Latin American Canadians

Latin American Canadians (Canadiens d'Amérique latine; Canadenses da América Latina; Canadienses de América Latina), sometimes also referred to as Spanish Canadians, are Canadians who are descendants of people from countries of Latin America. The majority of Latin American Canadians are multilingual, primarily speaking Spanish, Portuguese, French and English. Most are fluent in one or both of Canada's two official languages, English and French. Spanish and Portuguese are Romance languages and share similarities in morphology and syntax with French.

Latin American Canadians have made distinguished contributions to Canada in all major fields, including politics, the military, diplomacy, music, philosophy, sports, business and economy, and science.

The largest Latin American groups represented in Canada are Mexican Canadians, Colombian Canadians and Salvadoran Canadians. The Latino population is mostly concentrated in the provinces of Ontario, Quebec, Alberta and British Columbia. Ontario holds the largest Latin American population with Toronto having the largest concentration (including the suburbs of Mississauga and Brampton), as well as other cities such as London, Leamington, Ottawa and Kitchener-Waterloo. Quebec has the second-largest Latin American population with Montreal having the largest concentration.

Latin American Canadians make up one of the major groups designated as a visible minority according to Statistics Canada.

Over 1 million (3% of Canadians) are of Latin American or Hispanic descent, according to 2023 Statistics Canada data estimates.

History
The majority of Latin American Canadians are recent immigrants who arrived in the late 20th century from Mexico, Colombia, El Salvador, Puerto Rico, Peru with smaller communities from Chile, Venezuela, Brazil, Cuba, Guatemala, and elsewhere, with nearly all Latin American countries represented. Reasons for immigrating include Canada's better economic opportunities and politics or civil war and political repression in their native countries, as in the case of Cubans fleeing from the Fidel Castro revolution, Chileans escaping from Augusto Pinochet's rule, Salvadorans fleeing from the Salvadoran Civil War, Peruvians escaping from the Internal conflict in Peru, Dominicans opposed to the regimes of Rafael Trujillo and Joaquin Balaguer, Mexicans escaping from the Mexican Drug War, Colombians from the violence in their country and Venezuelans opposed to the rule of the Socialist Unity Party.

Demographics
As of the 2021 Canadian Census, the largest Latin American communities are in the census metropolitan areas of Toronto (396,459; 3.5%), Montreal (287,856; 3.2%), Vancouver (151,500; 2.0%), Calgary (134,395; 2.3%), Edmonton (121,960; 1.6%), Ottawa (90,620; 1.4%), and Hamilton (30,605; 1.9%). The fastest growing are in the provinces of Alberta, Manitoba, and Nova Scotia.

List of Canadian census subdivisions with Latin American populations higher than the national average
Source: Canada 2021 Census National average: 1.6%

Alberta

 * Brooks (4.3%)
 * Calgary (2.1%)
 * Edmonton (1.9%)
 * Red Deer (1.8%)
 * Lethbridge (1.7%)

British Columbia

 * Greater Vancouver A (2.1%)
 * Burnaby (2.0%)
 * New Westminster (1.8%)
 * Vancouver (1.8%)
 * Port Moody (1.7%)
 * Coquitlam (1.6%)

Manitoba

 * Brandon (5.0%)

Ontario

 * Leamington (7.1%)
 * Abitibi (6.4%)
 * Bradford West Gwillimbury (3.8%)
 * Toronto (3.3%)
 * Kitchener (3.0%)
 * London (3.0%)
 * Grand Valley (2.7%)
 * Pic River (2.7%)
 * Vaughan (2.6%)
 * Milton (2.6%)
 * Innisfil (2.6%)
 * Mississauga (2.4%)
 * Newbury (2.3%)
 * St. Catharines (2.2%)
 * New Tecumseth (2.2%)
 * Brampton (2.1%)
 * Hamilton (2.0%)
 * Oakville (2.0%)
 * Barrie (2.0%)
 * Waterloo (1.9%)
 * Burlington (1.7%)
 * Cambridge (1.7%)
 * Caledon (1.7%)

