Croatian Canadians () are Canadian citizens who are of Croatian descent. The community exists in major cities including the

Greater Toronto Area The Greater Toronto Area, commonly referred to as the GTA, includes the Toronto, City of Toronto and the regional municipality, regional municipalities of Regional Municipality of Durham, Durham, Regional Municipality of Halton, Halton, Regional ...

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: * Alexander Hamilton (1755/1757–1804), first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States * ''Hamilton'' (musical), a 2015 Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda ** ''Hamilton'' (al ...

, Ottawa,

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

, Victoria, Calgary,

Edmonton Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Central Alberta ...

, Winnipeg, Windsor, Montreal and Waterloo Region. Popular events celebrated in the Croatian-Canadian community include the Canadian-Croatian Folklore Festival (held both in eastern and western Canada), the Croatian-North American Soccer Tournament, North American Mladifest and annual Croatia days, organised by Croatian Cultural Centre in Vancouver.

Demographics

There were approximately 114,880 Canadians of Croatian ethnic origin as reported in the 2011 Census compiled by Statistics Canada, rising to 133,965 by the 2016 Census. Although predominantly found in Ontario, Croatian Canadians are present in most major Canadian cities throughout the country. The ten largest Croatian communities are found in the following cities: *

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

, Ontario,: 13,670 *

, Ontario: 10,110 *

Mississauga Mississauga is a Canadian city in the province of Ontario. Situated on the north-western shore of Lake Ontario in the Regional Municipality of Peel, it borders Toronto (Etobicoke) to the east, Brampton to the north, Milton to the northwest, ...

, Ontario: 9,935 *

Calgary Calgary () is a major city in the Canadian province of Alberta. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806 making it the third-largest city and fifth-largest metropolitan area in C ...

,: 5,575 *

,: 4,175 * Oakville,: 4,045 *

,: 3,890 *

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

,: 3,540 *

Burnaby Burnaby is a city in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada. Located in the centre of the Burrard Peninsula, it neighbours the City of Vancouver to the west, the District of North Vancouver across the confluence of the Burrard In ...

,: 3,225 * Kitchener,: 3,000 The town with the largest percentage of people of Croatian ethnic origin is Kenaston, Saskatchewan – 17.5% of its 285 inhabitants claim Croatian ethnic origin. Statistics Canada also designates

Census Metropolitan Area The census geographic units of Canada are the census subdivisions defined and used by Canada's federal government statistics bureau Statistics Canada to conduct the country's quinquennial census. These areas exist solely for the purposes of stat ...

s in the collection of its data. The ten Census Metropolitan Areas with the highest concentration of Croatian Canadians are: * Toronto CMA: 37,460 * Vancouver CMA: 15,670 * Hamilton CMA: 13,655 * Calgary CMA: 6,265 *

CMA: 5,265 *

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

CMA: 5,230 * Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo CMA: 4,920 *

CMA: 4,135 * Windsor CMA: 3,925 * Niagara CMA: 3,225

Religious affiliation

Most Croatian Canadians are

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

who follow the Latin Rite of their ancestors in

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

and

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...

. This is in line with the population in Croatia, which is also majority Catholic. A very small minority of Croatians are

Byzantine Rite The Byzantine Rite, also known as the Greek Rite or the Rite of Constantinople, is a liturgical rite that is identified with the wide range of cultural, devotional, and canonical practices that developed in the Eastern Christianity, Eastern Chri ...

Roman Catholics The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

. There is also a very small community of

Croats The Croats (; , ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and other neighboring countries in Central Europe, Central and Southeastern Europe who share a common Croatian Cultural heritage, ancest ...

who follow

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

, the descendants of those who converted after the 16th century, after the conquest of much of

by the

Ottomans Ottoman may refer to: * Osman I, historically known in English as "Ottoman I", founder of the Ottoman Empire * Osman II, historically known in English as "Ottoman II" * Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empir ...

