Swiss Canadians

Swiss Canadians are Canadian citizens of Swiss ancestry or people who emigrated from Switzerland and reside in Canada. According to the 2016 Census there were 155,120 Canadians [2] who claimed Swiss ancestry, having an increase compared to those 146,830 in the 2011 Census.[3]

Swiss Canadians
Schweiz-Kanadier
Svizzero-canadesi
Suisse-Canadiens
Total population
155,120
(by ancestry, 2016 Census)[1]
Regions with significant populations
Quebec City, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Edmonton, Saskatoon, Calgary, Vancouver, Winnipeg
Languages
English · French · German · Italian
Religion
Christianity (Catholicism, Anabaptism (Amish, Mennonite, Hutterite))
Related ethnic groups
German Canadians · French Canadians · Italian Canadians

One of the earliest settlers in Canada was Pierre Miville (d. 1669).[4] Laurenz Ermatinger (1736 to 1789), a fur trader and merchant, arrived in Montreal from Switzerland and together with his son Charles Oakes (1776 to 1833), and Sebastian Freyvogel have explored the large Huron tract.[5] By 1871 about 3,000 Swiss had settled in Canada and in the time between 1887 and 1938, a reported additional 8,548 Swiss had moved to Canada.[4] Peter Rindisbacher was a Swiss artist who specialized in painting the Western USA and Canada until his death in 1834.

Until WWII, most Swiss immigrants were farmers who settled in Canada.[6] This changed after WWII, when several Swiss firms opened offices in Canada, leading to immigration of educated Swiss personnel including engineers, professors and merchants.[4][6] When farmland became unaffordable in Switzerland in the 1970s, a number of Swiss farmers bought farmland in Canada and settled there.[4] In the 1990s, rising unemployment in Switzerland led to another wave of emigration.[4]

Swiss Canadians by numbers

According to the 2011 National Household Survey,[7] the cities with the most people claiming Swiss ethnic origin are as follow:

  1. Toronto, Ontario – 13,455
  2. Montreal, Quebec – 12,165
  3. Vancouver, British Columbia – 11,405
  4. Calgary, Alberta – 6,895
  5. Edmonton, Alberta – 5,895
  6. Ottawa, Ontario – 4,600
  7. Winnipeg, Manitoba – 3,060
  8. Hamilton, Ontario – 2,630
  9. Quebec City, Quebec – 1,530
  10. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan – 1,150

According to the 2011 National Household Survey,[7] the provinces and territories with the most people claiming Swiss ethnic origin are as follow:

  1. Ontario – 57,270
  2. British Columbia – 29,705
  3. Alberta – 23,020
  4. Quebec – 22,065
  5. Manitoba – 5,690
  6. Saskatchewan – 4,420
  7. Nova Scotia – 2,759
  8. New Brunswick – 1,040
  9. Yukon – 380
  10. Prince Edward Island – 205

See also

References
  1. Statistics Canada (8 February 2017). "Census Profile, 2016 Census". Retrieved 29 December 2021.
  2. Statistics Canada (8 February 2017). "Census Profile, 2016 Census". Retrieved 29 December 2021.
  3. Statistics Canada (8 May 2013). "2011 National Household Survey: Data tables". Retrieved 29 December 2021.
  4. Schelbert, Leo (2005). "Swiss Diaspora". Encyclopedia of Diasporas: Immigrant and Refugee Cultures Around the World. Springer. pp. 296–307. doi:10.1007/978-0-387-29904-4_29. ISBN 9780387299044.
  5. "Biography – ERMATINGER, LAWRENCE – Volume IV (1771-1800) – Dictionary of Canadian Biography".
  6. "Kanada".
  7. "Census Program". 15 January 2001.


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