Quebec

 * Sainte-Justine (6.0%)
 * Brossard (5.0%)
 * Courcelles-Saint-Évariste (4.9%)
 * Longueuil (4.5%)
 * Montréal (4.4%)
 * Saint-Jean-de-l'Île-d'Orléans (4.4%)
 * La Guadeloupe (3.6%)
 * Saint-Didace (3.6%)
 * Saint-René (3.7%)
 * Dorval (3.5%)
 * Lyster (3.5%)
 * Laval (3.4%)
 * Candiac (3.3%)
 * Saint-Constant (3.3%)
 * Plessisville (3.1%)
 * Châteauguay (3.1%)
 * Grand-Saint-Esprit (3.1%)
 * Saint-Hyacinthe (2.9%)
 * Saint-Lambert (2.9%)
 * Montréal-Est (2.8%)
 * Delson (2.8%)
 * Vaudreuil-Dorion (2.6%)
 * Sainte-Catherine (2.6%)
 * Saint-Gédéon-de-Beauce (2.6%)
 * Saint-Jacques-le-Mineur (2.5%)
 * Très-Saint-Sacrement (2.5%)
 * L'Île-Perrot (2.4%)
 * Saint-Édouard-de-Lotbinière (2.4%)
 * Hampstead (2.4%)
 * Deux-Montagnes (2.3%)
 * Boucherville (2.3%)
 * La Prairie (2.3%)
 * Bois-des-Filion (2.3%)
 * Repentigny (2.2%)
 * Terrebonne (2.1%)
 * Pointe-Claire (2.1%)
 * Saint-Amable (2.1%)
 * Charlemagne (2.1%)
 * Saint-Antoine-de-Tilly (2.1%)
 * Sherbrooke (2.0%)
 * Saint-Rémi (2.0%)
 * Gatineau (1.9%)
 * Saint-Alexis-de-Matapédia (1.9%)
 * Boisbriand (1.9%)
 * Rosemère (1.9%)
 * Saint-Denis-sur-Richelieu (1.9%)
 * Marieville (1.8%)
 * Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue (1.8%)
 * Sainte-Marthe-sur-le-Lac (1.8%)
 * Beaconsfield (1.8%)
 * Saint-Basile-le-Grand (1.8%)
 * Noyan (1.8%)
 * Ham-Nord (1.8%)
 * Louiseville (1.7%)
 * Blainville (1.7%)
 * Dollard-des-Ormeaux (1.7%)
 * Joliette (1.7%)
 * Mont-Royal (1.7%)
 * Lorraine (1.7%)
 * Les Cèdres (1.7%)
 * Montréal-Ouest (1.7%)
 * Léry (1.7%)
 * Saint-Polycarpe (1.7%)
 * Mascouche (1.6%)
 * Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville (1.6%)
 * Saint-Philippe (1.6%)
 * Saint-Isidore (1.6%)

Music

 * Eva Avila, pop singer and 2006 Canadian Idol winner
 * Boogat, rapper
 * Fito Blanko, tropical/urban singer-songwriter, born in Panama
 * Patricia Cano, singer
 * Marco Castillo, singer-songwriter
 * José Miguel Contreras, rock musician and lead vocalist of By Divine Right
 * Criollo, hip-hop group
 * Beto Cuevas, rock musician and former lead vocalist of La Ley
 * Eliana Cuevas, singer-songwriter
 * Lhasa de Sela, folk musician
 * Carlos del Junco, harmonica player, member of the Cuban del Junco family
 * Quique Escamilla, Mexican-born musician
 * Carole Facal, rock musician
 * Alberto Guerrero, music composer and pianist, born in Chile
 * DJ Kemo, producer and DJ for hip-hop group Rascalz
 * Tom Landa, Mexican-born folk-rock musician
 * Oscar Lopez, flamenco musician, born in Chile
 * Lindi Ortega, singer-songwriter
 * John Paul Ospina, singer
 * Lido Pimienta, singer-songwriter
 * Adonis Puentes, singer-songwriter
 * Alexis Puentes, musician known by the stage name Alex Cuba
 * Quilla, singer-songwriter
 * Jessie Reyez, singer-songwriter
 * Alejandra Ribera, singer-songwriter
 * Smiley, rapper

Writers

 * Rodrigo Bascuñán, author and journalist, born in Chile
 * Caroline Dawson, born in Chile
 * Nicholas Dawson, born in Chile
 * Gloria Escomel, writer and journalist born in Uruguay
 * Gabriela Etcheverry, poet and novelist, born in Chile
 * José Latour, novelist, born in Cuba.
 * José Luis Rodríguez Pittí, writer and photographer born in Panama.

