Dutch Canadians 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 ...

with full or partial Dutch ancestry. According to the Canada 2006 Census, there were 1,035,965 Canadians of Dutch descent, including those of full or partial ancestry. This increased to 1,111,655 in 2016.

History

The first Dutch people to come to Canada were

Dutch Americans Dutch Americans ( nl, Nederlandse Amerikanen) are Americans of Dutch descent whose ancestors came from the Netherlands in the recent or distant past. Dutch settlement in the Americas started in 1613 with New Amsterdam, which was exchanged with ...

among the

United Empire Loyalists United Empire Loyalists (or simply Loyalists) is an honorific title which was first given by the 1st Lord Dorchester, the Governor of Quebec, and Governor General of The Canadas, to American Loyalists who resettled in British North America du ...

. 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 Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most pop ...

. While interrupted by the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fig ...

this migration returned in the 1920s, but again halted during the Great Depression and

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. 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. 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 The Christian Labour Association of Canada (CLAC) is a labour union that represents companies in the construction, healthcare, and food industries. It was established in 1952 to represent workers on the basis of "Christian social principles". T ...

, 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", 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.

Geographical distribution

Data from this section from Statistics Canada, 2021.

Provinces & territories

Notable people

Academia

* Parzival Copes, economist *

Sidney van den Bergh Sidney Van den Bergh, OC, FRS (born 20 May 1929 in Wassenaar) is a retired Dutch-Canadian astronomer. He showed an interest in science from an early age, learning to read with books on astronomy. In addition to being interested in astronomy. ...

, astronomer *Madeleine Bonsma-Fisher, physicist

Arts and entertainment

Earl W. Bascom Earl Wesley Bascom (June 19, 1906 – August 28, 1995) was an American painter, printmaker, sculptor, cowboy, rodeo performer, inventor, and Hollywood actor. Raised in Canada, he portrayed in works of fine art his own experiences of cowboying ...

, actor, painter, sculptor * Neve Campbell, actress * Nicole de Boer, actress * Sarah de Leeuw, writer (Dutch descent) * Kristen Hager, actress *

Ernest Hillen Ernest Hillen is a Canadian writer and journalist."Author bullies boyhood memories". ''Ottawa Citizen'', September 21, 1993. A longtime editor with '' Saturday Night'', he became best known for two memoirs which he published in the 1990s about his ...

, journalist * Kristin Kreuk, actress *

Cornelius Krieghoff Cornelius David Krieghoff (June 19, 1815 – March 5, 1872) was a Dutch-born Canadian-American painter of the 19th century. Krieghoff is most famous for his paintings of Canadian landscapes and Canadian life outdoors, which were as sought ...

, painter * J.J. McCullough,

writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles and techniques to communicate ideas. Writers produce different forms of literary art and creative writing such as novels, short stories, books, poetry, travelogues, pla ...

cartoonist A cartoonist is a visual artist who specializes in both drawing and writing cartoons (individual images) or comics (sequential images). Cartoonists differ from comics writers or comic book illustrators in that they produce both the literary an ...

, political commentator and

YouTuber A YouTuber is an online personality and/or influencer who produces videos on the video-sharing platform YouTube, typically posting to their personal YouTube channel. The term was first used in the English language in 2006. Influence Influe ...

. Mother is Dutch * Sigmund Brouwer, author, public speaker, athlete. Both his mother and father immigrated to Alberta from Holland following World War II. He won the gold medal for racquetball (doubles) at the Canada Winter Games in 1883 at the age of 22. * Robert Naylor, actor *

Michael Ondaatje Philip Michael Ondaatje (; born 12 September 1943) is a Sri Lankan-born Canadian poet, fiction writer, essayist, novelist, editor, and filmmaker. He is the recipient of multiple literary awards such as the Governor General's Award, the Giller ...

, poet, novelist, editor and filmmaker * Patricia Rozema, writer, director *

Hubert J. M. Schuh Hubert is a Germanic masculine given name, from ''hug'' "mind" and ''beraht'' "bright". It also occurs as a surname. Saint Hubertus or Hubert (c. 656 – 30 May 727) is the patron saint of hunters, mathematicians, opticians, and metalworkers. ...

, sculpture, painter * Sonja Smits, actress (Dutch descent) *

Cobie Smulders Jacoba Francisca Maria "Cobie" Smulders (born April 3, 1982) is a Canadian actress. She is known for her starring role as Robin Scherbatsky in the CBS sitcom ''How I Met Your Mother'' (2005–2014) and as S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Maria Hill in the ...

, actress *

Jessica Steen Jessica Steen is a Canadian actress in both film and television, noted for her roles in '' Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future'', '' Homefront'', '' Earth 2'', '' Armageddon'', '' Left Behind: World at War'', ''NCIS'', '' Flashpoint'' ...

