Arab Canadians (french: Arabo-Canadiens) come from all of the countries of the

Arab world The Arab world ( ar, اَلْعَالَمُ الْعَرَبِيُّ '), formally the Arab homeland ( '), also known as the Arab nation ( '), the Arabsphere, or the Arab states, refers to a vast group of countries, mainly located in Western A ...

. According to the 2021 Census, there were 694,015 Canadians, or 1.87%, who claimed Arab ancestry. According to the 2011 Census there were 380,620 Canadians who claimed full or partial ancestry from an Arabic-speaking country. The large majority of the

Canadians Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

of Arab origin population live in either

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 ...

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 ...

. Not all Canadians from the Arab world are necessarily of Arab blood, there are also communities of

Armenians Armenians ( hy, հայեր, ''hayer'' ) are an ethnic group native to the Armenian highlands of Western Asia. Armenians constitute the main population of Armenia and the ''de facto'' independent Artsakh. There is a wide-ranging diaspora ...

, Assyrians/Syriacs,

Copts Copts ( cop, ⲛⲓⲣⲉⲙⲛ̀ⲭⲏⲙⲓ ; ar, الْقِبْط ) are a Christian ethnoreligious group indigenous to North Africa who have primarily inhabited the area of modern Egypt and Sudan since antiquity. Most ethnic Copts are C ...

Kurds ug:كۇردلار Kurds ( ku, کورد ,Kurd, italic=yes, rtl=yes) or Kurdish people are an Iranian ethnic group native to the mountainous region of Kurdistan in Western Asia, which spans southeastern Turkey, northwestern Iran, northern Ir ...

Turcomans Turkoman (Middle Turkic languages, Middle Turkic: تُركْمانْ, ota, تركمن, Türkmen and ''Türkmân''; az, Türkman and ', tr, Türkmen, tk, Türkmen, Persian language, Persian: ترکمن sing. ''Turkamān'', pl. ''Tarākimah''), ...

Berbers , image = File:Berber_flag.svg , caption = The Berber ethnic flag , population = 36 million , region1 = Morocco , pop1 = 14 million to 18 million , region2 = Algeria , pop2 ...

, and those who espouse a

Phoenicia Phoenicia () was an ancient thalassocratic civilization originating in the Levant region of the eastern Mediterranean, primarily located in modern Lebanon. The territory of the Phoenician city-states extended and shrank throughout their histor ...

n or

Aramean The Arameans ( oar, 𐤀𐤓𐤌𐤉𐤀; arc, 𐡀𐡓𐡌𐡉𐡀; syc, ܐܪ̈ܡܝܐ, Ārāmāyē) were an ancient Semitic-speaking people in the Near East, first recorded in historical sources from the late 12th century BCE. The Aramean h ...

heritage (see

Phoenicianism Phoenicianism is a form of Lebanese nationalism adopted by many Lebanese people, at the time of the creation of Greater Lebanon. It constitutes identification of the Lebanese people with the ancient Phoenicians. Position Proponents claim that ...

and

Arameanism Terms for Syriac Christians are endonymic (native) and exonymic (foreign) terms, that are used as designations for ''Syriac Christians'', as adherents of Syriac Christianity. In its widest scope, Syriac Christianity encompass all Christian den ...

Demographics

The distribution of the Arab population of Canada according to the 2001 Census, 2011 Census, and

2016 Census Sixteen or 16 may refer to: *16 (number), the natural number following 15 and preceding 17 *one of the years 16 BC, AD 16, 1916, 2016 Films * ''Pathinaaru'' or ''Sixteen'', a 2010 Tamil film * ''Sixteen'' (1943 film), a 1943 Argentine film dir ...

was as follows:

By Arabic-speaking country

Notable individuals

Business

* Feras Antoon - co-founder and CEO of MindGeek (of Syrian descent) * Kevin O'Leary - entrepreneur and reality television personality ('' Dragons' Den'', ''

Shark Tank ''Shark Tank'' is an American business reality television series that premiered on August 9, 2009, on ABC.Hibberd, James (May 10, 201'Dancing,' 'Bachelor,' and a bigger 'Shark Tank' returning to ABCInsider TV. Retrieved June 24, 2012 The show i ...

'') (of Lebanese and Irish descent) *Ablan Leon - founder of Leon's furniture company in 1901 in Welland, Ontario.

Politicians

* Doreen Assaad - current Egyptian-Canadian Woman Mayor in Brossard,

* Omar Alghabra - current Liberal MP in the federal riding of

Mississauga Centre Mississauga Centre (french: Mississauga-Centre) is a federal electoral district in the Peel Region of Ontario, Canada, that has represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1997 to 2004 and since 2015. Geography The riding contains th ...