Diplomacy / International Relations

 * Guillermo Rishchynski, was born to Canadian and Panamenian parents. Former Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Canada to the United Nations; Former Executive Director for Canada at the Inter-American Development Bank; former Canadian Ambassador Colombia, Brazil, Mexico; 2008 TLN 10 Most Influential Hispanic Canadian.
 * Jose Herran-Lima, former Canadian Ambassador to Panama; former Director of Foreign Languages Centre at Foreign Affairs and International Trade
 * Lilly Nicholls, was born in Chile; Canadian High Commissioner to Bangladesh; former Canadian Ambassador to Panama; 2022 TLN 10 Most Influential Hispanic Canadian.
 * Patricia Peña, of Spanish heritage; Assistant Deputy Minister for Partnerships for Innovation at Global Affairs Canada; former Canadian Ambassador to Chile; 2019 10 Most Influential Hispanic Canadian.
 * Pierre Alarie, of Mexican Descent; former Canadian Ambassador to Mexico; former Vice president, business development and sales at the Canadian Commercial Corporation
 * Carlos Rojas-Arbulú, born in Peru; Canadian Counsellor and Senior Trade Commissioner to Chile; former Senior Departmental Advisor to the Minister of International Development & La Francophonie; 2023 TLN 10 Most Influential Hispanic Canadian.
 * Andrea Auerbach Vieira, former chair education and cultural projects at Concid, Brazilian Visual Artist and Entrepreneur Founder Longevity Food Company; Artist for UNICEF 2015, Woman of the Year Ontario 2016, Woman of Excellence Delhi 2018, Women Economic Forum, Top75 Most Influential Immigrant by RBC 2016, Top 4% Most Influent user Twitter 2010, Top 1% Most Influent user Instagram 2018, Top 50 Food Blogger Canada 2019, Top 300 Luxury Markets Canada Blogger 2024, Best Latin Web Radio TV show in Canada 2021/2024, Bayer Foundation Women of Influence 2024, Global Recognition Award nomination 2024, Ernest Young Entrepreneur of the Year nomination 2024.
 * Lilly Nicholls, was born in Chile; Canadian High Commissioner to Bangladesh; former Canadian Ambassador to Panama; 2022 TLN 10 Most Influential Hispanic Canadian.

Entertainment

 * David Alvarez, actor
 * Ariane Castellanos, actress
 * Joana Ceddia, YouTube Personality (of Brazilian descent)
 * Juan Chioran, stage actor, born in Argentina
 * Nick Cordero, stage actor, Costa Rican descent
 * Nelson Coronado, actor
 * Ona Grauer, television and film actress, born in Mexico
 * Michael Mando, film and television actor (of Mexican descent).
 * Flora Martínez, actress, part-Colombian descent
 * Emilia McCarthy, actress (of Mexican descent).
 * Emma Rabbe, television and film actress
 * Klea Scott, television and film actress, born in Panama
 * Tasya Teles, actress

Photography

 * Bruce Chun, cinematographer, born in Mexico
 * Federico Hidalgo, filmmaker and film professor.

