The Chinese Community in Canada
A growing community
Canadians of Chinese origin 1 make up the largest non-European ethnic origin in Canada. In fact, the Chinese community is the 5th largest of any ethnic origin in Canada other than English or French. In 2001, there just over one million people of Chinese origin living in Canada. That year, they represented approximately 4% of the total Canadian population.
Table 1. Selected ethnic groups in Canada, other than English, French and Canadian, 2001
The Chinese community in Canada is also growing considerably faster than the overall population. Between 1996 and 2001, for example, the number of people who said they had Chinese origin rose by 19%, while the overall population grew by 4%. As a result, the proportion of Canadians of Chinese origin increased from 3% to 4% of the total population of the total population in this period.
The large majority of people in Canada of Chinese origin say they only have Chinese origins. In 2001, 86% of all those who reported Chinese origin said they had only Chinese roots, while 14% said they also had other ethnic origins. In contrast, almost 40% of the overall Canadian population has multiple ethnic origins.
The majority are foreign-born
A substantial majority of the Chinese population living in Canada was born outside the country. In 2001, 72% of Canadians of Chinese origin were born outside of Canada, compared with 18% of all Canadians. Close to 45% of foreign-born Canadians of Chinese origin were born in the People's Republic of China, while approximately 30% were born in Hong Kong and almost 10% were from Taiwan.
The majority of immigrants of Chinese origin arrived in Canada relatively recently. In 2001, 52% of ethnic Chinese immigrants had arrived in the previous decade and another 25% had arrived between 1981 and 1990. In contrast, only about 5% had arrived in the 1960s, and just 2% came to Canada before 1961.
Most live in two provinces
The Chinese community in Canada is highly concentrated in Ontario and British Columbia. In 2001, 82% of people who reported Chinese origin lived in one of these two provinces. Ontario was home to 47%, while another 34% lived in British Columbia.
That year, there were over a half a million people of Chinese origin living in Ontario, while another 374,000 resided in British Columbia. At the same time, there were smaller Chinese communities in other provinces including almost 110,000 in Alberta and 63,000 in Quebec.
Table 2. The Chinese population in Canada, by province and territory, 2001
Chinese people account for a particularly large share of the population in British Columbia. In 2001, Canadians of Chinese origin accounted for 10% of the total population of British Columbia. The same year, they represented 5% of Ontario 's population and 4% of that in Alberta. In all other provinces and territories, the Chinese community represented 1% or less of the total number of residents.
Most live in Vancouver or Toronto
The large majority of Canadians of Chinese origin lives in either the Toronto or Vancouver census metropolitan areas. In 2001, 72% of all Chinese people lived in one of these two urban areas. That year, Toronto was home to 436,000 Chinese Canadians, while another 348,000 lived in Vancouver. In fact, the Chinese community represents a large proportion of the total population of these two cities. In 2001, people of Chinese origin made up 18% of all Vancouver residents and 9% of those in Toronto. At the same time, they made up 6% of residents of Calgary , 5% of those in Edmonton , 4% of those in Victoria, and 3% of those in the National Capital Region. In contrast, in other Canadian cities, people who reported Chinese origin made up 2% or less of the total population.
The trend for Chinese people to concentrate in Toronto and Vancouver is also likely to continue in the future as recent immigrants have tended to settle in these two census metropolitan areas. For example, Toronto and Vancouver CMAS accounted for over 80% of the growth in the Chinese population in Canada between 1996 and 2001.
A young population
Canadians of Chinese origin are somewhat more likely than the overall population to be young adults in their prime working years, while they are somewhat less likely to be either seniors or approaching retirement age.This reflect the fact that a large proposition of Canadians of Chinese origin are relate with recent carnival in Canada. In 2001, 33% of the Chinese community was aged 25 to 44, compared with 31% of the total Canadian population. At the same time, 15% of the Chinese community, versus 13% of those in the overall population, were aged 15 to 24. In contrast, seniors aged 65 and over made up only 10% of the Chinese community, compared to 12% of all Canadians. Similarly, 22% of the Chinese community were aged 45 to 64, about 2% less than the figure for the overall population.
Table 3. Age distribution of the Chinese community and overall Canadian population, 2001
Slightly more women than men
As with the overall population, there are slightly more women of Chinese origin living in Canada than men. In 2001, 51.7% of the Chinese community were female, compared with 50.9% of all Canadians. As well, like their counterparts in the overall population, women over the age of 65 make up a substantial majority of seniors of Chinese origin. That year, 54% of people aged 65 and over of Chinese origin were women. In the overall population, women made up 56% of seniors.
Most do not report a religious affiliation
The Chinese community is significantly different from the rest of the population when it comes to religion in that the majority of Canadians of Chinese origin reports that they have no religious affiliation. In 2001, 56% of Chinese people aged 15 and over said they had no religious affiliation, compared with 17% of the overall population. As a result, Canadians of Chinese origin represented 13% of all Canadians who are not affiliated with any religion, whereas they made up 4% of the overall population. Among Canadians of Chinese origin with a religious affiliation, 14% were Buddhist, another 14% were Catholic and 9% belonged to a Protestant denomination.
