Tamil Canadians, or Canadian Tamils, 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 ...

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia ** Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nati ...

ethno-linguistic origin. Much of Canada's

Tamil diaspora The Tamil diaspora refers to descendants of the Tamil people, Tamil Emigration, immigrants who emigrated from their native lands (Tamil Nadu, Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry and Sri Lanka) to other parts of the world. They are found pri ...

from

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

and

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

then majority consist of

Sri Lankan Tamil Sri Lankan Tamils ( or ), also known as Ceylon Tamils or Eelam Tamils, are Tamils native to the South Asian island state of Sri Lanka. Today, they constitute a majority in the Northern Province, live in significant numbers in the Eastern Pr ...

refugees who sought to flee the ethnic tensions during the Sri Lankan Civil War between the 1970s and 2000s, while economic Tamil migrants also originate from India,

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

and other parts of

South Asia South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The region consists of the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.;;;;;;;; ...

. Canada's Tamil population is among the largest in the

Western world The Western world, also known as the West, primarily refers to the various nations and state (polity), states in the regions of Europe, North America, and Oceania.

, with

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 ...

being home to one of the largest

-speaking populations outside of Asia, and

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 ...

recording Tamil as the most spoken South Asian language in the

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 ...

, ahead of

Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...

Punjabi Punjabi, or Panjabi, most often refers to: * Something of, from, or related to Punjab, a region in India and Pakistan * Punjabi language * Punjabi people * Punjabi dialects and languages Punjabi may also refer to: * Punjabi (horse), a British Th ...

and

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
''

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 ...

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 ...

Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...

and

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

. Tamil is the second-most spoken South Asian language in Canada as of 2016. From a population of fewer than 150 in 1983, Tamils have become one of the largest ethnic groups within the

Greater Toronto Area The Greater Toronto Area, commonly referred to as the GTA, includes the City of Toronto and the regional municipalities of Durham, Halton, Peel, and York. In total, the region contains 25 urban, suburban, and rural municipalities. The Greater T ...

, and form an increasing share of the overall Canadian population. As per the

2021 Canadian census The 2021 Canadian census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population with a reference date of May 11, 2021. It follows the 2016 Canadian census, which recorded a population of 35,151,728. The overall response rate was 98%, which is sl ...

, Tamil Canadians number approximately 240,000 and account for roughly 0.7% of Canada's population.

History

With the outbreak of riots and eventual civil war in Sri Lanka in 1983, Tamil migration to Canada increased significantly. In 2000, Sri Lanka was the sixth largest source country of immigrants to Canada, sending 5,841 people or 2.57% of Canada's immigrant total. Between 1991 and 2001, Sri Lanka was the fifth largest source country of immigrants to Canada, after

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

, India, the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

, and

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...

. Between 2001 and 2010 Sri Lanka's rank dropped to 17 in the list of immigrant source countries to Canada. Well behind the major source countries China (327,317), India (277,819) and Philippines (191,121). In 2010 immigrants from Sri Lanka consisted of only 1.4% of Canada's immigrant total of 280,681. Most permanent residents from Sri Lanka came as either independent immigrants, refugees, or family class sponsored immigrants. Refugee claimants are an independent category of Tamils from Sri Lanka who arrived in Canada and are claiming protection under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. After 2001 there have been no Government of Canada or private sponsored Tamil refugees to Canada. There are 141,074 UNHCR recognized Tamil refugees in non-signatory countries. There are a total of 589,639 refugees from Sri Lanka in 2011 who have registered with the UNHCR in non-signatory countries.

Geographic distribution

Provinces & territories

Significant populations

''Based on Census 2016'' 1.

Scarborough—Rouge Park Scarborough—Rouge Park is a federal electoral district (Canada), electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 2015. Scarborough—Rouge Park was created by the Canadian federal el ...

, ON - 13.94% (14,255)
2. Scarborough North, ON - 12.23% (12,080)
3.

Markham—Thornhill Markham—Thornhill is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 2015. It encompasses a portion of Ontario previously included in the electoral districts of Markham—Unio ...

, ON - 10.61% (10,515)
4.

Scarborough—Guildwood Scarborough—Guildwood is a federal electoral district in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 2004. It was created in 2003 from parts of Scarborough East, Scarborough Southwest and Sc ...

, ON - 9.45% (9,680)
5. Scarborough Centre, ON - 9.40% (10,590)
6.