, Canada (of Syrian descent, born in Saudi Arabia) *

Pierre de Bané Pierre is a masculine given name. It is a French form of the name Peter. Pierre originally meant "rock" or "stone" in French (derived from the Greek word πέτρος (''petros'') meaning "stone, rock", via Latin "petra"). It is a translation ...

- former

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

MP (1968–1984), Cabinet Minister and former Senator (of Palestinian descent) *

Michael Basha Michael G. Basha (20 January 1896 – 26 November 1976) was a Canadian businessman, manufacturer, and Senator. Born in Baalbeck, Ottoman Empire, he was summoned to the Canadian Senate in 1951 and represented the senatorial division of West Coas ...

- former member of the

Senate of Canada The Senate of Canada (french: region=CA, Sénat du Canada) is the upper house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Crown and the House of Commons, they comprise the bicameral legislature of Canada. The Senate is modelled after the B ...

(of Lebanese descent) * Tarik Brahmi - former NDP member of House of Commons for Saint-Jean (of Algerian descent) *

Fonse Faour Alphonsus (Fonse) Faour (born November 16, 1951, in Corner Brook, Newfoundland) is a former Canadian politician. Faour represented the electoral district of Humber—St. George's—St. Barbe, which he won in a 1978 by-election following the resig ...

- former NDP MP and leader of Newfoundland NDP (of Lebanese descent) *

Eddie Francis Edgar "Eddie" Francis (born May 1974) is the former mayor of Windsor, Ontario. He was 29 years old when he was elected mayor in 2003, the youngest mayor in Windsor's history and one of the youngest mayors ever elected in Canada. He is also Windsor ...

- Mayor of

Windsor, Ontario Windsor is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, on the south bank of the Detroit River directly across from Detroit, Michigan, United States. Geographically located within but administratively independent of Essex County, it is the souther ...

(of Lebanese descent) * Joe Ghiz - former Premier of

Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island (PEI; ) is one of the thirteen Provinces and territories of Canada, provinces and territories of Canada. It is the smallest province in terms of land area and population, but the most densely populated. The island has seve ...

(of Lebanese descent) * Robert Ghiz - Premier of Prince Edward Island (of Lebanese descent) *

Sadia Groguhé Sadia Groguhé (; born November 9, 1962) is a French Canadians, French-Canadian politician of Algerians in France, Algerian descent. A municipal councillor in the French city of Istres from 1995 to 2000, Groguhé and her husband immigrated to C ...

- former NDP member of House of Commons for Saint-Lambert (of Algerian descent) * Mac Harb - Senator, former Liberal MP (1988–2004) and former

Ottawa City Council The Ottawa City Council (french: Conseil municipal d'Ottawa) is the governing body of the City of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It is composed of 24 city councillors and the mayor. The mayor is elected at large, while each councillor represents war ...

or (of Lebanese descent) *

Sana Hassainia Sana Hassainia (; born November 1, 1974) is a Tunisian born Canadian politician. She was elected to the House of Commons of Canada in the 2011 election as the New Democratic Member of Parliament for Verchères—Les Patriotes. She left the ...

- former NDP member of House of Commons for

Verchères—Les Patriotes Verchères—Les Patriotes (formerly Verchères) was a federal electoral district in Quebec, Canada, that was represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1979 until the 2012 electoral redistribution. Geography The riding runs along th ...

riding (of Tunisian descent) *

Lorraine Michael Lorraine Michael (born March 27, 1943) is a social-democratic Canadian politician from Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. From May 2006 until March 2015, Michael was the leader of the Newfoundland and Labrador New Democratic Party (NDP). She i ...

- former Nun, leader of

New Democratic Party of Newfoundland and Labrador The Newfoundland and Labrador New Democratic Party (NL NDP) is a social democratic political party in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It is a provincial section of the federal New Democratic Party. It was formed in 1961 as the successor to the ...

(of Lebanese descent) *

Maria Mourani Maria Mourani (born May 19, 1969) is a Canadian politician who was elected as a Member of Parliament in the federal riding of Ahuntsic in Canada. She was formerly a member of the Bloc Québécois before leaving the party over its support for the ...

- former Bloc Québécois (2006–2013) and independent MP (2013–2015) in federal riding of

Ahuntsic Ahuntsic (; French pronunciation ) is a district in the northern part of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Originally an independent village, Ahuntsic was first annexed by Montreal in 1910, then merged into the borough of Ahuntsic-Cartierville in 2002. ...

