Mexican Canadian
Encyclopedia
Mexican Canadians are Canadians of Mexican
ancestry. Per the latest Statistics Canada population estimate (2006), 61,505 Canadians (0.2% of the country's population) indicated that they were of full or partial Mexican ancestry. The Mexican ancestry population in Canada is quite small despite Canada's proximity to Mexico and especially when compared to the United States
where there are nearly 32,000,000 Mexican Americans comprising over 10% of the population (see Mexican American
)
Mexican Canadians trace their ancestry to Mexico, a country located in North America
, bounded on the north by the United States; and many different Europe
an countries, especially Spain
, which was its colonial ruler for over three centuries.
and are also present in other provinces of Canada such as British Columbia
, Alberta
and Manitoba
.
There are some Canadians with roots in the United States of America of Mexican-Texan ancestry living in Alberta; thus the so-called Mexican ethnic presence dates back to the first oil industry booms in the 1950s.
While approximately 5,000 Mexicans enter Canada each year as temporary students or contract workers for agriculture, these are not counted as immigrants because of their explicitly temporary legal status. Unlike the United States’ Bracero program
, the temporary-worker program in Canada has various mechanisms to discourage workers from overstaying their permits.
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
ancestry. Per the latest Statistics Canada population estimate (2006), 61,505 Canadians (0.2% of the country's population) indicated that they were of full or partial Mexican ancestry. The Mexican ancestry population in Canada is quite small despite Canada's proximity to Mexico and especially when compared to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
where there are nearly 32,000,000 Mexican Americans comprising over 10% of the population (see Mexican American
Mexican American
Mexican Americans are Americans of Mexican descent. As of July 2009, Mexican Americans make up 10.3% of the United States' population with over 31,689,000 Americans listed as of Mexican ancestry. Mexican Americans comprise 66% of all Hispanics and Latinos in the United States...
)
Mexican Canadians trace their ancestry to Mexico, a country located in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, bounded on the north by the United States; and many different Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an countries, especially Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, which was its colonial ruler for over three centuries.
Geographical extent
Most Mexican Canadian settlement concentrations are found in metropolitan areas across Canada, with the highest concentrations in Greater Toronto and QuebecQuebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
and are also present in other provinces of Canada such as British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
and Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
.
There are some Canadians with roots in the United States of America of Mexican-Texan ancestry living in Alberta; thus the so-called Mexican ethnic presence dates back to the first oil industry booms in the 1950s.
While approximately 5,000 Mexicans enter Canada each year as temporary students or contract workers for agriculture, these are not counted as immigrants because of their explicitly temporary legal status. Unlike the United States’ Bracero program
Bracero Program
The Bracero Program was a series of laws and diplomatic agreements, initiated by an August 1942 exchange of diplomatic notes between the United States and Mexico, for the importation of temporary contract laborers from Mexico to the United States.American president Franklin D...
, the temporary-worker program in Canada has various mechanisms to discourage workers from overstaying their permits.
See also
- Mexican AmericanMexican AmericanMexican Americans are Americans of Mexican descent. As of July 2009, Mexican Americans make up 10.3% of the United States' population with over 31,689,000 Americans listed as of Mexican ancestry. Mexican Americans comprise 66% of all Hispanics and Latinos in the United States...
- ChicanoChicanoThe terms "Chicano" and "Chicana" are used in reference to U.S. citizens of Mexican descent. However, those terms have a wide range of meanings in various parts of the world. The term began to be widely used during the Chicano Movement, mainly among Mexican Americans, especially in the movement's...
- Mexican British
- Latin American Canadian