, actress *

Dorothy Stratten Dorothy Ruth Hoogstraten (February 28, 1960 – August 14, 1980), known professionally as Dorothy Stratten, was a Playboy Playmate and actress, originally from Canada. Stratten was the ''Playboy'' Playmate of the Month for August 1979 and Pla ...

, model * Aritha Van Herk, writer * Laura Vandervoort, actress * Jeon Somi, singer and songwriter * Kevin Zegers, actor and model *Martin Kouprie, chef, author, cheesemaker

Business

* William Cornelius Van Horne, president of CPR

Farming

* Wiebo Ludwig

Politics and civil service

* Michael Chong, Conservative MP, Wellington-Halton Hills * Roméo Dallaire, former Force Commander of

UNAMIR The United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda (UNAMIR) was established by United Nations Security Council Resolution 872 on 5 October 1993. It was intended to assist in the implementation of the Arusha Accords, signed on 4 August 1993, wh ...

peacekeeping force during the

Rwandan genocide The Rwandan genocide occurred between 7 April and 15 July 1994 during the Rwandan Civil War. During this period of around 100 days, members of the Tutsi minority ethnic group, as well as some moderate Hutu and Twa, were killed by armed Hutu ...

, former Liberal Senator, humanitarian *

Stephen de Boer Stephen de Boer is Canada's Permanent Representative to the World Trade Organization in Geneva, Switzerland. His appointment began on August 21, 2017. Biography Stephen de Boer is an environmental lawyer, diplomat, and negotiator. He was born in ...

, Canada's Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the

World Trade Organization The World Trade Organization (WTO) is an intergovernmental organization that regulates and facilitates international trade. With effective cooperation in the United Nations System, governments use the organization to establish, revise, and ...

in Geneva, Switzerland * Harry de Jong,

Abbotsford, British Columbia Abbotsford is a city located in British Columbia, adjacent to the Canada–United States border, Greater Vancouver and the Fraser River. With an estimated population of 153,524 people it is the largest municipality in the province outside metro ...

Social Credit MLA from 1986 to 1994 * Mike de Jong, Abbotsford, British Columbia Liberal MLA since 1994 * Simon De Jong, former federal

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a province in western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North ...

NDP MP * Jacob De Witt, Member of the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada, Member of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada * Rick Dykstra, Conservative MP

St. Catharines St. Catharines is the largest city in Canada's Niagara Region and the sixth largest urban area in the province of Ontario. As of 2016, it has an area of , 136,803 residents, and a metropolitan population of 406,074. It lies in Southern Ontario ...

from 2006 to 2015 and Parliamentary Secretary * Fred Eisenberger, former Ward Alderman and Mayor of

Hamilton, Ontario Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Hamilton has a population of 569,353, and its census metropolitan area, which includes Burlington and Grimsby, has a population of 785,184. The city is approximately southwest of ...

John Gerretsen John Philip Gerretsen (born June 9, 1942) is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a Liberal member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1995 to 2014 who represented the eastern Ontario riding of Kingston and the Islands. He s ...

, former Mayor of

Kingston, Ontario Kingston is a city in Ontario, Canada. It is located on the north-eastern end of Lake Ontario, at the beginning of the St. Lawrence River and at the mouth of the Cataraqui River (south end of the Rideau Canal). The city is midway between Toront ...

, former Ontario MPP and provincial cabinet minister * Samuel Holland, Royal Engineer and first Surveyor General of

British North America British North America comprised the colonial territories of the British Empire in North America from 1783 onwards. English overseas possessions, English colonisation of North America began in the 16th century in Newfoundland (island), Newfound ...

* Eiling Kramer, the longest-serving member in the history of Saskatchewan's Legislative Assembly. * David Mathews, American Loyalist and former Mayor of

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

during the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolu ...

who settled in

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native En ...

and became a leading administrator. * John Oostrom, first Dutch-born MP, Progressive Conservative for Willowdale * Case Ootes, former city councillor in

; served as deputy mayor under Mayor Mel Lastman and represents one of the two Toronto—Danforth wards *

Maximilien Polak Maximilien Polak (December 5, 1930 – December 27, 2022) was a Dutch-born Canadian judge and politician in the province of Quebec. Dutch-born and raised, Polak arrived in Canada in 1952, where he attended the Université de Montréal, earning ...

, Quebec Liberal MNA for Saint-Anne from 1981 to 1989 *

Egerton Ryerson Adolphus Egerton Ryerson (24 March 1803 – 19 February 1882) was a Canadian educator, author, editor, and Methodist minister who was a prominent contributor to the design of the Canadian public school system. A renowned advocate against Christ ...