Markham—Stouffville Markham—Stouffville is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada. It encompasses a portion of Ontario previously included in the electoral districts of Markham—Unionville and Oak Ridges—Markham.; ; see also Statistics CanadaNational ...

, ON - 6.71% (8,460)
7.

Scarborough—Agincourt Scarborough—Agincourt is a federal electoral district in Toronto, Ontario, Canada that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 1988. It covers the area of the City of Toronto bounded by Steeles Avenue East to the nort ...

, ON - 5.18% (5,465)
8.

Ajax Ajax may refer to: Greek mythology and tragedy * Ajax the Great, a Greek mythological hero, son of King Telamon and Periboea * Ajax the Lesser, a Greek mythological hero, son of Oileus, the king of Locris * ''Ajax'' (play), by the ancient Greek ...

, ON - 5.12% (6,125)
9.

Brampton East Brampton East (french: Brampton-Est) is a federal electoral district in Ontario. It encompasses a portion of Ontario previously included in the electoral districts of Bramalea—Gore—Malton and Brampton—Springdale. Brampton East was crea ...

, ON - 5.08% (6,195)
10.

Mississauga—Malton Mississauga—Malton is a federal electoral district in Ontario. It encompasses a portion of Ontario previously included in the electoral districts of Bramalea—Gore—Malton, Mississauga—Brampton South and Mississauga—Streetsville. Missi ...

, ON - 3.95% (4,675)
11.

Scarborough Southwest Scarborough Southwest is a federal electoral district (Canada), electoral district in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 1968. Geography It covers the southwestern part of the Scarboro ...

, ON - 3.65% (4,025)
12.

Brampton West Brampton West (french: Brampton-Ouest) is a federal electoral district (Canada), electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 2004. Its population was 170,422 in 2006- making it the ...

, ON - 3.35% (4,360)
13.

Mississauga East—Cooksville Mississauga East—Cooksville (french: Mississauga-Est—Cooksville) is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 2004. History It was created in 2003 from parts of ...

, ON - 2.41% (2,895)
14. Humber River—Black Creek, ON - 2.36% (2,555)
15.

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 ...

, ON - 2.34% (2,925)
16.

Etobicoke North Etobicoke North (french: Etobicoke-Nord) is a federal electoral district in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, that has been represented by one Member of Parliament in the House of Commons of Canada since 1979. It covers the neighbourhood of Rexdale, ...

, ON - 2.31% (2,730)
17.

Brampton North Brampton North (french: Brampton-Nord) is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada. It encompass portions of Ontario formerly included in the electoral districts of Brampton—Springdale, Bramalea—Gore—Malton and Brampton West. Br ...

, ON - 2.22% (2,620)
18.

Toronto Centre Toronto Centre (french: Toronto-Centre) is a federal electoral district in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1872 to 1925, and since 1935, under the names Centre Toronto (1872–1903) ...

, ON - 2.21% (2,295)
19.

Brampton South Brampton South (french: Brampton-Sud) is a federal electoral district in the Peel Region of Ontario. Brampton South was created by the 2012 federal electoral boundaries redistribution and was legally defined in the 2013 representation order ...

, ON - 2.18% (2,645)
20.

Markham—Unionville Markham—Unionville is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 2004. Boundaries Markham—Unionville is located in the City of Markham within an area bordered by a ...

, ON - 2.14% (2,645)
21.

Pierrefonds—Dollard Pierrefonds—Dollard is a federal electoral district in Quebec, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 1988. Its population was 108,587 at the 2016 Canadian Census. This riding occupies the northwest part of ...

, QC - 2.08% (2,255)
22. Saint-Laurent, QC - 2.03% (2,010)

Media

Much of the Tamil language media in Canada is based in

, while some centres operate in

. A community magazine, ''Thamizhar Mathiyil'' (Amidst Tamils), has been published since 1990 and has grown to several hundred pages in length. Ten

alternative weekly An alternative newspaper is a type of newspaper that eschews comprehensive coverage of general news in favor of stylized reporting, opinionated reviews and columns, investigations into edgy topics and magazine-style feature stories highlighting l ...

Tamil language newspapers are distributed primarily in Toronto and Montreal. The ''Monsoon Journal'' and the ''Tamil Mirror'' are English language newspapers created and targeted at Tamils. Four Tamil language radio stations broadcast out of Toronto and Montreal as well. Three Tamil language online New
Thetamiljournal.com
(The Tamil Journal தமிழ் இதழ்), television stations (

Tamil Vision International Tamil Vision International (officially abbreviated as tvi or simply called Tamil Vision) is a Canadian exempt Category B Tamil language specialty channel, based in Toronto, Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territ ...

