Dutch Canadians

Dutch Canadians
Nederlandse Canadezen
Canadiens-néerlandais
Dutch Canadians as percent of population by province/territory
Total population
1,111,655 (2016 Census)
Regions with significant populations
Alberta, British Columbia, Atlantic Canada, Ontario, Quebec, Western Canada
Languages
Canadian English, Canadian French, Dutch, Frisian, Limburgish
Religion
Protestantism, Roman Catholicism
Related ethnic groups
Dutch people, Dutch Americans

Dutch Canadians are Canadians with full or partial Dutch ancestry. According to the Canada 2006 Census, there were 1,035,965 Canadians of Dutch descent, including those of full or partial ancestry. This increased to 1,111,655 in 2016.

History

Dutch Canadian
Population History
Year Pop. ±%
1871 29,662 —    
1881 30,412 +2.5%
1901 33,845 +11.3%
1911 55,961 +65.3%
1921 117,505 +110.0%
1931 148,962 +26.8%
1941 212,863 +42.9%
1951 264,267 +24.1%
1961 429,679 +62.6%
1971 425,945 −0.9%
1981 408,235 −4.2%
1986 881,935 +116.0%
1991 961,595 +9.0%
1996 916,215 −4.7%
2001 923,310 +0.8%
2006 1,035,965 +12.2%
2011 1,067,245 +3.0%
2016 1,111,655 +4.2%
Source: Statistics Canada

Note: 1981 Canadian census did not include multiple ethnic origin responses, thus population is an undercount.

The first Dutch people to come to Canada were Dutch Americans among the United Empire Loyalists. The largest wave was in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century when large numbers of Dutch helped settle the Canadian west. During this period significant numbers also settled in major cities like Toronto. While interrupted by the First World War this migration returned in the 1920s, but again halted during the Great Depression and Second World War.

After World War II a large number of Dutch immigrants moved to Canada, including a number of war brides of the Canadian soldiers who liberated the Netherlands. There were officially 1,886 Dutch war brides to Canada, ranking second after British war brides. During the war Canada had sheltered Crown Princess Juliana and her family. The annual Canadian Tulip Festival held in May commemorates her with a generous number of tulips coming from The Netherlands. Due to these close links Canada became a popular destination for Dutch immigrants. The Canadian government encouraged this, recruiting skilled workers. This post-war wave went mainly to urban centres such as Toronto, Ottawa, and Vancouver. With the economic recovery of the Netherlands in the post-war years immigration to Canada slowed.

While one of the largest minority groups in Canada, Dutch Canadians have tended to rapidly assimilate and there are relatively few Dutch Canadian organizations and media. One important institution is the Christian Reformed Church in North America, with most congregations found throughout Alberta, British Columbia, and Ontario. The Institute for Christian Studies in Toronto, The King's University in Edmonton, and Redeemer University College in Ancaster, Ontario are associated with this Dutch Reformed/Calvinist denomination. Christian Schools International, the Christian Labour Association of Canada, and the Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario are organizations with strong Dutch-Canadian roots.

Dutch Canadians, because of their shared cultural and religious heritage, tend to form tight-knit communities. This has led to an in-joke known as "Dutch bingo", where it is said that a Dutch Canadian is able to figure out his/her connection to another Dutch Canadian by asking questions about the other's last name, town of birth, church and the college they attended.

Geographical distribution

Data from this section from Statistics Canada, 2021.

Provinces & territories

Province / Territory Percent Dutch Total Dutch
Alberta 4.2% 174,625
British Columbia 3.9% 189,985
Manitoba 3.3% 43,390
New Brunswick 1.8% 13,310
Newfoundland and Labrador 0.4% 1,830
Northwest Territories 2.3% 940
Nova Scotia 2.9% 27,375
Nunavut 0.5% 185
Ontario 3.4% 478,860
Prince Edward Island 3.0% 4,465
Quebec 0.3% 22,385
Saskatchewan 2.7% 29,410
Yukon 4.6% 1,825
Canada — Total 2.7% 988,585

Notable people

Academia

Arts and entertainment

Business

Farming

Politics and civil service

Sports

See also