Tamil Canadian
Encyclopedia
Tamil Canadian or Canadian Tamils are Canadians of Tamil
ethnic origins mostly from India
and Sri Lanka
. It is estimated that the Tamil diaspora
in Canada
is around 200,000. From a population of fewer than 150 Tamils in 1983, it has become one of the largest visible minority population groups within the Greater Toronto Area
(GTA). In the 1991 census, Tamils were the fastest-growing ethnic group in Metropolitan Toronto
. Canada's Tamil population is thought to constitute the largest Sri Lankan diaspora
in the world with Toronto
being considered as "the city with the largest number of Sri Lankan Tamils in the world".
, India, the Philippines
, and Hong Kong
.
Between 2001-2010 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.
and in Canada. Toronto is also home to the largest Tamil video and music stores in the world. There are also two television stations in Tamil serving the community. The Monsoon Journal and the Tamil Mirror are popular English language papers created and targeted at Tamils.
Two local Tamil Television channels are broadcasted 24 hours service in Tamil
, such as TVI
and Tamil One
. Many films are produced by Tamils based in Toronto
are called as Tamil Canadian cinema.There are many forms of the medium within the Tamil Community.
The Tamil Canadian community has social and political organizations such as the Canadian Tamil Congress
,which works as a community and lobby group to communicate on behalf of Tamil Canadians at the municipal, provincial, federal, and international levels. The Canadian Tamil Congress is largest of these organizations with 11 chapters in the country. The smaller organizations are geared towards organizing kin
and village groups from Sri Lanka, as well as supporting various political parties such as the Liberal Party of Canada
, New Democratic Party
and Conservative Party of Canada
. Tamil candidates have participated in the political process representing various parties at municipal, provincial and federal level. In 2011, Rathika Sitsabaiesan was elected as the first Tamil-Canadian Member of Parliament, as a New Democrat in Scarborough-Rouge River. Previously, Logan Kanapathi 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
. Many Hindu Temples have been built by the community to cater to its religious needs. Hindu Youth Network, 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. 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. Some campaigns and non-profit charities in the Canadian Tamil community have also been linked to the funding of the LTTE organization
. Despite his family's relative privilege and urban base, his family left Sri Lanka because of the 1983 riots
. Canadian Tamils have also contributed to the sports fields such as the formerly ranked Canadian tennis
player Sonya Jeyaseelan
and cricketer
Sanjayan Thuraisingam
.
Soccer and cricket are two of the main sports played by the Tamil population in Canada. Events like the Tamil Eelam Challenge Cup for both soccer and cricket is held every year for the youth and the adults.
Tamil people
Tamil people , also called Tamils or Tamilians, are an ethnic group native to Tamil Nadu, India and the north-eastern region of Sri Lanka. Historic and post 15th century emigrant communities are also found across the world, notably Malaysia, Singapore, Mauritius, South Africa, Australia, Canada,...
ethnic origins mostly from India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
. It is estimated that the Tamil diaspora
Tamil diaspora
The Tamil diaspora is a demographic group of Tamil people of Indian or Sri Lankan origin who have settled in other parts of the world. Significant Tamil diaspora populations can be found in Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, the Middle East, Réunion, South Africa, Mauritius, Seychelles, Fiji, Guyana,...
in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
is around 200,000. From a population of fewer than 150 Tamils in 1983, it has become one of the largest visible minority population groups within the Greater Toronto Area
Greater Toronto Area
The Greater Toronto Area is the largest metropolitan area in Canada, with a 2006 census population of 5.5 million. The Greater Toronto Area is usually defined as the central city of Toronto, along with four regional municipalities surrounding it: Durham, Halton, Peel, and York...
(GTA). In the 1991 census, Tamils were the fastest-growing ethnic group in Metropolitan Toronto
Metropolitan Toronto
The Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto was a senior level of municipal government in the Toronto, Ontario, Canada area from 1954 to 1998. It was created out of York County and was a precursor to the later concept of a regional municipality, being formed of smaller municipalities but having more...
