Sri Lankan Canadians


Sri Lankan Canadians refers to people from Sri Lanka who have arrived and settled in Canada. Among these immigrants include members from the Sinhalese, Tamil, Moor, Malay and Burgher ethnicities. According to 2016 census there are 152,595 Sri Lankans in Canada.

Demographics

Sri Lankan Canadians are concentrated in the cities of Toronto and Montreal. According to the 2001 census, there are 62,000 Canadians who claim Sri Lankan ancestry, but only 10,000 claimed to be of Sinhalese ancestry. The number may not be an actual representation because many Tamil Canadians from Sri Lanka classify themselves as Tamil rather than Sri Lankan.

Population settlement

The Sri Lankan Canadian Population according to Statistics Canada in the 2006 census in the 10 Canadian Provinces and 3 territories:
ProvinceSri Lankans
Ontario85,935
Quebec10,750
British Columbia4,150
Alberta1,740
Manitoba445
Saskatchewan240
Nova Scotia155
Newfoundland and Labrador115
New Brunswick45
Yukon25
Northwest Territories10
Nunavut10
Prince Edward Island0
Canada103,625

Dual citizenship

Some Sri Lankan Canadians hold citizenship in both Canada and Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankan government encourage Sri Lankan expatriates to obtain the citizenship of their country of birth at a fee and to return to Sri Lanka at a future date. There is a drive to attract the educated Sri Lankan immigrants in Canada for new opportunities arising in the government sector of Sri Lanka, which may sometime require the applicants to be Sri Lankan citizens.
Since almost all the Sri Lankans who immigrated to Canada under skilled migration schemes have received their higher education free, there is a moral tendency among them to obtain dual citizenship in addition to the fact that they left behind relatives and accrued wealth.

Community

Ontario

Sri Lankan Organizations and Associations in Canada and their role:
There is a considerable number of Sri Lankan associations in Canada. The main objectives of these associations are to help the immigrants, continue their Sri Lankan traditions and to help Sri Lanka. Some of these associations are ethnic based but majority of the cities have associations which cater to all people having a link with Sri Lanka regardless of their ethnic or political orientation.
List of Sri Lankan organizations and associations in Ontario:
News Papers catering Sri Lankan Canadians
A number of newspapers are printed in Ontario to cater the Sri Lankan diaspora. They are printed in English, Tamil and Sinhalese languages and distributed free. These news papers mainly tell the stories from Sri Lanka and talks about the achievements of Canadian Sri Lankans. Sometimes, they get into small discussions on Sri Lankan politics as well as give some general information and tips necessary to help immigrants survive in Canada. These newspapers can be picked up at some grocery stores where they sell Sri Lankan food, places of religious worship, etc.
List of Sri Lankan news papers available in Ontario.
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Famous Sri Lankan Canadians include Dhalathan Aiyathurai, Michael Ondaatje and his financier brother Christopher Ondaatje; Principal Research scientist at the National Research Council of Canada Chandre Dharma-wardana; Academic Engineer Indira Samarasekera, musician Nirmala Basnayake, formerly of the band controller.controller; news anchor Anne-Marie Mediwake; anchor novelist Shyam Selvadurai; cricketers Sanjayan Thuraisingam, film Actor, producer and multiple Guinness World Record-holder Suresh Joachim; and Pubudu Dassanayake.