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The Haitian Community in Canada

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The majority are foreign-born
Most live in Quebec
Age distribution
More women than men
Almost all can converse in an official language
Religion
Family status
Education
Employment
Unemployment
Incomes
Many with low incomes
Most feel a sense of belonging to Canada

A unique community

Canadians of Haitian origin1 make up one of the largest non-European ethnic groups in Canada. In 2001, there were just over 82,000 people of Haitian origin living in Canada making them the 10th largest non-European community in the country, after Chinese, East Indian, Filipino, Jamaican, Vietnamese, Lebanese, Korean, Iranian and Japanese.

Table 1 Selected ethnic groups in Canada, other than English, French and Canadian, 2001. Opens a new browser window.

Table 1
Selected ethnic groups in Canada, other than English, French and Canadian, 2001

In recent years, there has been little growth in the size of the Haitian community in Canada. Indeed, between 1996 and 2001, the number of people who said they had Haitian origin actually declined by almost 2%. In the same period, the overall population of Canada grew by 4%.

Most Canadians of Haitian origin say they have only Haitian origins. In 2001, 86% of all those who reported Haitian origin said they had only Haitian roots, while 14% said they also had other ethnic origins. In contrast, almost 40% of the overall Canadian population has multiple ethnic roots.

The majority are foreign-born

The majority of the Haitian population in Canada is foreign-born. Of Canadians of Haitian origin living in Canada in 2001, 57% were born outside the country. This compares with 18% of the overall population which is foreign-born.

As well, the majority of immigrants of Haitian origin living in Canada arrived in the country within the past three decades. Of foreign-born Haitians living in Canada in 2001, 33% had arrived in the previous decade, while 30% immigrated in the 1980s, and another 33% arrived in Canada between 1971 and 1981. In contrast, only 5% of Canadians of Haitian origin came to Canada before 1971.

Most live in Quebec

The Haitian community in Canada is concentrated largely in Quebec. In 2001, 90% of people who reported Haitian origins lived in Quebec, while Ontario was home to 8% and 1% lived in each of British Columbia and Alberta. That year, there were almost 75,000 people of Haitian origin living in Quebec, where they made up about 1% of the total provincial population. At the same time, people of Haitian descent represented only a very small fraction of the populations of all other provinces and territories.

Table 2. The Haitian population in Canada, by province and territory, 2001. Opens a new browser window.

Table 2
The Haitian population in Canada, by province and territory, 2001

In fact, the large majority of Canadians of Haitian origin live in Montreal. In 2001, 83% of Canada’s Haitian community made Montreal their home. That year, there were almost 70,000 Canadians of Haitian descent living in Montreal, where they made up 2% of the metropolitan area’s overall population.

Age distribution

Canadians of Haitian origin are somewhat younger on average than the overall population. In 2001, children under the age of 15 represented 28% of the Haitian community, compared with 19% of the overall population. At the same time, 20% of the Haitian community, versus only 13% of the overall population, were aged 15 to 24.

In contrast, Canadians of Haitian origin are considerably less likely than those in the overall population to be over the age of 25. In 2001, 27% of the Haitian community, compared with 31% of the overall population, were aged 25 to 44. At the same time, 20% of Canadians of Haitian origin were between 45 and 64 years old whereas this was the case for 24% of the total population.

Seniors make up a particularly small share of the Haitian population living in Canada. In 2001, only 5% of the Haitian community were aged 65 or over, while 12% of all Canadians were seniors.

Table 3. Age distribution of the Haitian community and overall Canadian population, 2001. Opens a new browser window.

Table 3
Age distribution of the Haitian community and overall Canadian population, 2001

More women than men

As with the overall population, women make up the majority of the Haitian community in Canada. In 2001, 54% of all Canadians with Haitian origins were female, while this was the case for 51% of all Canadians.

Women also account for a particularly large share of seniors of Haitian origin. In 2001, 68% of people aged 65 and over of Haitian origin were women, well above the figure in the overall population, where women made up 56% of seniors.

Almost all can converse in an official language

Almost all Canadians of Haitian origin can carry on a conversation in at least one official language.2 In 2001, 98% of Canadians of Haitian origin could converse in either English or French, while only 2% were unable to carry on a conversation in either of the two official languages.

The Haitian population is also unique among new Canadians in that they are one of the few groups in which the majority speak French. In 2001, 54% of Canadians of Haitian origin could carry on a conversation in French only, while 42% were bilingual. At the same time, only 2% could speak only English.

French is also the mother tongue3 of most Canadians of Haitian origin, although a substantial share of those in the Haitian community in Canada has a mother tongue other than English or French. In 2001, 52% of the Haitian community said that French was their mother tongue, while 37% reported that their mother tongue was a non-official language.

Similarly, the majority of Canadians of Haitian origin speak French most often at home. In 2001, 69% of those who reported they had Haitian origins said that they spoke French most often at home, while another 11% spoke French combined with either English or another language. At the same time, 14% spoke a non-official language most often at home.

