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Visible minority

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Template:Short description Template:Use Canadian English

File:Visible minority identity by census division.svg
Percentage of visible minorities by census division (2021 census)
File:Visible Minority Distribution in Canada, 2021 Census.jpg
Population distribution largest panethnic visible minority group in Canada by census division, 2021 census

In Canada, a visible minority (Template:Langx) is a demographic category of people, defined by the Government of Canada as "persons, other than aboriginal peoples, who are non-Caucasian in race or non-white in colour".[1] The term is used primarily as a demographic category by Statistics Canada, in connection with Canada's employment equity, human rights, and other laws and policies. The term as defined, and the qualifier "visible", were chosen by the Canadian authorities as a way to classify and separate out newer immigrant minorities from both aboriginal Canadian minorities, and from other "older" minorities—which were distinguishable by language spoken (French vs. English) and religious identification (Catholics vs. Protestants): so-called "invisible" traits.

The term "visible minority" is sometimes used as a euphemism for "non-white".Template:Cn This is incorrect, in that the government definition creates a difference: Aboriginal people are excluded from the category "visible minorities", but may not be white either.Template:Cn In some cases, members of "visible minorities" may be visually indistinguishable from the majority population and/or may form a majority-minority population locally (as is the case in Vancouver and Toronto).Template:Cn

Since the reform of Canada's immigration laws in the 1960s, immigration has been primarily of people from areas other than Europe; many (but not all) of these immigrants form part of (but not the whole of) the "visible minorities" category within Canada.

Background

File:Visibleminorities42ndparl.png
Federal electoral districts represented by visible minorities during the 42nd Canadian Parliament (2015–2019) marked by party colour
File:Visible minorities in Canada by province.png
Map of visible minorities in Canada by province, 2016

Some 9,639,200 Canadians identified as a member of a "visible minority group" in the 2021 Canadian Census, for 26.53% of the total population.[2][3] This was an increase from the 2016 Census, when members of visible minorities accounted for 22.2% of the total population; from the 2011 Census, when the proportion was 19.1%; from the 2006 Census, when the proportion was 16.2%; from 2001, when the proportion was 13.4%; from 1996 (11.2%); from 1991 (9.4%) and from 1981 (4.7%). In 1961, the visible minority population was less than 1%.

The ongoing increase represents a significant shift in Canada's demographics as compared with the predominantly white populations of its earlier history. This change is related primarily to higher rates of immigration from countries which have larger proportions of non-Caucasian or non-white people amongst their populations. This change is associated with the advent in Canada of its multiculturalism and non-discrimination policies.Template:Cn

Statistics Canada projects that by 2041, visible minorities will make up 38.2–43.0% of the total Canadian population, compared with 26.5% in 2021.[4][5][2][3] Statistics Canada further projects that among the working-age population (15 to 64 years), meanwhile, visible minorities will make up 42.1–47.3% of Canada's total population, compared to 28.5% in 2021.[4][5][2][3]

As per the 2021 census, of the provinces, British Columbia had the highest proportion of visible minorities, representing 34.4% of its population, followed by Ontario at 34.3%, Alberta at 27.8% and Manitoba at 22.2%.[2][3] Additionally, as of 2021, the largest visible minority group was South Asian Canadians with a population of approximately 2.6 million, representing roughly 7.1% of the country's population, followed by Chinese Canadians (4.7%) and Black Canadians (4.3%).[2][3]