. Communities of

Protestants Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

have historically been negligible in

Catholicism

In Canada, the first ethnic Croatian parish was established in Windsor in 1950. Soon, parishes were established in Toronto (1951), Hamilton (1958), Vancouver (1967), Winnipeg (1968). On 9 September 1976, mons. Paul Reding issued a decree on establishing Croatian Catholic parish of the Most Holy Trinity in Oakville. Today there are ethnic Croatian parishes and missions in seventeen cities in Canada. One of the most prominent Croatian Catholic parishes is the Queen of Peace Catholic Church in Norval, Ontario. The establishment of the parish began in 1976 when community members, under the guidance of the Franciscan Friars, gathered for one evening to discuss the necessity and logistics of creating a place of gathering and cultural and faith building and preservation for the large Croatian immigrant population. In May 1977, 160 acres of property were purchased by the organizing committee with the specific dedication to Croatian Catholics. In the Norval Croatian Centre, as is in many other Croatian Catholic parishes, brochures, books, CDs and other forms of Croatian media are offered. The Croatian Catholic youth in particular have started and taken part in many faith developments of their own. The Croatian Catholic Youth Group (CCY) is a faith-based group that comes together by schedule to discuss Catholic subjects and strengthen their religious belief. In addition, Mladifest is an annual event started in 2013 by the Queen of Peace Parish and has each year attracted hundreds of young Catholic Croatian to further explore the intersection of their faith and culture. As the event continued to develop over the years, the rotation of it between host parishes started, with the 2013, 2014, and 2015 Mladifest being in Norval, 2016 in Sacred Heart, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 2017 in Immaculate Heart of Mary, Vancouver, British Columbia, 2018 in Croatian Martys Church, Mississauga, Ontario, and 2019 in Saint Nicholas Tavelic, Montreal, Quebec. It is an event funded by each parishes' members donations and contributions to bake sales, banquets and other events held to amass funds.

Other Christian

While an overwhelming percentage of Croatians in Canada remain Roman Catholic, there are non-Catholic populations, including

(most of whom have been in Canada for more than one generation) and

Eastern Orthodox Eastern Orthodoxy, otherwise known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity or Byzantine Christianity, is one of the three main Branches of Christianity, branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholic Church, Catholicism and Protestantism ...

(the majority of whom are of mixed ethnic background).

Islam

Previously unorganized Croats of the Muslim faith, with the arrival of eminent physician

Asaf Duraković Asaf Duraković (16 May 1940 – 16 December 2020) was a Croatian medical doctor. He is also known for his poetry and verse (poetry), verses. Duraković was born in Stolac, Bosnia and Herzegovina and educated at the University of Zagreb in Zagreb ...

Poskok.info
Fikret Artuković: Toronto slavi 35 godina hrvatske džamije (picture) founded the Croatian Islamic Centre on 23 June 1973 in

Etobicoke Etobicoke (, ) is an administrative district and former city within Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Comprising the city's west end, Etobicoke is bordered on the south by Lake Ontario, on the east by the Humber River (Ontario), Humber River, on the ...

(75 Birmingham Street, Etobicoke, ON M8V 2C3), helped by the Croatian Catholic community.Vinko Grubisic: Croatians in Toronto, From: Polyphony Vol.6, 1984 pp. 88–91
An old Catholic school was bought for 75,000 CAD and readjusted into masjid. Since the old building was in bad condition, a new mosque was built on the site of the old one in 1983. Today, given changing political affiliations and political pressures from 1990's, and influx of non-Croat option of Bosnian Muslims, the center is now known as the Bosnian Islamic Centre. Despite that, today 4 out of 64 Canadian mosques have the attribute "Croatian". In Croatian Islamic Centre the children are taught the Croatian and Arabic languages, but there also Croatian Islamic newspapers, books, brochures, etc. Croatian Islamic Center called on Muslim governments, organisations, and individuals to press the Yugoslav regime, to end the persecution of Islam and to grant genuin equality of Muslims in Yugoslavia. The director of Centre Kerim Reis wanted that Belgrade releases the Muslim prisoners of conscience and to end to restrictions on the building of mosques. During Yugoslavia, this group often spoke accused Tito's Yugoslavia for practising discrimination both Muslim and Catholic Croats.

Culture

Folklore

The Croatian Folklore Federation of Canada (Croatian: Hrvatsko-kanadski folklorni savez) was founded in Sudbury on 27 October 1973, after successfully organised Folk Dance Festival.History/Povijest
''hkfsavez.com''. Croatian Folklore Federation of Canada. Access date 24 May 2023. First Canadian-Croatian Folklore Festival was organised in Sudbury in 1975, as well as first folklore seminars. Western-Canadian section of CFFC was established in

in the beginning of the year 1978. On 20 and 21 May 1978, CFFC West held fourth edition of the Festival. Western and Eastern section of the CFFC held three joint festival editions (Sudbury 1983,

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

1987 and

2000). Federation also organised three festivals in

: two in

Zagreb Zagreb ( ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, north of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the ...

(12 and 13 July 1991 and 1997) and one in

Split Split(s) or The Split may refer to: Places * Split, Croatia, the largest coastal city in Croatia * Split Island, Canada, an island in the Hudson Bay * Split Island, Falkland Islands * Split Island, Fiji, better known as Hạfliua Arts, enter ...

(10 and 11 July 2004). Federation also organises Tamburafest, with different hosts every year (Jadran Toronto in 2017, KUD Vukovar in 2018, FEC Mississauga in 2019, Vatroslav Lisinski – Mississauga in 2022).