Relatively few Canadians of Haitian origin speak a language other than English or French on the job. In 2001, just 2% of all Canadians of Haitian origin spoke a non-official language at work, either by itself or in combination with English or French. The large majority of employed people of Haitian origin, 73%, spoke French at work most often, while another 13% spoke French combined with English or a non-official language while on the job.

Religion

The majority of the Haitian community in Canada is Catholic. In 2001, 59% of Canadians of Haitian origin reported they were Catholic, while 35% belonged to a Protestant or other Christian denomination. At the same time, relatively few Canadians of Haitian origin said that they have no religious affiliation. That year, just 6% said they had no religious affiliation, compared with 17% of the overall population.

Family status

Canadians of Haitian origin are less likely than other people to be married. In 2001, just 43% of the Haitian population aged 25 and over were married, compared with 59% of all Canadians in this age range. Canadians of Haitian origin are also less likely than other Canadians to live in common-law relationships. That year, 7% of Haitian origin aged 25 and over were living common-law, compared with 10% of their counterparts in the overall population.

Table 4. Family status of the Haitian community and overall population aged 15 and over, by sex, 2001. Opens a new browser window.

Table 4
Family status of the Haitian community and overall population aged 15 and over, by sex, 2001

People of Haitian origin are considerably more likely than the overall population to be lone parents. In 2001, 20% of Canadians of Haitian origin aged 25 and over were lone parents, compared with 6% of people in the overall population in this age range. As with the overall population, women with Haitian roots make up the large majority of lone parents. In the Haitian community, for example, women represented 89% of all lone parents that year, while the figure in the overall population was 81%. In fact, over 30% of all women of Haitian descent aged 25 and over living in Canada were lone parents, whereas this was the case for only 10% of all Canadian women in this age range.

Canadians of Haitian origin are somewhat less likely than other adult Canadians to live alone. In 2001, 12% of the Haitian population aged 25 and over lived alone, compared with 14% of all Canadians in this age range.

Seniors of Haitian origin in Canada are particularly less likely to live alone. In 2001, 19% of Canadians of Haitian origin aged 65 and over lived alone, compared with 29% of all seniors. In contrast, Canadian seniors of Haitian origin are much more likely than other seniors to live with members of their extended family. That year, 32% of seniors of Haitian origin lived with relatives, such as the family of a son or daughter, compared with only 5% of all Canadian seniors.

Education

Canadians of Haitian origin are slightly less likely than those in the overall population to have university degrees. In 2001, 12% of Canadians of Haitian origin aged 15 and over were university graduates, compared with 15% of the overall adult population.

Table 5. Educational attainment of the Haitian community and overall Canadian population aged 15 and over, by sex, 2001. Opens a new browser window.

Table 5
Educational attainment of the Haitian community and overall Canadian population aged 15 and over, by sex, 2001

In contrast, Canadians of Haitian origin are somewhat more likely than the rest of the population to have attended or completed some form of non-university post-secondary training, including community college. In 2001, 20% of all those with Haitian roots aged 15 and over, compared with 18% of their counterparts in the overall population, were either college graduates or had university certificates or diplomas below a bachelor’s degree.

Canadians of Haitian origin who have post-secondary qualifications represent a relatively high proportion of all Canadians who are trained in health and related technologies. People of Haitian origin are also more likely to hold degrees in the social sciences. In contrast, relatively few Canadians of Haitian origin with post-secondary education have degrees in highly technical fields such as engineering and the applied sciences.

As in the overall population, men of Haitian origin are somewhat more likely than Haitian women to be university graduates. In 2001, 14% of men of Haitian origin living in Canada had university degrees, compared with 11% of their female counterparts. In contrast, Haitian females are more likely than men to have college diplomas. That year, 17% of women of Haitian descent aged 15 and over living in Canada had a community college diploma, compared with 14% of Haitian males in this age range.

Young people of Haitian origin are somewhat more likely than other young Canadians to be attending school. In 2001, 66% of the Haitian community aged 15 to 24 was enrolled in a full-time educational program, compared with 57% of all Canadians in this age group. As with their counterparts in the overall population, young women of Haitian origin are more likely than young men of Haitian origin to attend school full-time. That year, 68% of women aged 15 to 24 of Haitian origin were in school full-time, compared with 63% of their male counterparts.

Employment

Canadians of Haitian origin are somewhat less likely to be employed than adults in the rest of the population. In 2001, 57% of people with Haitian origin aged 15 and over were employed, compared with 62% of all Canadian adults.

Table 6. Percentage of the population employed, by age group and sex, 2001. Opens a new browser window.

Table 6
Percentage of the population employed, by age group and sex, 2001

As in the overall population, men of Haitian origin are more likely than their female counterparts to work outside the home. In 2001, 61% of men of Haitian origin aged 15 and over were part of the paid workforce, compared with 54% of women of Haitian origin in the same age group.

Both men and women of Haitian origin, though, are less likely to be employed than their counterparts in the general population. However, the gap between employment rates for men of Haitian origin and those in rest of the population is greater than that for women.