Demography

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Population

Template:Historical populations

Visible minority populations by group (2006–2021)
Visible minority group 2021
 2016
[6] 		2011
[7] 		2006
[8]
[[Population|Template:Abbr]] Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr
South Asian 2,571,400 Template:Percentage 1,924,635 Template:Percentage 1,567,400 Template:Percentage 1,262,865 Template:Percentage
Chinese 1,715,770 Template:Percentage 1,577,060 Template:Percentage 1,324,750 Template:Percentage 1,216,565 Template:Percentage
Black 1,574,870 Template:Percentage 1,198,540 Template:Percentage 945,665 Template:Percentage 783,795 Template:Percentage
Filipino 957,355 Template:Percentage 780,125 Template:Percentage 619,310 Template:Percentage 410,695 Template:Percentage
Arab 694,015 Template:Percentage 523,235 Template:Percentage 380,620 Template:Percentage 265,550 Template:Percentage
Latin American 580,235 Template:Percentage 447,325 Template:Percentage 381,280 Template:Percentage 304,245 Template:Percentage
Southeast Asian 390,340 Template:Percentage 313,260 Template:Percentage 312,075 Template:Percentage 239,935 Template:Percentage
West Asian 360,495 Template:Percentage 264,305 Template:Percentage 206,840 Template:Percentage 156,700 Template:Percentage
Korean 218,140 Template:Percentage 188,710 Template:Percentage 161,130 Template:Percentage 141,890 Template:Percentage
Japanese 98,890 Template:Percentage 92,920 Template:Percentage 87,270 Template:Percentage 81,300 Template:Percentage
Multiple 331,805 Template:Percentage 232,375 Template:Percentage 171,935 Template:Percentage 133,120 Template:Percentage
Template:Abbr 172,885 Template:Percentage 132,090 Template:Percentage 106,475 Template:Percentage 71,420 Template:Percentage
Visible minority population 9,639,205 Template:Percentage 7,674,580 Template:Percentage 6,264,750 Template:Percentage 5,068,090 Template:Percentage
Total responses 36,328,480 Template:Percentage 34,460,065 Template:Percentage 32,852,320 Template:Percentage 31,241,030 Template:Percentage
Total population 36,991,981 Template:Percentage 35,151,728 Template:Percentage 33,476,688 Template:Percentage 31,612,897 Template:Percentage
Visible minority populations by group (1981–2001)
Visible minority group 2001
[9] 		1996
[10] 		1991
[11][12]Template:Rp 		1986
[11][13]Template:Rp 		1981
[14][11][13]Template:Rp
[[Population|Template:Abbr]] Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr
Chinese 1,029,395 Template:Percentage 860,150 Template:Percentage 626,435 Template:Percentage 390,590 Template:Percentage 299,915 Template:Percentage
South Asian 917,075 Template:Percentage 670,590 Template:Percentage 505,515 Template:Percentage 300,545 Template:Percentage 223,235 Template:Percentage
Black 662,215 Template:Percentage 573,860 Template:Percentage 504,290 Template:Percentage 355,385 Template:Percentage 239,455 Template:Percentage
Filipino 308,575 Template:Percentage 234,195 Template:Percentage 169,150 Template:Percentage 102,360 Template:Percentage 75,485 Template:Percentage
Latin American 216,980 Template:Percentage 176,970 Template:Percentage 134,535 Template:Percentage 60,975 Template:Percentage 50,230 Template:Percentage
Southeast Asian 198,880 Template:Percentage 172,765 Template:Percentage 132,415 Template:Percentage 86,945 Template:Percentage 53,910 Template:Percentage
Arab 194,685 Template:Percentage Template:N/a Template:N/a Template:N/a Template:N/a Template:N/a Template:N/a Template:N/a Template:N/a
West Asian 109,285 Template:Percentage Template:N/a Template:N/a Template:N/a Template:N/a Template:N/a Template:N/a Template:N/a Template:N/a
Korean 100,660 Template:Percentage 64,835 Template:Percentage 45,535 Template:Percentage 29,205 Template:Percentage 22,570 Template:Percentage
Japanese 73,315 Template:Percentage 68,135 Template:Percentage 63,860 Template:Percentage 52,880 Template:Percentage 46,060 Template:Percentage
Arab/West Asian Template:N/a Template:N/a 244,665 Template:Percentage 289,755 Template:Percentage 149,665 Template:Percentage 112,435 Template:Percentage
Template:Abbr 98,915 Template:Percentage 69,745 Template:Percentage 5,440 Template:Percentage Template:N/a Template:N/a Template:N/a Template:N/a
Multiple 73,875 Template:Percentage 61,575 Template:Percentage 48,545 Template:Percentage 40,500 Template:Percentage Template:N/a Template:N/a
Other Template:N/a Template:N/a Template:N/a Template:N/a Template:N/a Template:N/a 8,660 Template:Percentage 8,530 Template:Percentage
Visible minority population 3,983,845 Template:Percentage 3,197,480 Template:Percentage 2,525,480 Template:Percentage 1,577,710 Template:Percentage 1,131,825 Template:Percentage
Total responses 29,639,030 Template:Percentage 28,528,125 Template:Percentage 26,994,040 Template:Percentage 25,022,010 Template:Percentage 24,083,495 Template:Percentage
Total population 30,007,094 Template:Percentage 28,846,761 Template:Percentage 27,296,859 Template:Percentage 25,309,331 Template:Percentage 24,343,181 Template:Percentage

