Latvian Canadians ( lv, Kanādas latvieši) are
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 full or partial
Latvian descent. At the
2011 census, there were about 27,355 people of Latvian descent in
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 ...
.
History
Although by 1921 the Canadian government considered all persons from the
Baltic provinces
The Baltic governorates (russian: Прибалтийские губернии), originally the Ostsee governorates (german: Ostseegouvernements, russian: Остзейские губернии), was a collective name for the administrative units ...
to be
Russians
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, image =
, caption =
, population =
, popplace =
118 million Russians in the Russian Federation (2002 '' Winkler Prins'' estimate)
, region1 =
, pop1 ...
, it is known that there were some Latvians living in Canada in those years, because in 1961, 379 Latvian indicated that they had arrived in Canada prior to 1921, and most probably left
Latvia after the
1905 Revolution
The Russian Revolution of 1905,. also known as the First Russian Revolution,. occurred on 22 January 1905, and was a wave of mass political and social unrest that spread through vast areas of the Russian Empire. The mass unrest was directed again ...
. Between 1921 and 1945, 409 Latvians arrived to Canada, although in the 1941 census listed 975 people claimed Latvian origin.
After the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
in 1947, many Latvians moved to Canada as
war refugees
A refugee, conventionally speaking, is a displaced person who has crossed national borders and who cannot or is unwilling to return home due to well-founded fear of persecution. . This migration, which accounted for 92% of Latvians who immigrated to the country between 1921 and 1965, ended in 1957. Many of these Latvians worked in the agricultural areas during their first years in Canada, but soon settled in cities. By 1961, only 10% of those immigrants lived in rural zones and farms (6% in rural areas and 4% on farms). The majority of Latvian immigrants in Canada in 1991 were women, 775 more women than men.
[ Multicultural Canada: Migration, Arrival, and Settlement. Retrieved January 05, 2012]
Demography
Although before 1939, 78 percent of Latvians lived in the three
prairie provinces
The Canadian Prairies (usually referred to as simply the Prairies in Canada) is a region in Western Canada. It includes the Canadian portion of the Great Plains and the Prairie Provinces, namely Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. These provin ...
, and only 12 percent in
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 C ...
, since 1945 over 70 percent of Latvians live in
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 C ...
and only about 10 percent in
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 ...
, while the prairie provinces have only had 11 percent of new Latvian immigrants. By 1991, 20,445 persons indicated they were of Latvian descent, most of them living in the capital, 14 percent in the prairie provinces, 12 percent in
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, ...
, 5.9 percent in Quebec, and 1.8 percent in the Atlantic region.
In 1991 the largest populations of Latvian Canadians are in
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 anch ...
,
Vancouver
Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...
,
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 ...
,
Ottawa, and
Montreal
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 ...
, Quebec.
Religion
Most Latvian Canadians are
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'' (Χρ ...
: close to 90 percent are
Lutheran
Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Cathol ...
, 10 percent
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
* Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
* Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...
, and 1 percent
Baptist
Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only ( believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compe ...
. The organization of Lutheran congregations in Canada is in regional dioceses, which belong to the Lutheran Evangelical Church in Exile. In 1970 there were 1,400 Latvian-Canadian Roman Catholics. On a parish basis they are connected to the larger
Roman Catholic Church in Canada
french: Église catholique au Canada
, native_name_lang = fr
, image = Basilique-Cathédrale Notre-Dame Québec.JPG
, imagewidth = 200px
, alt =
, caption = Cathedral-Basilica of Notre-Da ...
. In the
Toronto archdiocese is The Association of Canadian Latvian Catholics, founded in 1949. On the other hand, Latvian Baptists are much less numerous in Canada: only 200. However they have a very active congregation in Toronto.
[ Multicultural Canada: Religion.]
Notable people
*
Harry Adaskin, violinist, academic, and radio broadcaster
*
Murray Adaskin, violinist, composer, conductor and teacher
*
David Bezmozgis, writer and filmmaker
*
Fred Bruemmer
Fred Bruemmer, D.Litt. ( lv, Freds Brimmers; June 26, 1929 – December 17, 2013) was a Latvian Canadian nature photographer and researcher. He spent his life travelling extensively throughout the circumpolar regions and to other remote parts ...
