Canadians of Sri Lankan origin
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Canadians of Sri Lankan origin |
|---|
| Total population |
|
61,315 [1] |
| Regions with significant populations |
| Southern Ontario |
| Languages |
| Canadian English, Tamil, Sinhalese |
| Religions |
| Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, |
| Related ethnic groups |
| Asian Indians, Sri Lankans, Tamils, South Asian Canadians |
Canadians of Sri Lankan descent are those who have arrived and settled in Canada from Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon). They belong to Sinhalese, Tamil, Muslim and Burgher ethnicities. According to the 2001 census, 61 315 Canadians claim Sri Lankan ancestry[2] are supposed to be living in Canada. However, these numbers have to be verified with official Canadian figures and research data.
Children of these "Sri Lankan Canadians" are visible in schools and universities in Toronto and other cities. York university has a large concentration.
There are two Buddhist temples in Toronto (Toronto and Mississauga), and an Asapuva (a centre for Buddhist reflection and meditation)has recently been founded with venerable monks trained in analytical Buddhism coming from Sri Lanka. There are Buddhist temples in Vancouver as well as Ottawa.
Canadian Sri Lankans are concentrated in Toronto, Scarborough, Mississauga, and Brampton. In Vancouver they are concentrated in Surrey and nearby areas. Famous Sri Lankan Canadians include famed author Michael Ondaatje, and his financier brother Christopher Ondaatje. Nirmala Basnayake is an indie rock musician, formerly of the band controller.controller. Anne-Marie Mediwake is a Toronto-based anchor for the Global Television Network's "News Hour". Shyam Selvadurai is a novelist.
Sri Lankan Canadians have continuing and instrumental relations with Sri Lanka as well as other diasporic destinations such as Australia, the United Kingdom, the USA, India, Italy, and countries of the Middle East.
While they have strong feelings about the government conflict with the LTTE in Sri lanka, most have become law-abiding citizens of Canada striving to make a living for themselves and future prosperity for their children. They have adapted to their new country, its geography and climate, work ethic, as well as to admiring what Canada offers in terms of natural beauty and heritage.
As a hybrid term Canadian-Sri Lankan implies a combined identity. Sri Lankan cultural heritage (ie.religion, language, customs etc.)is maintained where it is deemed to be valuable by the community and community leaders.
- ^ [1] (Profile of Citizenship, Immigration, Birthplace, Generation Status, Ethnic Origin, Visible Minorities and Aboriginal Peoples, for Canada, Provinces, Territories, Census Divisions and Census Subdivisions, 2001 Census)
- ^ [2] Ethnic Origin (232), Sex (3) and Single and Multiple Responses (3) for Population, for Canada, Provinces, Territories, Census Metropolitan Areas 1 and Census Agglomerations, 2001 Census - 20% Sample Data