Music

Group of Croatian emigrants in Vancouver,

fishermen A fisherman or fisher is someone who captures fish and other animals from a body of water, or gathers shellfish. Worldwide, there are about 38 million commercial and subsistence fishers and fish farmers. Fishermen may be professional or recr ...

from Sumartin, started in 1979 Klapa "Zvonimir", as a form of immigrant singing society. In the first decade Klapa was active in a form of ''traditional klapa'', in informal and occasional ways. When Croatian ethnomusicologist Joško Ćaleta became a director, Klapa transformed into ''festival klapa'' type, formal and organised setting. While Ćaleta was conductor, Klapa "Zvonimir" was double winner of the best ethnic choir award in Canada (1994 and 1996).

Organisations

In 1928, Croatian emigrants founded Croatian National Home of Hamilton () in

Hamilton, Ontario Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario. Hamilton has a 2021 Canadian census, population of 569,353 (2021), and its Census Metropolitan Area, census metropolitan area, which encompasses ...

Sport

Soccer

;

Clubs Club may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Club (magazine), ''Club'' (magazine) * Club, a ''Yie Ar Kung-Fu'' character * Clubs (suit), a suit of playing cards * Club music * "Club", by Kelsea Ballerini from the album ''kelsea'' Brands a ...

* Croatia Norval SC, Ontario * Mississagua Croatia SC *

Hamilton Croatia Hamilton Croatia is a Croatian Canadian amateur soccer team founded in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada in 1957. It is supported by the Croatian Sports and Community Centre of Hamilton Inc. (formerly the Croatian National Sports Club of Hamilton, Inc. ...

Toronto Croatia C.N.S.C. Toronto Croatia (Croatian National Sports Club Toronto Croatia) is a Canadian soccer team based in Toronto, Ontario, that plays in the Supergroup Open Division in the Canadian Academy of Football. The team's colours are red, white and b ...

* Windsor Croatia * CSC Oakville HRVAT * HNK Livno * Kitchener – Waterloo Croatia * Ottawa Jadran * HNNK HRVAT St. Catharines * London Croatia * HNK Zagreb Toronto * HNNK Dalmacija Streetsville * Croatia "Adria" SC Sudbury * Winnipeg Croatia SC * Calgary Croatia Sports Club * Edmonton Croatia SC * Vancouver Croatia SC ;Tournaments * HNNS Youth Tournament

Croatian Canadians

Businesspeople

* Robert Herjavec – CEO of the Herjavec Group, one Canada's most prominent technology companies * Tihomir Orešković – 11th Prime Minister of Croatia

Politicians

* Eve Adams – Liberal MP, Mississauga-Brampton South; born Eve Horvat to Hungarian-Croat parents * Bob Bratina – former Mayor of Hamilton, 2010–2014; Liberal MP, Hamilton East-Stoney Creek 2015–present * Jan Brown – former Reform/Independent MP Calgary Southeast, 1993–1997 * Allan Kerpan – Saskatchewan Party MLA, Carrot River Valley, 2003–present; former Reform MP, Moose Jaw-Lake Centre, 1993–2000 * Janko Peric – former Liberal MP, Cambridge, 1993–2004 * Peter Sekulic – former Alta Liberal MLA, Edmonton Manning, 1993–1997 *

Roseanne Skoke Roseanne Skoke (born September 11, 1954) was the Liberal Party of Canada, Liberal Member of Parliament (Canada), MP for the riding of Central Nova from 1993 to 1997. Political career Central Nova had been considered a safe Progressive Conservat ...

– former Liberal MP, Central Nova, 1993–1997 * John Sola – former Liberal MPP, 1987–1995 * Dave Stupich – former NDP MP, Nanaimo-Cowichan 1988–1993; former B.C. NDP MLA, 1963–1969; 1972–1988 * Ruža Tomašić – police officer and politician, Member of the European Parliament * Berry Vrbanovic – mayor of Kitchener, 2014–present; Kitchener City Councillor, 1994–2014;

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...

candidate for Kitchener Centre in the 1999 Ontario Election. * Lynne Yelich – Canadian Alliance/Conservative MP, Blackstrap, 2000–2015

Scientists

* Asaf Durakovic – physician and expert in nuclear medicine and depleted uranium; poet

Arts and entertainment

Michael Bublé Michael Steven Bublé ( ; born September 9, 1975) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. Regarded as a pop icon, he is often credited for helping to renew public interest and appreciation for traditional pop standards and the Great American ...