, nature photographer and researcher
*
Sarmite Bulte
Sarmite Drosma "Sam" Bulte, (born September 27, 1953) is a Canadian lawyer, advocate and politician. A member of the Liberal Party, she represented the Toronto riding of Parkdale-High Park in the House of Commons of Canada through three success ...
, lawyer, advocate and politician
*
Sylvia Burka,
ice speed skater
*
Ludmilla Chiriaeff
Ludmilla Chiriaeff (January 10, 1924 – September 22, 1996) was a Latvian-Canadian ballet dancer, choreographer, teacher, and company director.
Biography
Ludmilla Alexandrovna Otsup was born in Riga to a Russian-Jewish father Alexandr Otsup ...
, ballet dancer, choreographer, teacher, and company director
*
Misha Cirkunov
Mikhail Cirkunovs (born February 27, 1987), better known as Misha Cirkunov is a Latvian-born Canadian professional mixed martial artist, who competed in the Light heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
Background
Son ...
, current
UFC
The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...
fighter
*
Peter Dreimanis, rock singer (
July Talk
July Talk is a Canadian alternative rock band formed in 2012 in Toronto, Ontario. The band consists of singers Peter Dreimanis and Leah Fay, guitarist Ian Docherty, bassist Josh Warburton, and drummers Danny Miles and Dani Nash. July Talk relea ...
)
*
Kārlis Irbītis, aeroplane designer
*
Henriette Ivanans
Henriette Ivanans (born October 29, 1968) is a Canadian actress and writer.
Early life and education
Ivanans is of Latvian and Danish heritage; her father is from Riga, and her mother is from Copenhagen. She is a graduate of Ryerson Theatre Sc ...
, actress
*
Miervaldis Jurševskis, chess master
*
Jānis Kalniņš, composer and conductor
*
Tālivaldis Ķeniņš, composer
*
Elizabeth Lazebnik, filmmaker
*
Maris Martinsons
Maris Martinsons is a professor of management currently associated with the City University of Hong Kong, the Stockholm School of Economics, and the University of Toronto. He received his B.A.Sc. in engineering science and MBA from the Universi ...
, professor of management (top 2% scientist) and business consultant
*
Andrew Podnieks, author and ice hockey historian
*
Imants Kārlis Ramiņš, composer, best known for his choral compositions
*
Signe Ronka
Signe Ronka (born April 23, 1988) is a Latvian Canadian former competitive figure skater. She won three medals on the ISU Junior Grand Prix series and competed at the 2003 World Junior Championships.
Personal life
Ronka was born on April 23 ...
, figure skater
*
Haralds Šnepsts, former professional ice hockey player
*
Ksenia Solo
Ksenia Solo (born 8 October 1987; pronounced ) is a Latvian-Canadian actress known for portraying Mackenzie "Kenzi" Malikov on ''Lost Girl''. She portrayed Peggy Shippen on '' Turn: Washington's Spies''. Solo also portrayed the character "Natash ...
, actress and former ballet dancer
*
Katie Stelmanis
Kaitlin "Katie" Austra Stelmanis ( lv, Keitlīna "Keitija" Austra Štēlmane, born 1985) is a Toronto-based Latvian Canadian musician, who has performed and recorded both as a solo artist and with the bands Galaxy and Austra. Stelmanis identifies ...
, musician
*
Pēteris Tabūns, politician
*
Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga
Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga (born 1 December 1937) is a Latvian politician who served as the sixth President of Latvia from 1999 to 2007. She is the first woman to hold the post. She was elected President of Latvia in 1999 and re-elected for the seco ...
, professor and interdisciplinary scholar at the
University of Montreal
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, th ...
; 6th
President of Latvia
*
Moses Znaimer
Moses Znaimer (; born 1942) is a Tajik-born Canadian media executive of jewish descent. He is the co-founder and former head of Citytv, the first independent television station in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and the current head of ZoomerMedia ...
, founder of
Citytv, executive of
CHUM Limited
CHUM Limited was a Canadian media company based in Toronto, Ontario in operation from 1945 to 2007. The company was founded in 1945 as York Broadcasters Limited when it launched CHUM-AM 1050 but was acquired by salesman Allan Waters in 1954. CHU ...
and
Zoomer Media
See also
*
Canada–Latvia relations
References
External links
Latvian Canadian Cultural Centre
{{Latvian diaspora
European Canadian
Latvian diaspora
Latvian