, Canada (of Lebanese descent) *

Khalil Ramal Khalil Ramal (born ) is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a Ontario Liberal Party, Liberal member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 2003 to 2011. Ramal ran unsuccessfully in the 2015 Canadian federal election, 2015 federal ...

MPP (of Lebanese descent) *

Djaouida Sellah Djaouida Sellah () is a Canadian politician. Sellah represented the riding of Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert in the House of Commons from 2011 to 2015. Following her tenure in parliament, she served as president of the New Democratic Party of Quebec ...

- former NDP member of House of Commons for

Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert (formerly known as Saint-Hubert) was a federal electoral district in Quebec, Canada, that was represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1988 to 2015. Its population in 2001 was 99,755. Geography This South S ...

(of Algerian descent) * Paul Zed - lawyer, professor, former Member of Parliament

Political activists

* Maher Arar - human rights activist; deportation and tortured victim in Syrian jail (of Syrian descent) *

Monia Mazigh Monia Mazigh ( ar, منية مازيغ) (born 1970) is a Canadian author and academic best known for her efforts to free her husband Maher Arar from a Syrian prison. A resident of Ottawa, Ontario, she was the New Democratic Party candidate for ...

- human rights activist and

New Democratic Party The New Democratic Party (NDP; french: Nouveau Parti démocratique, NPD) is a federal political party in Canada. Widely described as social democratic,The party is widely described as social democratic: * * * * * * * * * * * * t ...

candidate (of Tunisian descent) *

Samah Sabawi Samah Sabawi ( ar, سماح السبعاوي; 1967) is a Palestinian playwright, scholar, commentator and poet. Her plays include ''Cries from the Land'' (2003), ''Three Wishes'' (2008), ''Tales of a City by the Sea'' (2014) and ''Them'' (2019). ...

- Palestinian rights activist and playwright *

Rahaf Mohammed Rahaf Mohammed (formerly Rahaf Mohammed Mutlaq al-Qunun Al-Shammari; ar, رهف محمد مطلق القنون الشمري) is a Saudi refugee and author who was detained by Thai authorities on 5 January 2019 while transiting through Bangkok a ...

- Refugee and activist from Saudi Arabia

Filmmakers and writers

Rawi Hage Rawi Hage (Arabic: راوي الحاج, romanized: Rāwī Ḥāj; born 1964) is a Lebanese-Canadian journalist, novelist, and photographer based in Canada. Writing Hage has published journalism and fiction in Canadian and American magazines, and ...

(Author: De Niro's Game, Beirut Hellfire Society, Cockroach; Lebanese) *

Anisa Mehdi Anisa Marie Mehdi is an Iraqi-Canadian film director and journalist. She graduated from Wellesley College in 1978 and obtained her master's degree in journalism from Columbia University. She worked as an associate producer at CBS News in New Yor ...

- Emmy Award-winning film director, journalist and director of ''

Inside Mecca ''Inside Mecca'' is a 2003 National Geographic documentary film by Anisa Mehdi that offers an intimate documentation of the annual pilgrimage to Mecca. Aside from providing insight regarding the universal principles of Islam, this production emp ...

'' (of Iraqi descent) *

Wajdi Mouawad Wajdi Mouawad, OC, (born 1968) is a Lebanese-Canadian writer, actor, and director. He is known in Canadian and French theatre for politically engaged works such as the acclaimed play ''Incendies'' (2003). His works often revolve around family t ...

(Writer: Incendies, Lebanese) *

Donald Shebib Donald Everett "Don" Shebib (born 27 January 1938) is a Canadian film director. Shebib is a central figure in the development of English Canadian cinema who made several short documentaries for the National Film Board of Canada and CBC Televisi ...

- documentary filmmaker (of Lebanese descent)

Singers

* Ali Gatie - singer (of Iraqi descent) * Paul Anka - singer (of Syrian descent) *

Belly Belly may refer to: Anatomy * The abdomen, the part of the body between the pelvis and the thorax; or the stomach ** A beer belly, an overhang of fat above the waist, presumed to be caused by regular beer drinking ** Belly dance * The fleshy, cent ...

- rap/hip hop artist (of Palestinian descent) * Andy Kim - pop singer/songwriter (of Lebanese descent) *

K.Maro Cyril Kamar ( ar, سيريل قمر; born January 31, 1980, in Beirut), known by his stage name K.Maro (; sometimes stylized as K-Maro or K'Maro) is a Canadian pop singer-songwriter, producer and businessman of Lebanese origin. He sings in Frenc ...

- rapper (of Lebanese descent) *

Kristina Maria Kristina Maria Chalhoub (born 14 May 1989 in Ottawa, Ontario) is a Canadian pop singer-songwriter. Early life Kristina Maria Chalhoub was raised in Ottawa, Ontario. She joined her school's choir as a second-grader, and wrote her first song i ...