Politics

 * Paulina Ayala, former MP for Honoré-Mercier (New Democratic Party), born in Chile
 * Estefania Cortes-Vargas, Canadian politician, elected in the Alberta general election, 2015 to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, representing the electoral district of Strathcona-Sherwood Park, born in Colombia
 * Joseph Facal, former minister in Quebec (Parti Québécois), born in Uruguay
 * Miguel Figueroa, leader and President of the Communist Party of Canada
 * Andrés Fontecilla, leader of Québec solidaire, born in Chile
 * Rosa Galvez, Senator, born in Peru
 * Rod Loyola, Canadian politician, elected in the Alberta general election, 2015 to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, representing the electoral district of Edmonton-Ellerslie, born in Chile
 * Sergio Marchi, former MP (Liberal Party of Canada), born in Argentina
 * Ricardo Miranda, Canadian politician, elected in the Alberta general election, 2015 to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, representing the electoral district of Calgary-Cross, born in Nicaragua
 * Osvaldo Nunez, former MP (Bloc Québécois), born in Chile
 * Cesar Palacio, first Latino person elected to the Toronto City Council, born in Ecuador
 * Saul Polo, MNA in Quebec, born in Colombia
 * Pablo Rodríguez, MP for Honoré-Mercier (Liberal Party of Canada), born in Argentina
 * Maria M.Torres, Councillor, Montreal West Montreal, Quebec, Canada, born in Venezuela.

Science and technology

 * Ivar Mendez, MD surgeon, Professor and Chairman of Surgery at the University of Saskatchewan, born in Bolivia
 * Manuel Buchwald, geneticist and academic, born in Peru
 * Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, electronic artist, born in Mexico.

Sport
• Eleider Álvarez professional boxer, born in Colombia

• Eurico Rosa Da Silva, Ice jockey from Brazil

• Tony Menezes, Brazilian soccer player

• Michel Acosta, professional soccer player, born in Uruguay

• Oscar Albuquerque, former professional soccer player, born in Peru

• Keven Aleman, professional soccer player, born in Costa Rica

• Manny Aparicio, professional soccer player, born in Argentina

• Mauro Biello, former professional soccer player, current assistant coach of the Canada men's national soccer team

• Marco Bustos, professional soccer player

• Sergio Camargo, professional soccer player, born in Colombia

• Miguel Cañizalez, professional soccer player, born in El Salvador

• Lucas Cavallini, professional soccer player

• Carly Colón, professional wrestler, born in Puerto Rico via Canadian mother

• Oscar Cordon, professional soccer player

• Marco Dominguez, professional soccer player

• Chris Duarte, professional basketball player

• Leylah Fernandez, professional tennis player

• Marcelo Flores, professional soccer player

• Andres Fresenga, professional soccer player

• Kianz Froese, professional soccer player, born in Cuba

• Manny Gomez, professional soccer player, born in Argentina

• Vladimir Guerrero Jr., professional baseball player

• Cristián Gutiérrez, professional soccer player

• Otto Lopez, professional baseball player, born in the Dominican Republic

• Juan Cruz Mascia, professional soccer player

• Rosa Mendes, WWE Diva and professional wrestler

• Juan Mendez, professional basketball player

• Ivan Menjivar, mixed martial artist

• Arturo Miranda, professional diver, born in Cuba

• David Monsalve, professional soccer player

• Cristian Nuñez, professional soccer player

• Jonathan Osorio, professional soccer player

• Damiano Palmegiani, professional baseball player

• Carlos Patino, professional soccer player, born in Colombia

• Yoana Peralta, professional soccer player

• Daniel Pinero, professional baseball player

• Willi Plett, professional hockey player, NHL

• Robyn Regehr, professional hockey player, NHL

• Bryce Salvador, professional hockey player, NHL

• Davis Sanchez, professional football player, CFL and NFL

• Isidro Sánchez Macip, professional soccer player, born in Mexico

• O. J. Santiago, professional football player, NFL and CFL

• Eduardo Sebrango, former professional soccer player, born in Cuba

• Oscar Taveras, late professional baseball player in MLB, born in the Dominican Republic

• Abraham Toro, professional baseball player

• Raffi Torres, professional hockey player, NHL

• Óscar Rivas professional boxer, born in Colombia

Visual Art

 * Gustavo Chams, visual artist

Cultural adjustment
In 2002, 82% of those who reported Latin American origin said they had a strong sense of belonging to Canada. At the same time, 57% said that they had a strong sense of belonging to their ethnic or cultural group.

People with Latin American origins are also active in Canadian society. For example, 66% of Canadians of Latin American origin who were eligible to vote did so in the 2000 federal election.