Cambodian Canadians ( km, ជនជាតិខ្មែរកាណាដា; french: Canadiens cambodgiens) are

Canadians Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

of Cambodian ethnic origin or descent. There are a total of 38,490 Canadian Cambodians, most of whom reside in Toronto and Montreal. Aside from their primary language of Khmer, many Cambodians are known to also speak

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

and

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

Buddhism Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

Catholicism The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

and

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global popula ...

are common religions among Cambodian-Canadians.

History

During the

Cambodian genocide The Cambodian genocide ( km, របបប្រល័យពូជសាសន៍នៅកម្ពុជា) was the systematic persecution and killing of Cambodians by the Khmer Rouge under the leadership of Communist Party of Kampuchea gener ...

of 1975-1979, nearly two million Cambodians were enslaved and forced into concentration camps under the tyranny of the Khmer Rouge regime, by which they were brutally tortured, massacred, and discriminated against at large. The tragedies and destruction from this period resulted in a large wave of Cambodian refugees, most of whom migrated to Canada, the U.S., France and Australia. In 1981, there were 13,000 Cambodian-Canadian Refugees, with most of the population settling into major cities such as

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- ...

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 ...

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the c ...

Calgary Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, maki ...

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 an ...

and

Quebec City Quebec City ( or ; french: Ville de Québec), officially Québec (), is the capital city of the Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the metropolitan area had a population of 839,311. It is t ...

. The

Jane and Finch Jane and Finch is a neighbourhood located in the northwest end of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, in the district of North York. Centred at the intersection of Jane Street and Finch Avenue West, the area is roughly bounded by Highway 400 to the wes ...

neighborhood of Toronto boasts a visible Cambodian population, in which they make up about 4% of the community. By 2016, the number of Cambodians in Canada had risen to 38,490.

Religion

Cambodians The Khmer people ( km, ជនជាតិខ្មែរ, ) are a Southeast Asian ethnic group native to Cambodia. They comprise over 90% of Cambodia's population of 17 million.

are generally known as advocates of

, following a syncretic blend of Buddhist traditions and the teachings of various ethnic religions. The Cambodian communities of Canada annually celebrate their New Year in April, and Ancestors' Day in October. Other notable celebrations include Victory Day and those revolving around Cambodian arts and music. The festival of Ancestors' Day, or "

Pchum Ben Pa'chum Bun ( km, ភ្ជុំបិណ្ឌ, , lit. "Ancestor's Day") is a Cambodian 15-day religious festival, culminating in celebrations on the 15th day of the tenth month in the Khmer calendar, at the end of the Buddhist Lent, Vassa. ...

", is the remembrance of the deceased. On this day is when Cambodians pay their respects to deceased relatives and ancestors.

Organizations

In 1979, elder members of the Cambodian-Canadian community established the CCAO (Cambodian-Canadian Association of Ontario); other community organizations of Cambodian foundation include the Khmer Buddhist Group.

Demographics

Notable people

Honey Cocaine Sochitta Sal (born October 22, 1992), professionally known by her stage name Honey Cocaine, or Honey C, is a Canadian rapper. Early life and education Sal is of Cambodian descent and was born in Toronto, Canada. Currently, she splits her reside ...

, rapper *

Ellen Wong Ellen Wong (born January 13, 1985) is a Canadian actress. She is known for her roles as Knives Chau in the 2010 film '' Scott Pilgrim vs. the World'', Jill "Mouse" Chen in The CW's series '' The Carrie Diaries'', and Jenny Chey in the Netflix s ...

, actress * Patricia Hy-Boulais, former tennis player

References