- singer/songwriter (of Lebanese descent) * Massari - pop and hip-hop singer (of Lebanese descent) * Narcy - rapper (of Iraqi descent) * Nasri - reggae and pop singer (of Palestinian descent) *

Vaï Adil Takhssait, better known by his stage names Vaï, also Mélo or Mélopsy, is a Canadian rap and hip hop musician of Moroccan origin. Adil Takhssait was born 24 April 1979 in Paris, France, in a Moroccan family and immigrated to Canada in 19 ...

- rapper, hip hop singer (of Moroccan descent) * Karl Wolf - singer (of Lebanese descent) * Zaho - singer (of Algerian descent)

Athletes

Ramzi Abid Ramzi Abid (born March 24, 1980) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player of Tunisian descent, who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Phoenix Coyotes, Pittsburgh Penguins, Atlanta Thrashers and the Nashville Predator ...

- professional hockey player (of Tunisian descent) *

David Azzi David Azzi (born January 25, 1981 in Lebanon) is a former professional wide receiver and slotback in the Canadian Football League (CFL). College career In 1999 Azzi was named 1st Team All-Canadian, 1st Team All-Academic and earned a full schol ...

- professional player in Canadian Football League (of Lebanese descent) * John Hanna - professional hockey player (of Lebanese descent) *

Ed Hatoum Edward Hatoum (Arabic: إدوارد حاطوم) (born December 7, 1947) is a Lebanese-born Canadian former professional ice hockey forward. He played in the National Hockey League between 1968 and 1971, and the World Hockey Association between 19 ...

- professional hockey player (of Lebanese descent) *

Fabian Joseph Fabian Gerard Joseph (born December 5, 1965) is a Canadian retired ice hockey centre. He is most prominent for his role with the Canadian national ice hockey team in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He is a winner of two Winter Olympic Sil ...

- former professional hockey player (

Canada men's national ice hockey team The Canada men's national ice hockey team (popularly known as Team Canada; french: Équipe Canada) is the ice hockey team representing Canada inter ...

) (of Lebanese descent) * Nazem Kadri - professional hockey player (of Lebanese descent) * John Makdessi - professional mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter (of Lebanese descent) *

Alain Nasreddine Alain Jean-Paul Mohammed Nasreddine (born July 10, 1975) is a Canadian professional ice hockey coach and former player who is the assistant coach for the Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League (NHL). He played as a defenceman in the NHL. Pla ...

- professional hockey player (of Lebanese descent) * Jean Sayegh - water polo player (of Lebanese descent) *

Rami Sebei Rami Sebei ( ar, رامي سبعي; born July 12, 1984) is a Canadian professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Sami Zayn, and is a member of The Bloodline. Prior to joi ...

- professional wrestler, under the ring names Sami Zayn and El Generico *

Yassine Bounou Yassine Bounou ( ar, ياسين بونو; ber, ⵢⴰⵙⵉⵏ ⴱⵓⵏⵓ; born 5 April 1991), also known as Bono, is a Moroccan footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for La Liga club Sevilla and the Morocco national team. Bono began his yo ...

- professional soccer player (

Morocco national football team The Morocco national football team,french: Équipe du Maroc de football nicknamed "the Barbary lion, Atlas Lions", represents Morocco in men's international Association football, football competitions. It is controlled by the Royal Moroccan Foo ...

) (of Moroccan descent)

Others

Reema Abdo Reema Abdo (born May 19, 1963) is a Canadian former backstroke swimmer and Olympic bronze medallist. Abdo was born in Aden, in the Federation of South Arabia, and became a naturalized Canadian citizen. Swimming career Abdo began her swimming ...

- former backstroke swimmer (of Yemeni descent) * René Angélil - manager and husband of Céline Dion, (of Syrian descent) *

Nahlah Ayed Nahlah Ayed (Arabic: نهله عَايِد) is a Canadian journalist, who is currently the host of the academic documentary program ''Ideas'' on CBC Radio One and a reporter with CBC News. She was previously a foreign correspondent with the netw ...

- journalist (of Palestinian descent) *

Rachid Badouri Rachid Badouri (born October 16, 1976, in Laval, Quebec) is a Canadian comedian. Biography Badouri was born to immigrants of Moroccan Berber origin. He studied at College Montmorency in Laval, Quebec Laval (; ) is a city in Quebec, Canada ...