Religion

Visible Minority demography by religion (2001–2021)
Religious group 2021[15] 2011[16] 2001[17][18]
[[Population|Template:Abbr]] Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr Template:Abbr
Christianity 3,615,150 Template:Percentage 2,625,340 Template:Percentage 1,738,200 Template:Percentage
Irreligion 2,438,855 Template:Percentage 1,392,340 Template:Percentage 875,095 Template:Percentage
Islam 1,583,415 Template:Percentage 925,135 Template:Percentage 497,275 Template:Percentage
Hinduism 823,810 Template:Percentage 494,715 Template:Percentage 291,495 Template:Percentage
Sikhism 769,320 Template:Percentage 453,120 Template:Percentage 275,715 Template:Percentage
Buddhism 326,835 Template:Percentage 332,300 Template:Percentage 276,275 Template:Percentage
Judaism 12,000 Template:Percentage 7,185 Template:Percentage 5,275 Template:Percentage
Baháʼí 11,060 Template:Percentage Template:N/a Template:N/a 7,690 Template:Percentage
Jainism 8,180 Template:Percentage Template:N/a Template:N/a 2,400 Template:Percentage
Personal Faith or Spiritual Beliefs 7,580 Template:Percentage Template:N/a Template:N/a Template:N/a Template:N/a
Zoroastrianism 6,850 Template:Percentage Template:N/a Template:N/a 4,580 Template:Percentage
Druze 5,645 Template:Percentage Template:N/a Template:N/a Template:N/a Template:N/a
Other Eastern Religions 4,720 Template:Percentage Template:N/a Template:N/a 4,325 Template:Percentage
Taoism 3,940 Template:Percentage Template:N/a Template:N/a 1,675 Template:Percentage
Theism 2,900 Template:Percentage Template:N/a Template:N/a Template:N/a Template:N/a
Spiritualism 2,800 Template:Percentage Template:N/a Template:N/a Template:N/a Template:N/a
Ancestor Veneration 1,625 Template:Percentage Template:N/a Template:N/a Template:N/a Template:N/a
Paganism 1,450 Template:Percentage Template:N/a Template:N/a 720 Template:Percentage
Shintoism 1,355 Template:Percentage Template:N/a Template:N/a 490 Template:Percentage
Rastafari 1,335 Template:Percentage Template:N/a Template:N/a 710 Template:Percentage
Multi-faith 1,120 Template:Percentage Template:N/a Template:N/a Template:N/a Template:N/a
Unitarian/Unitarian Universalist 555 Template:Percentage Template:N/a Template:N/a Template:N/a Template:N/a
Indigenous spirituality 460 Template:Percentage 165 Template:Percentage 740 Template:Percentage
Satanism 415 Template:Percentage Template:N/a Template:N/a 95 Template:Percentage
Animism 385 Template:Percentage Template:N/a Template:N/a Template:N/a Template:N/a
Unity - New Thought - Pantheism 365 Template:Percentage Template:N/a Template:N/a 215 Template:Percentage
New Age 330 Template:Percentage Template:N/a Template:N/a 60 Template:Percentage
ECKist 285 Template:Percentage Template:N/a Template:N/a Template:N/a Template:N/a
Shamanism 250 Template:Percentage Template:N/a Template:N/a Template:N/a Template:N/a
Gnosticism 175 Template:Percentage Template:N/a Template:N/a 140 Template:Percentage
Scientology 105 Template:Percentage Template:N/a Template:N/a 70 Template:Percentage
Other 4,935 Template:Percentage 34,450 Template:Percentage 585 Template:Percentage
Total Visible Minority population 9,639,205 Template:Percentage 6,264,750 Template:Percentage 3,983,845 Template:Percentage

Geographical distribution

Subdivisions

2021 census

National average: 26.5%
Source: Canada 2021 Census[19]

  • Note: Subdivisions shown below have visible minority populations above the national average.