. Canada's Tamil population is thought to constitute the largest Sri Lankan diaspora
Canadians of Sri Lankan origin
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. As of 2006 there are 103,625 Sri Lankans in Canada....
in the world with Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
being considered as "the city with the largest number of Sri Lankan Tamils in the world".
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 1991-2001, Sri Lanka was the fifth largest source country of immigrants to Canada, after ChinaChina
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, India, the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, and Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
.
Between 2001-2010 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.
| Year | Permanent Residents | Refugee Claimants | Government/Private Sponsored Refugees |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 4,728 | 2,802 | 3 |
| 2000 | 5,849 | 2,898 | 7 |
| 2001 | 5,520 | 2,824 | 0 |
| 2002 | 4,968 | 1,589 | 0 |
| 2003 | 4,448 | 1,239 | 0 |
| 2004 | 4,135 | 1,134 | 0 |
| 2005 | 4,690 | 854 | 0 |
| 2006 | 4,490 | 862 | 0 |
| 2007 | 3,934 | 779 | 0 |
| 2008 | 4,509 | 1,013 | 0 |
| 2009 | 4,269 | 2,758 | 0 |
| 2010 | 4,181 | 2,778 | 0 |
Media
A community directory of businesses and services for this community, Thamilar Mathiyil (Amidst Tamils), has been published since 1990 and has grown to several hundred pages in length. There are ten weekly Tamil language newspapers, four Tamil language radio stations, and three cinemas that show Tamil language films that are produced in Tamil NaduTamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
and in Canada. Toronto is also home to the largest Tamil video and music stores in the world. There are also two television stations in Tamil serving the community. The Monsoon Journal and the Tamil Mirror are popular English language papers created and targeted at Tamils.
Two local Tamil Television channels are broadcasted 24 hours service in Tamil
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
, such as TVI
TVI
TVI may refer to:*Tamil Vision International, a Tamil language television channel in Toronto, Canada*TeleVideo, a manufacturer of computer terminals*Televisão Independente, Portugal's fourth television channel...
and Tamil One
Tamil One
Tamil One is a Canadian Category B Tamil language specialty channel. It offers a variety of programming from Canadian productions to Tamil programming from around the world. Tamil One was previously known as Tamil TV and was owned by Phillip Koneswaran...
. Many films are produced by Tamils based in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
are called as Tamil Canadian cinema.There are many forms of the medium within the Tamil Community.
Social and political activity
Canadian Tamil Congress
The Canadian Tamil Congress is a non-profit agency which strives to represent the interests of the 300,000 Tamil Canadians in Canada. The CTC has actively served Canada's Tamil community since October 2000 and has 11 chapters...
,which works as a community and lobby group to communicate on behalf of Tamil Canadians at the municipal, provincial, federal, and international levels. The Canadian Tamil Congress is largest of these organizations with 11 chapters in the country. The smaller organizations are geared towards organizing kin
Kin
-Places:* Kin, Okinawa, a town in Okinawa, Japan* Kin, Pakistan, a village along the Indus in Pakistan* Kin, Mogok, a village in Mogok Township, Burma * Kin, Ye, a village in Ye Township, Burma...
and village groups from Sri Lanka, as well as supporting various political parties such as the Liberal Party of Canada
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
, New Democratic Party
New Democratic Party
The New Democratic Party , commonly referred to as the NDP, is a federal social-democratic political party in Canada. The interim leader of the NDP is Nycole Turmel who was appointed to the position due to the illness of Jack Layton, who died on August 22, 2011. The provincial wings of the NDP in...
and Conservative Party of Canada
Conservative Party of Canada
The Conservative Party of Canada , is a political party in Canada which was formed by the merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada in 2003. It is positioned on the right of the Canadian political spectrum...
