Bosnian Canadians are

Canadian citizen Canadian nationality law details the conditions in which a person is a national of Canada. With few exceptions, almost all individuals born in the country are automatically citizens at birth. Foreign nationals may naturalize after living in C ...

s whose ancestry can be traced to

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and H ...

. At the 2011

Canadian census Statistics Canada conducts a national census of population and census of agriculture every five years and releases the data with a two-year lag. The Census of Population provides demographic and statistical data that is used to plan public servic ...

, 22,920 people stated that they are of Bosnian descent. The majority of Bosnian Canadians immigrated to

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

as refugees during and after the Bosnian War, which lasted from 1992-1995. The history of Bosnian arrivals to Canada, however, dates back to as far as the 19th century.

History

The traditional centers of residence and culture for Bosnian Canadians are located in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...

Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...

and Calgary. Numerous Bosnian language newspapers and other periodicals are published in many states. The largest Bosnian organisation in Canada is the Congress of North American Bosniaks.

Religion

The Bosnian Islamic Association

Gazi Husrev-beg Gazi Husrev-beg ( ota, غازى خسرو بك, ''Gāzī Ḫusrev Beğ''; Modern Turkish: ''Gazi Hüsrev Bey''; 1480–1541) was an Ottoman Bosnian sanjak-bey (governor) of the Sanjak of Bosnia in 1521–1525, 1526–1534, and 1536–1541. He ...

was founded in November 1977 under the name 'Association of Islamic Community Gazi Husrev-Beg'. It has been operating under its current name (BIAGH) ever since 1995. The primary reason for its foundation was to respond to the religious needs of its members. That was made possible through a full-time imam, who has been serving this community uninterruptedly since June 1982. The BIAGH caters to the needs of Bosniaks that pertain to Bosniak tradition, folklore, sport and different creative workshops. Most Bosnian-Canadians either identify as Muslim, Eastern Orthodox, Catholic or non-religious.

Notable Bosnian Canadians

* Asmir Begović, soccer player and Bosnia and Herzegovina international * Blagoje Bratić, soccer player *

Zijad Delić Dr. Zijad Delić (born 12 May 1965) is a Bosnian Canadian imam, activist, teacher, scholar and public speaker. He is the former executive director of the Canadian Islamic Congress (CIC). Early life and career Delić was born and raised in Bosnia ...

, imam, activist, teacher, scholar and public speaker * Merlin Dervisevic, director of '' Cruel and Unusual'' * Igor Drljaca, film director * Johnathan Kovacevic, hockey player * Vladimir Kuljanin, basketball player * Nemanja Mitrović, basketball player *

Mila Mulroney Milica "Mila" Mulroney (Serbian Cyrillic: Милица "Мила" Пивнички; née Pivnički; born July 13, 1953) is the wife of the 18th Prime Minister of Canada, Brian Mulroney. She was notable for taking on a greater role during her hus ...

, wife of the 18th Prime Minister of Canada, Brian Mulroney * Neven Pajkić, boxer * Dina Pandzic, model * Diego Kapelan, basketball player *

Admir Salihović Admir Salihović (born 15 November 1989) is a Bosnian Canadian footballer who plays for EDC FC Burnaby in the Vancouver Metro Soccer League. Career He is a talented, young player who can play on the left or right-hand side of midfield, he jo ...

, soccer player * Goran Simić, poet * Alija Solak, soccer player and Canadian international * Nik Zoricic (1983–2012), skier

References

{{People of Canada Bosnia and Herzegovina diaspora Bosniak diaspora European Canadian Bosnian

History

Religion

Notable Bosnian Canadians

See also

References