Dutch Canadians

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,[1] including those of full or partial ancestry. This increased to 1,111,655 in 2016.[2]

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

History

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.[3] 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",[4] 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.

Notable people

Academia

Arts and entertainment

Business

Farming

Politics and civil service

Sports

See also

References
  1. "Ethnic origins, 2006 counts, for Canada, provinces and territories - 20% sample data". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Statistics Canada. Retrieved 18 September 2019.
  2. "Ethnic origin population". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Statistics Canada. Retrieved 18 September 2019.
  3. Ganzevoort, Herman (1983). Dutch immigration to North America. Toronto: Multicultural History Society of Ontario. p. 192. ISBN 0-919045-15-4.
  4. "Dutch Bingo - Everything2.com". everything2.com. Retrieved 19 August 2017.
  5. "Sidney van den Bergh Astronomy, Astrophysics and Space Science: Canada's most respected astronomer". GCS Research Society. 17 September 2015. Retrieved 10 September 2017.
  6. Hampson, Sarah (21 December 2000). "The vagina dialogues". The Globe and Mail. Toronto. Retrieved 10 August 2018.
  7. "Former UN commander Dallaire writes book on Rwanda massacre » The Windmill news articles » goDutch". Godutch.com. Retrieved 19 August 2017.
  8. "First Dutchman to be Elected to Canada's House of Commons". Collections.ic.gc.ca. Archived from the original on 8 April 2005. Retrieved 19 August 2017.
  9. "ABCBookWorld". Abcbookworld.com. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
  10. Robertson, Grant (15 February 2018). "Two countries, four years, 10,000 metres: How Ted-Jan Bloemen went from Dutch also-ran to Canadian gold". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 16 February 2018.
  11. "World Champion Figure Skater". collections.ic.gc.ca. Archived from the original on 2 September 2005. Retrieved 28 July 2006.
  12. "Beorn Nijenhuis Fan Site". Skatelog.com. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
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