Canadians of Haitian origin make up a high proportion of all Canadians employed in manufacturing jobs. In 2001, 19% of all workers of Haitian origin were employed in manufacturing, compared with just 7% of all employed Canadians. At the same time, a relatively large proportion of Canadians of Haitian origin works in health-related professions. That year, 13% of Canadian workers of Haitian origin were employed in health occupations, compared with only 5% of the overall workforce. On the other hand, Canadians of Haitian origin are generally less likely than others to be employed in both management positions and in professional occupations in the natural and applied sciences.

Canadians of Haitian origin are also somewhat less likely than those in the overall workforce to be self-employed. In 2001, just 5% of Canadians of Haitian origin worked for themselves, compared with 12% of the overall Canadian workforce.

Unemployment

Labour force participants4 of Haitian origin are more than twice as likely to be unemployed as their counterparts in the general population. In 2001, 16.4% of labour force participants of Haitian origin were unemployed, compared with 7.4% of all Canadian labour force participants.

Young people of Haitian origin, especially young men, experience particularly high unemployment rates. In 2001, 24% of all male labour force participants of Haitian origin between the ages of 15 and 24 were unemployed, compared with 14% of all Canadians males in this age group. At the same time, 20% of female labour force participants of Haitian origin between the ages of 15 to 24 were unemployed, compared with 13% of their counterparts in the overall population.

Income

The incomes of Canadians of Haitian origin are generally lower than those for the rest of the population. In 2000,5 the average income from all sources for Canadians of Haitian origin aged 15 and over was just under $20,000, almost $10,000 less than the figure for the overall population.

Table 7. Average incomes of the Haitian community and overall Canadian population, by age group and sex, 2000. Opens a new browser window.

Table 7
Average incomes of the Haitian community and overall Canadian population, by age group and sex, 2000

As in the overall population, women of Haitian origin have lower incomes than their male counterparts. In 2000, the average income for women of Haitian origin aged 15 and over was just $18,300, while the average for men of Haitian origin was $21,600. However, the income gap between men and women of Haitian descent is considerably smaller than that in the overall population. That year, the incomes of women of Haitian origin were 85% those of their male counterparts, whereas the figure in the overall population was 62%.

Canadian seniors of Haitian origin also have relatively low incomes. In 2000, the average income from all sources for Canadians of Haitian origin aged 65 and over was $17,400, about $7,000 less than the figure for all seniors. As with all seniors in Canada, women in the Haitian community have lower incomes than their male counterparts. That year, the average income for women of Haitian origin aged 65 and over was just $14,700, compared with over $23,000 for senior men of Haitian origin.

Canadians of Haitian origin receive about the same share of their income from earnings as does the overall population. In 2000, people of Haitian origin said that 76% of their income came from earnings, while for all Canadian adults the figure was 77%.

Canadians of Haitian origin, though, receive a somewhat greater share of their total income from government transfer programs than other adults. In 2000, 19% of the income of Canadians of Haitian origin aged 15 and over came from government transfers, while the average for all Canadian adults was 12%.

Many with low incomes

Canadians of Haitian origin are much more likely to have incomes that fall below Statistics Canada’s Low-income Cut-offs. In 2000, 39% of all those who reported they had Haitian origin lived in low-income situations, compared with 16% of the total Canadian population.

Children of Haitian origin living in Canada are particularly likely to live in low-income families. In 2000, 47% of children of Haitian origin under the age of 15 lived in families with incomes below the Low-income Cut-offs, compared with 19% of all children in Canada.

Unattached adults of Haitian origin are also very likely to have low incomes. In 2000, 61% of people of Haitian origin aged 15 and over who lived alone had low incomes, compared with only 38% of their counterparts in the overall population.

Seniors of Haitian origin who live alone are particularly likely to have low incomes. In 2000, 81% of unattached seniors with Haitian origins had incomes below the Low-income Cut-offs. This was double the number in the overall population in which 40% of all unattached Canadian seniors have incomes below the Low-income Cut-offs.

Unattached female seniors of Haitian origin are the most likely to have low incomes. In 2000, 88% of unattached women of Haitian origin aged 65 and over had incomes below the Low-income Cut-offs, compared with 60% of unattached male seniors of Haitian origin, and 43% of all unattached 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 Haitian origin feel a strong sense of belonging in Canada. In 2002, 70% of Canadians of Haitian origin said they had a strong sense of belonging in Canada. At the same time, 82% said that they had a strong sense of belonging to their ethnic or cultural group.

At the same time, though, many Haitian Canadians report they have experienced discrimination. Indeed, 45% of Canadians of Haitian 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 (75%) of those who had experienced discrimination said that they felt it was based on their race or skin colour, while 55% said that the discrimination took place at work or when applying for a job or promotion.

Summary table. Opens a new browser window.

Summary table

Notes:


  1. All statistical information in this publication referring to Haitian, the Haitian community, Canadians of Haitian origin or people of Haitian origin denotes people who reported Haitian either alone or in combination with other origins in response to the question on ethnic origin in the 2001 Census or 2002 Ethnic Diversity Survey.


  2. English and French are recognized as Canada’s official languages in the Official Languages Act and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.


  3. A mother tongue is the language that a person learns first in childhood and that they still understand.


  4. Adults (aged 15 and over) who are employed or are looking for employment.


  5. In the Census, people report their income for the previous year.



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