Croatian Canadian

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Croatian Canadian
Total population
Croatian
114,880 Canadians
Regions with significant populations
 Ontario 74,020
 British Columbia 19,855
 Alberta 10,060
Languages
Canadian English, Croatian and Canadian French
Religion
Roman Catholicism
Protestantism, Orthodoxy
Islam
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Croats

The Croatian community is present in most major Canadian cities, including the Greater Toronto Area, Hamilton, Ottawa, Vancouver, Calgary, Windsor, and Montreal.

Some of the more popular Croatian Canadian events are the Croatian-North American Soccer Tournament and the Canadian-Croatian Folklore Festival.

Demographics

There are approximately 114,880 Canadians of Croatian ethnic origin as reported in the 2011 National Household Survey complied by Statistics Canada. Croatian-Canadians are present in most major Canadian cities. The ten largest Croatian communities are found in the following cities:

Toronto, Ontario: 12,665 Hamilton, Ontario: 9,110 Mississauga, Ontario: 8,935 Calgary, Alberta: 3,895 Oakville, Ontario: 3,710 Vancouver, British Columbia: 3,415 Edmonton, Alberta: 2,995 Kitchener, Ontario: 2,785 Ottawa, Ontario: 2,755 Windsor, Ontario: 2,700

The town with the largest percentage of people of Croatian ethnic origin is Kenaston, Saskatchewan - 17.5% of its 285 inhabitants claim Croatian ethnic origin.

Statistics Canada also designates Census Metropolitan Areas in the collection of its data. The ten Census Metropolitan Areas with the highest concentration of Croatian-Canadians are:

Toronto CMA: 35,115 Vancouver CMA: 13,025 Hamilton CMA: 11,640 Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo CMA: 4,445 Calgary CMA: 4,385 Montreal CMA: 4,130 Windsor, Ontario CMA: 3,865 Edmonton CMA: 3,675 Ottawa-Gatineau CMA: 3,245 London CMA: 2,635

Religious Affiliation

Most Croatian Canadians are Roman Catholic who follow the Latin Rite of their ancestors in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. A very small minority of Croatians are Byzantine Rite Roman Catholics. There is also a community of Croats who follow Islam, the descendants of those who converted after the 16th century, after the conquest of much of Croatia by the Ottomans. Communities of Protestants have historically been negligible in Croatia.

In Canada, the first ethnic Croatian parish was established in Windsor in 1950. Soon, parishes were established in Toronto (1951), Hamilton (1958), Vancouver (1967). Today there are ethnic Croatian parishes and missions in seventeen cities in Canada. In addition, previously unorganized Croats of the Muslim faith, with the arrival of eminent physician Asaf Durakovic[1] founded the Croatian Islamic Centre[2] on June 23, 1973 in Etobicoke (75 Birmingham Street, Etobicoke, ON M8V 2C3),[3] helped by the Croatian Catholic community.[4][5] An old Catholic school was bought for 75,000 CAD and readjusted into masjid. There was also a community of Bosnian Muslims of Yugoslav option, but the Croat option of Bosnian Muslims never cooperated with them, since Muslim Croats considered all Yugoslavs and Communists as chetniks and as their worst enemies. Since the old building was in catastrophic condition, a new mosque was built on the site of the old one in 1983.[6] Today, given changing political affiliations and political pressures from 1990's, and influx of non-Croat option of Bosnian Muslims,the center is now known as the Bosnian Islamic Centre. Despite that, today 4 out of 64 Canadian mosques have the attribute "Croatian".[7] In Croatian Islamic Centre the children are taught the Croatian and Arabic languages, but there also Croatian Islamic newspapers, books, brochures etc.[8][9][10] Croatian Islamic Center called on Muslim governments, organisations, and individuals to press the Yugoslav regime, to end the persecution of Islam and to grant genuin equality of Muslims in Yugoslavia. The director of Centre Kerim Reis wanted that Belgrade releases the Muslim prisoners of conscience and to end to restrictions on the building of mosques.[11] During Yugoslavia, this group often spoke accused Tito's Yugoslavia for practising discrimination both Muslim and Catholic Croats.[12] While an overwhelming percentage of Croatians in Canada remain Roman Catholic, there are significant non-Catholic populations, including Protestants (most of whom have been in Canada for more than one generation) and Eastern Orthodox (the majority of whom are of mixed ethnic background).

The leading religious affiliations among Croatian-Canadians (2001 data):

Roman Catholic: 77,025 (79.4%) Protestant: 5,870 (6.0%) Eastern Orthodox: 2,745 (2.8%) Christian (not otherwise specified): 1,120 (1.2%) Muslim: 490 (.5%) Other: 330 (.3%) No Religious Affiliation: 9,470 (9.8%).

Notable Croatian Canadians

Politicians

  • Bob Bratina - Mayor, Hamilton 2010–present
  • Jan Brown - Former Reform/Independent MP Calgary Southeast 1993-1997
  • Allan Kerpan - Saskatchewan Party MLA Carrot River Valley 2003–present; Former Reform MP Moose Jaw-Lake Centre 1993-2000
  • Janko Peric - Former Liberal MP Cambridge 1993-2004
  • Peter Sekulic Former Alta Liberal MLA Edmonton Manning 1993-1997
  • Roseanne Skoke - Former Liberal MP Central Nova 1993-1997
  • John Sola - Former Liberal MPP 1987–1995
  • Dave Stupich - Former NDP MP Nanaimo-Cowichan 1988-1993; Former B.C. NDP MLA 1963-1969; 1972-1988
  • Lynne Yelich - Canadian Alliance/Conservative MP Blackstrap 2000–present

Scientists

  • Asaf Durakovic - physician and expert in nuclear medicine and depleted uranium, poet

Media

Movie

Actors

Athletes

Political Activists

See also

References

  1. ↑ Poskok.info Fikret Artuković: Toronto slavi 35 godina hrvatske džamije (picture)
  2. ↑ Salatomatic - Croatian Islamic Centre
  3. ↑ BH raja.ca Toronto: "Hrvatska" džamija slavi 35 godina postojanja!, June 24, 2008
  4. ↑ Poskok.info Fikret Artuković: Toronto slavi 35 godina hrvatske džamije (picture)
  5. ↑ Vinko Grubisic: Croatians in Toronto, From: Polyphony Vol.6, 1984 pp. 88-91
  6. ↑ Poskok.info Fikret Artuković: Toronto slavi 35 godina hrvatske džamije (picture)
  7. ↑ BH raja.ca Toronto: "Hrvatska" džamija slavi 35 godina postojanja!, June 24, 2008
  8. ↑ Vinko Grubisic: Croatians in Toronto, From: Polyphony Vol.6, 1984 pp. 88-91
  9. ↑ Google Books Massacre of Croatians in Bosnia-Hercegovina and Sandžak, Croatian Islamic Centre (Toronto, Canada), 1978
  10. ↑ Mushtak Parker: Muslims in Yugoslavia: The quest for justice, Croatian Islamic Center, 1986, ASIN: B0006EVF9U
  11. ↑ Google Books The Light, Vol. 20-21, Bilal Muslim Mission of Tanzania, 1986
  12. ↑ Google Books Paul R. Magocsi,Multicultural History Society of Ontario: Encyclopedia of Canada's peoples

External links

Croatian diaspora
Americas
Europe
Oceania
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