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2016 census

National average: 22.3%
Source: Canada 2016 Census[6]

  • Note: Subdivisions shown below have visible minority populations above the national average.

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2011 census

National average: 19.1%
Source: Canada 2011 Census[7]

  • Note: Subdivisions shown below have visible minority populations above the national average.

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British Columbia Template:Div col

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2006 census

National average: 16.2%
Source: Canada 2006 Census[8]

  • Note: Subdivisions shown below have visible minority populations above the national average.

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2001 census

National average: 13.4%
Source: Canada 2001 Census[9]

  • Note: Subdivisions shown below have visible minority populations above the national average.

Alberta Template:Div col

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British Columbia Template:Div col

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Legislative versus operational definitions

According to the Employment Equity Act of 1995, the definition of visible minority is: "persons, other than aboriginal peoples, who are non-Caucasian in race or non-white in colour".[20]

Frances Woolley traces this definition back to the 1984 Report of the Abella Commission on Equality in Employment. The Commission described the term visible minority as an "ambiguous categorization", but for practical purposes interpreted it to mean "visibly non-white".[21] The Canadian government uses an operational definition by which it identifies the following groups as visible minorities: "Chinese, South Asian, Black, Filipino, Latin American, Southeast Asian, Arab, West Asian, Korean, Japanese, Visible minority, n.i.e. (n.i.e. means "not included elsewhere"), and Multiple visible minority".[22]

If census respondents check one identity but write-in others, e.g. checking "Black” or "South Asian” and writing in “Malaysian", “French" or “European", they would be included in the Black[23] or South Asian counts respectively.[24] However, the 2006 Census states that respondents that add a European ethnic response in combination with certain visible minority groups are not counted as visible minorities. They must add another non-European ethnic response to be counted as such: Template:Quotation

The term "non-white" is used in the wording of the Employment Equity Act and in employment equity questionnaires distributed to applicants and employees. This is intended as a shorthand phrase for those who are in the Aboriginal and/or visible minority groups.[25]

Controversy

The classification "visible minorities" has attracted controversy, both nationally and from abroad. The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination stated in 2007 that it had doubts regarding the use of this term since this term may be considered objectionable by certain minorities, and recommended an evaluation of its use. In response, the Canadian government made efforts to evaluate how it is used in Canadian society through commissioning of scholars and open workshops.[26]

In 2008, Graeme Hamilton, argued in the National Post that the "visible minorities" label no longer makes sense in some large Canadian cities, due to immigration trends in recent decades. For example, "visible minorities" comprise the majority of the population in many municipalities across the country, primarily in British Columbia, Ontario, and Alberta.[27]

Another criticism of the label concerns the composition of "visible minorities". CriticsTemplate:Who have noted that the groups comprising "visible minorities" have little in common with each other, as they include both disadvantaged groups and non-disadvantaged groups.[28][29] geographer Harald Bauder calls the concept of visible minority an example of what Audrey Kobayashi names a statistext, meaning a census category that has been contrived for a particular public policy purpose.[30][31] Seeing "visible minorities" as creating a racialized group, Rosemary Campbell-Stephens and Sachin Maharaj advocate for "global majority" as a more appropriate alternative.[32]

See also

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References

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Template:Multiculturalism in Canada navbox

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  20. ↑ Employment Equity Act (1995, c. 44) Act current to Oct 20th, 2010 Template:Webarchive
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  22. ↑ "Visible Minority Population and Population Group Reference Guide," 2006 Census Statcan
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