- comedian (of Moroccan descent) *

Hoda ElMaraghy Hoda ElMaraghy ( ar, هدى المراغي; born 1945) is an Egyptian-Canadian professor and director of the Intelligent Manufacturing Systems (IMS) Center at the University of Windsor in Windsor, Ontario which she founded together with her husband ...

- first woman to serve as dean of engineering at a Canadian university. Appointed as Canada Research Chair (CRC) in manufacturing systems in 2002. (of Egyptian descent) *

Mohamed Fahmy Mohamed Fadel Fahmy ( ar, محمد فاضل فهمي ; born April 27, 1974) is an Egyptian-born Canadian journalist, war correspondent and author. He has worked extensively in the Middle East, North Africa, for CNN, BBC and Al Jazeera Engli ...

- journalist and reporter *

Ghassan Halazon Ghassan Halazon is a Jordanian-Canadian technology and e-commerce entrepreneur. He founded EMERGE Commerce, Inc., a Toronto based acquirer and operator of direct-to-consumer e-commerce brands. Life Halazon was born and raised in Amman, Jordan. ...

- entrepreneur (of Jordanian-Palestinian descent) *

Jade Hassouné Jade Hassouné (born 18 February 1991) is a Lebanese-Canadian actor, dancer and singer. He is known for his roles as Meliorn in the US television series ''Shadowhunters'' and as Prince Ahmed Al Saeed in the Canadian series ''Heartland''. Under t ...

- known for his role as Meliorn in the US television series "Shadowhunters" and for that of Prince Ahmed Al Saeed in the Canadian series '"Heartland" (of Lebanese descent) *

Jesse Hutch Jesse Hutch (born February 12, 1981) is a Canadian-born American film and television actor. He spends his time travelling between the USA and Canada. He worked on the television show ''American Dreams'' as Jimmy Riley, romantic interest of main c ...

- actor, model, director and musician (of Syrian descent) *

Mena Massoud Mena Mansour Massoud ( ar, مينا منصور مسعود; born September 17, 1991) is an Egyptian-born Canadian actor known for starring as the title character in the Disney fantasy film ''Aladdin'' (2019). He also starred as Jared Malik in the C ...

- an actor best known for starring as Aladdin in the 2019 live-action adaptation (of Egyptian descent) *

Keanu Reeves Keanu Charles Reeves ( ; born September 2, 1964) is a Canadian actor. Born in Beirut and raised in Toronto, Reeves began acting in theatre productions and in television films before making his feature film debut in '' Youngblood'' (1986). ...

- Hollywood actor (born in Lebanon) *

Habeeb Salloum Habeeb Salloum, M.S.M. (9 March 1924 – 4 December 2019) was a prominent Arab-Canadian author and freelance writer. Salloum centered his writings on Canada, travel, and the culinary arts, Arab and world history, with a specific focus on coo ...

- author, cookbook author, writer, travel writer (of Syrian descent) *

Inanna Sarkis Inanna Sarkis is a Canadian actress of Bulgarian and Assyrian descent. Early life and career Sarkis was born in Hamilton, Ontario, the daughter of a Syrian father who was a dentist and a Bulgarian mother who used to be a surgeon in Bulgaria. Bo ...

- internet personality, actress and director (of Syrian descent) *

Mamdouh Shoukri Mamdouh Shoukri, was the seventh President and Vice-Chancellor of York University, serving two terms from 2007 to 2017.Toronto Star"Muslim president for York University" Feb 08, 2007Y File, York University's Daily Bulletin"McMaster's Mamdouh Shouk ...

- former president of

York University York University (french: Université York), also known as YorkU or simply YU, is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's fourth-largest university, and it has approximately 55,700 students, 7,0 ...

(of Egyptian descent) *

Hatim Zaghloul Hatim Zaghloul ( ar, حاتم زغلول, Egyptian Arabic, born February 7, 1957) Ph.D., M.Sc., B.E.E. is best known for his inventions, together with his long-time friend, Dr. Michel Fattouche of Wideband Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplex ...

- engineer, named as one of ten great Canadians by MacLean's magazine (of Egyptian descent) * Ty Wood - an actor and model. Grand nephew of Miss Universe 1971

Georgina Rizk Georgina Rizk ( ar, جورجينا رزق, Jūrjīnā Rizq, born 23 July 1953) is a Lebanese model, socialite, and beauty queen. She represented Lebanon at the Miss Universe pageant and won, making her the first Lebanese and Middle Eastern/West ...

(of Palestinian-Lebanese Ukrainian descent.)

References

External links

Canadian Arab Institute
(CAI)
Canadian Arab Federation official websiteNational Council on Canada-Arab Relations official websiteCanada Arab ForumThe Arab Students' Association in Canada
{{People of Canada Ethnic groups in Canada