Tamil One Tamil One is a Canadian exempt Category B Tamil language Tamil (; ' , ) is a Dravidian language natively spoken by the Tamil people of South Asia. Tamil is an official language of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, the sovereign nations ...

, and

Tamil Entertainment Television Tamil Entertainment Television (TET) is a Canadian exempt Category B Tamil language specialty channel. It is an entertainment channel and is owned by Tamil Entertainment Television Inc.. TET is the first 24hr Tamil channel in North America to br ...

) are based in Toronto.

Social and political activity

Various political, social and religious organizations exists among the Tamil Canadian community. One such organization is

Canadian Tamil Congress The Canadian Tamil Congress (CTC; french: Congrès Tamoul Canadien) is a Canadian non-profit organization that serves Tamil Canadians since October 2000 and has 11 chapters. The objectives of the Canadian Tamil Congress are: to promote the partic ...

, which works as a community and lobby group to communicate on behalf of some Tamil Canadians at the municipal, provincial, federal, and international levels. The Canadian Tamil Congress is the largest of these organizations with 11 chapters in the country. The smaller organizations are geared towards organizing

kin __NOTOC__ Kin usually refers to kinship and family. Kin or KIN may also refer to: Culture and religion *Otherkin, people who identify as not entirely human *Kinism, a white supremacist religious movement * Kinh, the majority ethnic group of V ...

and village groups from Sri Lanka, as well as supporting various political parties such as the

Liberal Party of Canada The Liberal Party of Canada (french: Parti libéral du Canada, region=CA) is a federal political party in Canada. The party espouses the principles of liberalism,McCall, Christina; Stephen Clarkson"Liberal Party". ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' ...

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 ...

and

Conservative Party of Canada The Conservative Party of Canada (french: Parti conservateur du Canada), colloquially known as the Tories, is a federal political party in Canada. It was formed in 2003 by the merger of the two main right-leaning parties, the Progressive Con ...

. Tamil candidates have participated in the political process representing various parties at municipal, provincial and federal level. In 2011,

Rathika Sitsabaiesan Rathika Sitsabaiesan (; born December 23, 1981) is a Canadian former politician who was the member of Parliament (MP) for Scarborough—Rouge River from 2011 to 2015 as a member of the New Democratic Party (NDP). Sitsabaiesan is the first Tamil ...

was elected as the first Tamil-Canadian Member of Parliament, as a New Democrat in Scarborough-Rouge River. In 2018,

Vijay Thanigasalam Vijay Thanigasalam (born March 8, 1989) is a Canadian politician who has served as a member of Provincial Parliament since 2018, representing the riding of Scarborough—Rouge Park as a member of the Progressive Conservative (PC) Party. He ...

was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario and currently represents Scarborough-Rouge River as a member of the

Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario The Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario (french: Parti progressiste-conservateur de l'Ontario), often shortened to the Ontario PC Party or simply the PCs, colloquially known as the Tories, is a centre-right political party in Ontario, Canada ...

. During his time as a member, he has taken upon numerous initiatives in the Tamil Community and the Scarborough-Rouge River Riding as a whole. Some of his achievements include introducin
Bill 104
An Act to proclaim Tamil Genocide Education Week in Ontario. Previously,

Logan Kanapathi Logan Kanapathi is a Canadian politician who was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario during the 2018 general election. He represents the riding of Markham—Thornhill, and is a member of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario. ...

was the first Tamil Canadian candidate to win election to large municipal government. He currently serves his second term as Ward 7 councilor in the town of

Markham Markham may refer to: It may also refer to brand of of clothing which originates from South Africa which saw it's establishment in 1873. Biology * Markham's storm-petrel (''Oceanodroma markhami''), a seabird species found in Chile and Colombia * ...

. Many Hindu Temples have been built by the community to cater to its religious needs.

Hindu Youth Network Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

, an organization founded by Sri Lankan Tamils, is currently the largest Hindu youth movement in Canada with thousands of Hindu Tamil students and over 80% of the Hindu student groups in the country under its umbrella. There are also Christian churches that cater particularly to the Tamil community in Canada. Tamil Canadians have run multiple campaigns encouraging the donation of blood to the Canadian Blood Services organized by various Canadian Tamil organizations. The community also undertook a recent campaign to help SickKids Hospital, which treats 100,000 children every year. These campaigns were organized by the Canadian Tamil Congress, with the support of many social and community organizations.