. Tamil candidates have participated in the political process representing various parties at municipal, provincial and federal level. In 2011, Rathika Sitsabaiesan was elected as the first Tamil-Canadian Member of Parliament, as a New Democrat in Scarborough-Rouge River. Previously, Logan Kanapathi 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, Ontario
Markham is a town in the Regional Municipality of York, located within the Greater Toronto Area of Southern Ontario, Canada. The population was 261,573 at the 2006 Canadian census...
. Many Hindu Temples have been built by the community to cater to its religious needs. Hindu Youth Network, 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. 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. Some campaigns and non-profit charities in the Canadian Tamil community have also been linked to the funding of the LTTE organization
Sports and literature
Canada has attracted a number of internationally renowned writers from Sri Lanka, including Shyam SelvaduraiShyam Selvadurai
Shyam Selvadurai is a Sri Lankan Canadian novelist who wrote Funny Boy , which won the Books in Canada First Novel Award, and Cinnamon Gardens...
. Despite his family's relative privilege and urban base, his family left Sri Lanka because of the 1983 riots
Black July
Black July is the commonly used name for the anti-Tamil pogrom and attacks carried out by mobs in Sri Lanka which began on July 23, 1983. The riots occurred following a deadly ambush by a Tamil militant organization known as Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam which killed 13 Sri Lanka Army soldiers...
. Canadian Tamils have also contributed to the sports fields such as the formerly ranked Canadian tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
player Sonya Jeyaseelan
Sonya Jeyaseelan
Sonya Jeyaseelan is a professional Canadian tennis player.Her highest WTA singles ranking is World No. 48, which she reached on December 4, 2000. Her career high in doubles is World No. 40, set on October 16, 2000.-External links:...
and cricketer
Cricketer
A cricketer is a person who plays the sport of cricket. Official and long-established cricket publications prefer the traditional word "cricketer" over the rarely used term "cricket player"....
Sanjayan Thuraisingam
Sanjayan Thuraisingam
Sanjayan Thuraisingam is a Tamil Canadian cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and a right-arm fast medium bowler....
.
Soccer and cricket are two of the main sports played by the Tamil population in Canada. Events like the Tamil Eelam Challenge Cup for both soccer and cricket is held every year for the youth and the adults.
See also
- List of Canadian Sri Lankan Tamils
- Tamil Sri Lankans
- Sri Lankan Canadians
- Tamil MalaysiansTamil MalaysiansTamil Malaysian or Malaysian Tamil refer to the Malaysians of Tamil ethnic origin from India and Sri Lanka in Malaysia. They make up over 70% of the Indian Malaysian population group in Malaysia...
- Tamil South AfricansTamil South Africans-External links:**...
- Tamil diasporaTamil diasporaThe Tamil diaspora is a demographic group of Tamil people of Indian or Sri Lankan origin who have settled in other parts of the world. Significant Tamil diaspora populations can be found in Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, the Middle East, Réunion, South Africa, Mauritius, Seychelles, Fiji, Guyana,...
- Sri Lankan Tamil diasporaSri Lankan Tamil diasporaThe Sri Lankan Tamil Diaspora refers to the global diaspora of the people of Sri Lankan Tamil origin. It can be said to be a subset of the larger Sri Lankan as well as Tamil diaspora....
- Federation of Tamil Sangams of North AmericaFederation of Tamil Sangams of North AmericaThe Federation of Tamil Sangams in North America is an umbrella organization of many local North American Tamil diaspora organizations...
External links
- Canadian Tamil Business Directory
- TAMIL STAR FM - Tamil Radio in Canada
- Alberta Tamils Society
- Edmonton Tamil Forum
- Tamils in Canada from Ravindiran Vaitheespara, The Encyclopedia of Canada's Peoples
- Hindu Youth Network - Tamil Hindu youth movement in Canada
- Canadian Multicultural Radio-Online
- Canadian Tamil Radio
- Young Tamils searching for roots, peace
- Canadian Tamil Congress