Most can converse in an official language
The large majority of Canadians of Chinese origin can converse in one of Canada 's official languages.2 In 2001, 85% could carry on a conversation in at least one official language, while 15% could not converse in either English or French. Most, 78%, could converse in English, while1% could converse in French, and 6% could carry on a conversation in both English and French.
While most Canadians of Chinese origin can speak at least one official language, the large majority have a mother tongue3 other than English or French. In 2001, 85% of the Chinese community said that their mother tongue was a non-official language. In almost all cases, they said their mother tongue was a Chinese-origin language such as Cantonese and Mandarin. In fact, Chinese, including all dialects, is the third largest mother tongue in Canada after English and French.
The majority of Canadians of Chinese origin also speak a language other than English or French at home. In 2001, 63% of people who reported Chinese origin said that they spoke only a non-official language in their home, while another 4% said that they spoke another language in combination with either English or French at home.
At the same time, almost one in five Canadians of Chinese origin who are employed speaks a language other than English or French on the job. In 2001, 18% of all Canadians of Chinese origin with jobs spoke a non-official language at work most often. Another 4% regularly used a non-official language combined with English or French on the job. At the same time, though, 77% of employed people of Chinese origin spoke only English at work, while 2% spoke either French only, or both English and French.
Family status
Canadians of Chinese origin are more likely than other Canadians to be married. In 2001, 56% of people aged 15 and over in the Chinese community were married, compared with 50% of all Canadian adults. In contrast, people of Chinese origin are much less likely to live in a common-law relationship. That year, 2% of adults of Chinese origin were living common-law, compared with 10% of all Canadian adults.
Table 4. Family status of the Chinese community and overall population aged 15 and over, by sex, 2001
Canadians of Chinese origin are also less likely than other Canadians to be lone parents. In 2001, 4% of adults of Chinese origin were lone parents, compared to 6% of adults in the overall population. In both the Chinese and overall populations, the large majority of lone parents are women. In the Chinese community, women represented 82% of all lone parents in 2001, while the figure in the overall population was 81%.
Few live alone
Canadian adults of Chinese origin are much less likely than other Canadian adults to live alone. In 2001, just 5% of the Chinese community aged 15 and over lived alone, compared to 13% of all adult Canadians. Seniors of Chinese origin are especially unlikely to live alone. That year, only 10% of people of Chinese origin aged 65 and over lived alone, compared with 29% of all seniors in Canada. On the other hand, seniors of Chinese origin are more likely than other seniors to live with members of their extended family. In 2001, 16% of seniors of Chinese origin lived with relatives, such as the family of a son or daughter, while only 5% of all Canadian seniors lived with relatives.
Over one in four has a university degree
More than the quarter of Canadian adults of Chinese origin have a university degree. In 2001, 27% of Canadians of Chinese origin aged 15 and over had either a bachelor's or post-graduate degree, compared with 15% of the overall adult population.
Table 5. Educational attainment of the Chinese community and overall Canadian population aged 15 and over, by sex, 2001
Canadians of Chinese origin are particularly likely to have a post-graduate degree. In 2001, adults of Chinese origin made up 3% of the overall Canadian population, but represented 9% of all those with a Doctorate and 7% of those with a Master's degree.
Canadians of Chinese origin also represent a high proportion of those with degrees in highly technical fields. In 2001, people of Chinese origin made up 6% of all university graduates in Canada, while they represented 12% of those with degrees in mathematics, physics or computer science, and 11% of those in engineering or applied science.
As in the overall population, men of Chinese origin have somewhat more education than women of Chinese origin. For example, 31% of men of Chinese origin had a university degree in 2001, compared to 24% of their female counterparts. However, women of Chinese origin are considerably more likely then other women to have a university degree. In 2001, 24% of women of Chinese origin were university graduates, compared to 15% of all Canadian women.
Young people of Chinese origin are more likely than other young Canadians to be attending school. In 2001, 76% of the Chinese community aged 15 to 24 were enrolled in a full-time educational program, compared to 57% of all Canadians in this age group. Among young people of Chinese origin, men and women are equally likely to attend school full-time. This contrasts with the overall population, in which young women aged 15 to 24 were more likely than young men to be in school in 2001.
Employment trends
Canadian adults of Chinese origin are somewhat less likely to be employed than adults in the overall population. In 2001, 56% of adults of Chinese origin aged 15 and over were employed, compared with 62% of all Canadian adults.This reflects in part the fact that a relatively large proportion of the Chinese population in Canada are recent arrivals who in many cases are still adjusting to life in this country. Indeed, Canadians of Chinese origin who have been in Canada since 1981 of before have a higher employment rate than the overall population.
Table 6. Percentage of the population employed, by age group and sex, 2001
As with the overall population, men of Chinese origin are somewhat more likely than their female counterparts to be employed outside the home. In 2001, 60% of men of Chinese origin aged 15 and over were part of the paid workforce, compared with 52% of adult women of Chinese origin. However, both men and women of Chinese origin were less likely to be employed than their counterparts in the overall population.