Tamil Heritage Month in Canada

A unanimous decision was made at the House of Commons on October 5, 2016 declaring the month of January as Tamil Heritage Month under M-24. The motion will "recognize the contributions that Tamil-Canadians have made to Canadian society, the richness of the Tamil language and culture, and the importance of educating and reflecting upon Tamil heritage for future generations by declaring January, every year, Tamil Heritage Month.".

Sports and literature

Canada has attracted a number of internationally renowned writers from Sri Lanka, including

Shyam Selvadurai Shyam Selvadurai (born 12 February 1965) is a Sri Lankan Canadian novelist. He is most noted for his 1994 novel '' Funny Boy'', which won the Books in Canada First Novel Award and the Lambda Literary Award for Gay Fiction.Paul Chafe"Shyam Selvadu ...

. Despite his family's relative privilege and urban base, his family left Sri Lanka because of the

1983 riots Black July ( ta, கறுப்பு யூலை, translit=Kaṟuppu Yūlai; si, කළු ජූලිය, Kalu Juliya) was an anti-Tamil pogrom that occurred in Sri Lanka during July 1983. The pogrom was premeditated,T. Sabaratnam, Pirap ...

. Canadian Tamils have also contributed to the sports fields such as the formerly ranked Canadian

tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...

player

Sonya Jeyaseelan Sonya Jeyaseelan (born April 24, 1976) is a Canadian former professional tennis player. Her highest WTA singles ranking is No. 48, which she reached in December 2000. Her career-high ranking in doubles is world No. 40, achieved on 16 October 20 ...

and

cricketer Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

Sanjayan Thuraisingam Sanjayan Thuraisingam (born 11 September 1969) is a Tamil Canadian cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and a right-arm fast medium bowler. Thuraisingam was Canada's top wicket-taker at the 2001 ICC Trophy and his 5 wickets for just 25 r ...

Pradeeban Peter-Paul Pradeeban Peter-Paul (born May 17, 1977) is a Tamil Canadian table tennis player. Born in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Pradeeban Peter-Paul emigrated with his family to Germany at the age of 11. It was in Würzburg, Germany that Peter-Paul learned table ...

multiple

Guinness World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

holder

Suresh Joachim Suresh Joachim Arulanantham (born August 17, 1968) is a Canadian film actor, producer, and multiple-Guinness World Record holder who has broken more than 60 world records. World records Farthest distance run, whilst carrying a 4.5 kg bric ...

Tamil Canadian table tennis player has been part of the Canadian National Team for the past 12 years. He was one of two Canadians who qualified to represent Canada at the

2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Na ...

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

. Soccer and cricket are two of the main sports played by the Tamil population in Canada.

Laws

A law named "Tamil Heritage Month Act, 2014" was passed by the Ontario government to proclaim January as Tamil heritage month. This law is for remembering, celebrating and educating future generations about the inspirational roles that Tamil Canadians have played. Bill 104 passed in January of 2021 and establishes the week of May 18th as the Tamil Genocide Education Week in Ontario. This Bill was passed to encourage Ontario to learn more about the Tamil Genocide that occurred in Sri Lanka.

Cuisines

Canada has a number of cuisines that serve authentic Tamil foods. In the Greater Toronto Area, which has the highest population of Tamils in Canada, many restaurants specialize Tamil cuisine, including Babu Catering, Karaikudi Chettinad Restaurant, and Nantha Caters. Tamil Canadians have also created dishes that fuse Tamil and Canadian food. For example, Confused Kitchen serves foods such as

mac and cheese Macaroni and cheese (also called mac and cheese in Canada and the United States and macaroni cheese in the United KingdomBBC, RecipesMacaroni Cheese/ref>) is a dish of cooked macaroni pasta and a cheese sauce, most commonly Cheddar sauce. The t ...

mutton rolls which is a twist on the classic Sri Lankan

mutton Lamb, hogget, and mutton, generically sheep meat, are the meat of domestic sheep, ''Ovis aries''. A sheep in its first year is a lamb and its meat is also lamb. The meat from sheep in their second year is hogget. Older sheep meat is mutton. Gen ...

roll.