Albanian Canadians ( sq, shqiptaro-kanadezët; french: albanais-canadien) are Canadians of full or partial

Albanian Albanian may refer to: *Pertaining to Albania in Southeast Europe; in particular: **Albanians, an ethnic group native to the Balkans **Albanian language **Albanian culture **Demographics of Albania, includes other ethnic groups within the country ...

ancestry An ancestor, also known as a forefather, fore-elder or a forebear, is a parent or (recursively) the parent of an antecedent (i.e., a grandparent, great-grandparent, great-great-grandparent and so forth). ''Ancestor'' is "any person from whom ...

and

heritage Heritage may refer to: History and society * A heritage asset is a preexisting thing of value today ** Cultural heritage is created by humans ** Natural heritage is not * Heritage language Biology * Heredity, biological inheritance of physical c ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. They trace their ancestry to the territories with a large Albanian population in the

Balkans The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...

among others to

Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

Kosovo Kosovo ( sq, Kosova or ; sr-Cyrl, Косово ), officially the Republic of Kosovo ( sq, Republika e Kosovës, links=no; sr, Република Косово, Republika Kosovo, links=no), is a partially recognised state in Southeast Euro ...

North Macedonia North Macedonia, ; sq, Maqedonia e Veriut, (Macedonia before February 2019), officially the Republic of North Macedonia,, is a country in Southeast Europe. It gained independence in 1991 as one of the successor states of Socialist Feder ...

and

Montenegro ) , image_map = Europe-Montenegro.svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Podgorica , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , official_languages = M ...

. They are adherents of different

religion Religion is usually defined as a social- cultural system of designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relates humanity to supernatural, ...

s and are predominantly

Christians Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

s as well as

Irreligious Irreligion or nonreligion is the absence or rejection of religion, or indifference to it. Irreligion takes many forms, ranging from the casual and unaware to full-fledged philosophies such as atheism and agnosticism, secular humanism and ant ...

. In 2016, there were 36,185 Canadian citizens of Albanian descent living in Canada. The Albanian Canadians are predominantly distributed in the

provinces A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions outsi ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

and

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

followed by growing communities in

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

and

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

History

The Albanian migration in Canada began in the early 20th century, when the first Albanians emigrated to this country. This emigration was due to internal uprisings that occurred in their country of origin. However, after World War II (1939–1945) very few Albanians moved to Canada, and most arrived from the former Yugoslavia, due to a communist regime in Albania, which prohibited foreign travel. Most Albanians who emigrated to Canada country after the war decided to settle in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

. There were also some Albanian workers who lived in

Calgary Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...

and

(e.g.

Peterborough Peterborough () is a cathedral city in Cambridgeshire, east of England. It is the largest part of the City of Peterborough unitary authority district (which covers a larger area than Peterborough itself). It was part of Northamptonshire until ...

)."Albanians"
''The Canadian Encyclopedia''. Published by Vladislav A. Tomovic. Retrieved on November 29, 2011, 0:36 pm at. Despite this migration, by 1986, less of 1,500 Albanians emigrated to Canada. However, in 1991, the Albanian community exceeded the 2,500 people. In the 1990s, the economic and political upheavals experienced in the

as a whole (including in Albania and

) led to significant Albanian migration abroad, including to Canada. This is when the Albanian migration to Canada reached its peak.The Albanians in Toronto
. Retrieved on November 29, 2011, 0:36 pm at. Published by Krystyna Cap. At the beginning of the 21st century, a new war prompted a second wave of immigration of Albanians in Canada. This armed conflict was a clash between Albanian and Serb authorities, both military and police, which caused many Albanians to feel compelled to leave Kosovo as refugees, many of them emigrating to Canada. Thus, in 1999, the Government of Canada established a residency program to allow the settlement of 7,000 refugees of Kosovar Albanian origin. As with professionals from other countries, there has been a large influx of young Albanian professionals who immigrate to Canada for a better life. According to the 2006 census, there were 22,395 people of ethnic Albanian descent living in Canada, most of whom 11,385 (51%) lived in Toronto.

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilt ...

, Kitchener,

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, Ottawa and

are areas elsewhere in

which also have Albanian communities.

Demographics

As of the 2016 census, 36,185 Canadian residents, or roughly 0.11% of the population of Canada, stated they had Albanian ancestry. Approximately 72% of the Albanian population reside in the

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''Roman province, provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire ...

followed by

and

. The majority of the Albanian population were predominantly concentrated in the

metropolitan area A metropolitan area or metro is a region that consists of a densely populated urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories sharing industries, commercial areas, transport network, infrastructures and housing. A metro area usually com ...

s and

agglomeration Agglomeration may refer to: * Urban agglomeration, in standard English * Megalopolis, in Chinese English, as defined in China's ''Standard for basic terminology of urban planning'' (GB/T 50280—98). Also known as " city cluster". * Economies of ag ...

s of

and

Montréal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple-p ...

Parc de la Cité-du-Havre, Montreal, Canada (Unsplash)

There are also 2,870 Canadian residents, or roughly 0.01% of the population of Canada, who stated that they had Kosovar ancestry. They are geographically distributed as well as in the particular regions with Albanian populations such as in Ontario, Quebec and Alberta.

Culture

Organizations

Albanian Canadians founded many organizations in Canada, to maintain their language, traditions and culture. Some of these association have also helped other immigrants adapt to Canadian life. Many of these partnerships are in Toronto, a major city of the Albanian population. In this city, the largest associations are the Albanian Muslim Society of Toronto (founded in 1954) and the Albanian-Canadian Community Association of Toronto (founded in 1990). There are also other notable organizations, such as the Albanian Canadian Organization of Ottawa. www.albcanorg.ca

Notable people

* Klaidi Cela - footballer *

Peter Dajia Peter Dajia (born January 27, 1964) is a Canadian shot putter. He was born in Toronto and is Canadian of Greek and Albanian descent. He competed for Clemson University in 1984, later transferring to the University of Texas, Arlington. He was b ...

- shot putter *

Max Domi Maxwell Johannes Domi (born March 2, 1995) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player for the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected by the Phoenix Coyotes in the first round, 12th overall, of the 2013 NHL En ...

- hockey player *

Tie Domi Tahir "Tie" Domi (born November 1, 1969) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. Known as an enforcer, he played for the Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Rangers and Winnipeg Jets over a 16-year NHL career. He is the Maple Leafs' all ti ...

- hockey player * Arlind Ferhati - footballer *

Elvir Gigolaj Elvir Gigolaj (born 30 June 1992) is a Bosnian footballer. Early life Gigolaj was born in Croatia to a Kosovar Albanian father and Bosniak mother from Brčko, Bosnia and Herzegovina. He was raised in London, Ontario, where his father owns a bak ...

- footballer *

Ana Golja Muazana "Ana" Golja is a Canadian actress and singer. She is known for playing Zoë Rivas in the teen dramas '' Degrassi: Next Class'' and '' Degrassi: The Next Generation'' and Ariana Berlin in the TV movie ''Full Out''. Career Golja began h ...

- actress and singer * Eric Margolis - Journalist * Kadrush Radogoshi - writer * Agim Sherifi - footballer * Markela Bejleri - Albanian footballer

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Albanian Canadians European Canadian