– singer *

Steve Bacic Steve Bacic ( ;"Waiting for lift-off; U of W alumnus Steve Bacic hopes to revise role on Andromeda" by Ted Shaw, ''Windsor Star, The Windsor Star'' (17 Jan, 2004) inal EditionRetrieved from ) is a Canadians, Canadian actor. He is known for ...

– actor * Frank Cvitanovich – documentary filmmaker * Ivan Hrvatska – singer * Alicia Josipovic – actor * Stana Katic – actor * Josip Novakovich – writer * Daniella Pavičić – singer and songwriter * Teresa Toten – writer * Elizabeth Anka Vajagic – singer

Athletes

* Nikola Andrijević – soccer player * Sandra Bezić –

figure skater Figure skating is a sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform on figure skates on ice. It was the first winter sport to be included in the Olympic Games, with its introduction occurring at the 1908 Olympics in London. The Olympic d ...

* Val Bezić – figure skater * Željko Bilecki – soccer player * Jonathan Blazevic - rower and cyclist *

Joseph Cattarinich Joseph Jean Étienne Stanislas Cattarinich (November 13, 1881 – December 7, 1938), was a Canadian professional Ice hockey player, and co-owner of horse racing tracks in Canada and the United States as well as a co-owner of the Montreal Canadien ...

–

hockey ''Hockey'' is a family of List of stick sports, stick sports where two opposing teams use hockey sticks to propel a ball or disk into a goal. There are many types of hockey, and the individual sports vary in rules, numbers of players, apparel, ...

player * George Chuvalo – boxer * Nick Dasović – soccer player * Great Antonio –

strength athlete Strongman is a competitive strength sport which tests athletes' physical strength and endurance through a variety of heavy lifts and events. Strongman competitions are known for their intensity, pushing athletes to their physical and mental limit ...

* Tony Hrkac – hockey player * Dejan Jakovic – soccer player * Ante Jazić – soccer player * Mark Katic - hockey player * Dan Kordić – hockey player * John Kordić – hockey player * Frank Mahovlich – hockey player * Peter Mahovlich – hockey player * Tony Mandarich – NFL player * Phil Oresković – hockey player * Matt Pavelich – hockey player * George Pesut – hockey player * Brian Sakić – hockey player * Joe Sakić – hockey player * Cory Sarich – hockey player * Paul Spoljarić – baseball player * Marc-Édouard Vlasić – hockey player *

Bo Horvat Bowie William Horvat (born April 5, 1995) is a Canadian professional ice hockey Centre (ice hockey), centre and Captain (ice hockey)#Alternate captains, alternate captain for the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was se ...

– hockey player * Ivan Mamić – soccer player * Niko Sigur – soccer player

Political activists

* Madeline-Ann Aksich *

Gojko Šušak Gojko Šušak (; 16 March 1945 – 3 May 1998) was a Croatian politician who held the post of Ministry of Defence (Croatia), Minister of Defence from 1991 to 1998 under President Franjo Tuđman. From 1990 to 1991 he was the Minister of Emigration ...

Other

* Mato Dukovac – World War II fighter ace *

Zvonko Vranesic Zvonko Vranesic (born 4 October 1938) is a Croatian– Canadian International Master of chess, and an International Master of Correspondence Chess. He is an electrical engineer, a university professor, and a developer of computer chess softwa ...

– Master of Chess * George "Stan Stasiak" Stipich – professional wrestler

Acknowledgements

Several organisations of Croatian Canadias received Charter of the Republic of Croatia, conferred by Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović in 2019: * Croatian National Home in Hamilton * Sounds of Croatia Radio Programme in Toronto * Canadian Croatian Folklore Federation - East * Croatian National Soccer Federation * Five Catholic parishes **

Immaculate Heart of Mary The Immaculate Heart of Mary () is a Catholic devotion which refers to the view of the interior life of Mary, her joys and sorrows, her virtues and hidden perfections, and, above all, her virginal love for God the Father, her maternal love for ...

Croatian Roman Catholic Parish, Vancouver ** St. Leopold Mandić Croatian Catholic Parish, Victoria ** Our Lady of Marija Bistrica, Calgary **

Nativity of Mary The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Nativity of Mary, Marymas or the Birth of the Virgin Mary, refers to a Christian feast day celebrating the birth of Mary, mother of Jesus. The modern Biblical canon does not record Mary's birth. The ...

Croatian Catholic Parish, Edmonton ** St. Nicholas Tavelich Croatian Parish, Winnipeg * Croatian Canadian Folklore Federation - West * Croatian Canadian Cultural Centre, Calgary

References

Literature

* * Pejaković, Katarina (2022)
''ANGEL''
Justin Press, Ottawa, p. 217.

External links

(archived)
Statistics Canada
{{Croatian diaspora *

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...