City, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Edmonton, Saskatoon, Calgary, Vancouver, Winnipeg
Languages
English · French · German · Italian
Religion
Christianity (Catholicism, Anabaptism (Amish, Mennonite, Hutterite))
Related ethnic groups
German Canadians · French Canadians · Italian Canadians

Swiss Canadians are Canadian citizens of Swiss ancestry or people who emigrated from Switzerland and reside in Canada. According to the 2016 Census there were 155,120 Canadians [2] who claimed Swiss ancestry, having an increase compared to those 146,830 in the 2011 Census.[3]

One of the earliest settlers in Canada was Pierre Miville (d. 1669).[4] Laurenz Ermatinger (1736 to 1789), a fur trader and merchant, arrived in Montreal from Switzerland and together with his son Charles Oakes (1776 to 1833), and Sebastian Freyvogel have explored the large Huron tract.[5] By 1871 about 3,000 Swiss had settled in Canada and in the time between 1887 and 1938, a reported additional 8,548 Swiss had moved to Canada.[4] Peter Rindisbacher was a Swiss artist who specialized in painting the Western USA and Canada until his death in 1834.

Until WWII, most Swiss immigrants were farmers who settled in Canada.[6] This changed after WWII, when several Swiss firms opened offices in Canada, leading to immigration of educated Swiss personnel including engineers, professors and merchants.[4][6] When farmland became unaffordable in Switzerland in the 1970s, a number of Swiss farmers bought farmland in Canada and settled there.[4] In the 1990s, rising unemployment in Switzerland led to another wave of emigration.[4]

Swiss Canadians by numbers[edit]

According to the 2011 National Household Survey,[7] the cities with the most people claiming Swiss ethnic origin are as follow:

  1. Toronto, Ontario – 13,455
  2. Montreal, Quebec – 12,165
  3. Vancouver, British Columbia – 11,405
  4. Calgary, Alberta – 6,895
  5. Edmonton, Alberta – 5,895
  6. Ottawa, Ontario – 4,600
  7. Winnipeg, Manitoba – 3,060
  8. Hamilton, Ontario – 2,630
  9. Quebec City, Quebec – 1,530
  10. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan – 1,150

According to the 2011 National Household Survey,[7] the provinces and territories with the most people claiming Swiss ethnic origin are as follow:

  1. Ontario – 57,270
  2. British Columbia – 29,705
  3. Alberta – 23,020
  4. Quebec – 22,065
  5. Manitoba – 5,690
  6. Saskatchewan – 4,420
  7. Nova Scotia – 2,759
  8. New Brunswick – 1,040
  9. Yukon – 380
  10. Prince Edward Island – 205

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Statistics Canada. "Census Profile, 2016 Census". Retrieved 29 December 2021.
  2. ^ Statistics Canada. "Census Profile, 2016 Census". Retrieved 29 December 2021.
  3. ^ Statistics Canada (8 May 2013). "2011 National Household Survey: Data tables". Retrieved 29 December 2021.
  4. ^ a b c d e Schelbert, Leo (2005). "Swiss Diaspora". Encyclopedia of Diasporas: Immigrant and Refugee Cultures Around the World. Springer. pp. 296–307. doi:10.1007/978-0-387-29904-4_29. ISBN 9780387299044.
  5. ^ "Biography – ERMATINGER, LAWRENCE – Volume IV (1771-1800) – Dictionary of Canadian Biography".
  6. ^ a b "Kanada".
  7. ^ a b "Census Program". 15 January 2001.


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