More likely to work in scientific and technical fields
Canadians of Chinese origin make up a high proportion of all Canadians employed in scientific and technical occupations. In 2001, people who reported Chinese origin made up 3% of all workers, while they represented 7% of people employed in the natural and applied sciences. People of Chinese origin also represent a relatively high proportion of those employed in business, financial and administrative positions, as well as in manufacturing. At the same time, their representation in other occupational groups such as health and education was proportionately lower.
Canadians of Chinese origin are also about as likely as those in the overall workforce to be self-employed with an incorporated business. In 2001, people of Chinese, who represented 3% of the total Canadian workforce, made up 4% of self-employed people who owned an incorporated business. In contrast, the representation of Canadians of Chinese origin among unincorporated self-employed workers was relatively low.
About as likely to be unemployed
Unemployment rates among labour force participants4 of Chinese origin similar to those for the general population. In 2001, 8.4% of Chinese labour force participants were unemployed, compared with 7.4% of those in the overall population.
As in the overall population, young people of Chinese origin are more likely to be unemployed than older adults. This is especially true for young men. In 2001, 18% of male Chinese labour force participants aged 15 to 24 were unemployed, compared with 14% of all young Canadian men in this same category. At the same time, 15% of young female Chinese labour force participants were unemployed, compared to 13% of their counterparts in the general population.
Incomes
In 2000,5 the average income from all sources for Canadians of Chinese origin aged 15 and over was about $25,000, compared to almost $30,000 for all Canadian adults.
Table 7. Average incomes of the Chinese community and overall Canadian population, by age group and sex, 2000
As in the overall population, women of Chinese origin have lower incomes than their male counterparts. In 2000, the average income for adult women of Chinese origin aged 15 and over was just under $21,000, while for men it was $29,000. However, the income gap between women and men of Chinese origin is somewhat smaller than the gap in the overall population. That year, the average incomes of Chinese women were 72% those of their male counterparts, whereas the figure in the overall population was 62%.
Canadian seniors of Chinese origin also have relatively low incomes. In 2000, the average income from all sources for Canadians of Chinese origin aged 65 and over was $18,000, about $6,000 less than the income for all seniors, whose average income was $24,400. As with all seniors in Canada , women aged 65 and over of Chinese origin have lower incomes than their male counterparts. That year, the average income for senior women of Chinese origin was $15,600, compared with $21,000 for senior men of Chinese origin.
Canadians of Chinese origin receive about the same share of their income from earnings6 as does the overall population. In 2000, Canadians of Chinese origin aged 15 and over said that 79% of their income came from earnings, compared with 77% for all Canadian adults. At the same time, Canadian adults of Chinese origin received slightly smaller proportion of their total income from government transfer payments than other adults. That year, 10% of the income of Canadians of Chinese origin aged 15 and over came from government transfers, while the average for all Canadian adults was 12%.
One in four with low incomes
Just over a quarter of all Canadians of Chinese origin have incomes that fall below Statistics Canada's low-income cut-offs. In 2000, 26% of the Chinese population in Canada had incomes below these official low-income cut-offs, compared with 16% of the overall population. As well, a relatively large share of Chinese children live in low income families. That year, 27% of Chinese children under the age of 15 lived in a situation considered to be low income, compared with 19% of all children in Canada.
Unattached Chinese adults are particularly likely to have low incomes. In 2001, 55% of Chinese people aged 15 and over living on their own had low incomes, compared 38% of their counterparts in the overall population.
Chinese seniors living on their own are particularly likely to have low incomes. In 2001, 70% of unattached Chinese people aged 65 and over had incomes below the low-income cut-offs, compared with just 40% of all seniors living on their own. As with the overall population, unattached senior Chinese women are the most likely to be classified as having low-incomes. Indeed, almost 3 out of 4 of these women (74%) had incomes below the low-income cut-offs that year, compared with 59% of unattached senior Chinese men and 43% of all women aged 65 and over.
Most feel a sense of belonging to Canada
According to the Ethnic Diversity Survey, a large majority of Canadians of Chinese origin feel a strong sense of belonging to Canada. In 2002, 76% of those who reported Chinese origin said they had a strong sense of belonging to Canada. At the same time, 58% said that they had a strong sense of belonging to their ethnic or cultural group.
Canadians of Chinese origin are also active in Canadian society. In 2002, 64% of those who were eligible to vote reported doing so in the 2000 federal election, while 60% said they voted in the last provincial election. At the same time, about 35% reported that they had participated in an organization such as a sports team or community association in the 12 months preceding the survey.
At the same time, though, over one in three (34%) Canadians of Chinese origin reported that they had experienced discrimination or unfair treatment based on their ethnicity, race, religion, language or accent in the past five years, or since they arrived in Canada. A majority (63%) of those who had experienced discrimination said that they felt it was based on their race or skin colour, while 42% said that the discrimination took place at work or when applying for a job or promotion.
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