, Methodist minister, public education advocate, Chief Superintendent of Education for Upper Canada * Peter Stoffer, NDP MP Sackville-Eastern Shore from 1997 to 2015 * Jacob Van Buskirk, Representative for Shelburne County in the

Nova Scotia House of Assembly The Nova Scotia House of Assembly (french: Assemblée législative de la Nouvelle-Écosse; gd, Taigh Seanaidh Alba Nuadh), or Legislative Assembly, is the deliberative assembly of the General Assembly of Nova Scotia Each General Assembly of the ...

from 1805 to 1818 * John van Dongen,

Liberal MLA from 1995 to 2013 * Anthony Van Egmond, Member of the Reform Movement in

Upper Canada The Province of Upper Canada (french: link=no, province du Haut-Canada) was a part of British Canada established in 1791 by the Kingdom of Great Britain, to govern the central third of the lands in British North America, formerly part of t ...

, a leader of the rebels in the Upper Canada Rebellion * Dave Van Kesteren, Conservative MP, Chatham-Kent-Leamington * Bill Vander Zalm, 28th Premier of British Columbia * Adam Swart Vedder, Westminster- Chilliwhack,

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include ...

MLA from 1897 to 1898 * Elizabeth Witmer, former Progressive Conservative MPP, Ontario cabinet minister and Chair of Workplace Safety & Insurance Board of Ontario

Sports

, rodeo pioneer, first rodeo champion inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame, "father of modern rodeo" * Kyle Bekker, soccer player *

Ted-Jan Bloemen Ted-Jan Bloemen (born 16 August 1986) is a Dutch-Canadian long track speed skater. He started competing for the Canadian national speed skating team during the 2014–15 season, but before that, he competed for the Netherlands in international ...

, Olympic speed skater, born in the Netherlands with a Canadian-born father * Jeff Beukeboom, retired NHL ice hockey player * Jay Bouwmeester, former NHL ice hockey player * Petra Burka, Olympic figure skater, Dutch born * Jason de Vos, retired professional soccer player *

Greg de Vries Gregory A. de Vries (born January 4, 1973) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played over 800 games with six teams in the National Hockey League (NHL). De Vries won the Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche in 2000–01 se ...

, former NHL ice hockey player * Karl Dykhuis, ice hockey player; first cousin of Mark Brodwin, astrophysicist * Dan Hamhuis, former NHL ice hockey player *

Harry Geris Harry Geris (November 22, 1947 – April 24, 2008) was a Canadian Olympic wrestler who represented Canada in the 1968, 1972, and 1976 Olympics, 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games and 1975 Pan American Games. Early life Geris was ...

, wrestler * Bill Hogaboam, retired NHL player for the

Minnesota North Stars The Minnesota North Stars were a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League (NHL) for 26 seasons, from 1967 to 1993. The North Stars played their home games at the Met Center in Bloomington, Minnesota, and the team's colors fo ...

and

Detroit Red Wings The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the East ...

* Ferdi Kadıoğlu, soccer player *

Slater Koekkoek Slater Koekkoek ( ; born February 18, 1994) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman currently under contract to the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League (NHL). Koekkoek was originally selected by the Tampa Bay Lightning, 10th ...

, NHL player for the

Edmonton Oilers The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton. The Oilers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. They play their home games at Rogers Place, which ...

* Trevor Linden, retired ice hockey player and former General Manager in the NHL for the

Vancouver Canucks The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference, and ...

* Dwight Lodeweges, footballer, manager * Dirk Jan De Vries*, South African cricket player. * George Momberg, professional wrestler known by stage name "Killer Karl Krupp" * Matt Murray, NHL goaltender for the

Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Divi ...

* Joe Nieuwendyk, former ice hockey player in the NHL, Hockey Hall of Fame member and former General Manager of the

Dallas Stars The Dallas Stars are a professional ice hockey team based in Dallas. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference, and were founde ...

* Beorn Nijenhuis, speed skater, who represents the Netherlands at the 2006 Winter Olympics * Pete Peeters, former NHL ice hockey player * Daniel Sprong, ice hockey player in the NHL for the

Seattle Kraken The Seattle Kraken are a professional ice hockey team based in Seattle. The Kraken compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference and began play during the league's 2021–22 season. ...

* Eric Staal, ice hockey player in the NHL for the

Florida Panthers The Florida Panthers are a professional ice hockey team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference, and initially played their home game ...

* Jared Staal, ice hockey player formerly in the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 season, every team in the le ...

(AHL) for the

Charlotte Checkers The Charlotte Checkers are a minor-league professional ice hockey team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the American Hockey League (AHL), and are the top minor league affi ...

Jordan Staal Jordan Staal (born September 10, 1988) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre and captain of the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League (NHL). He is regarded as a premier penalty-killer, both for his strong defensive skills and ...

, ice hockey player in the NHL for the

Carolina Hurricanes The Carolina Hurricanes (colloquially known as the Canes) are a professional ice hockey team based in Raleigh, North Carolina. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference ...

* Marc Staal, ice hockey player in the NHL for the

* Evert van Benthem, speed skater, won the Elfstedentocht in 1985 and 1986 * Wayne Van Dorp, former ice hockey player in the NHL *

Debbie Van Kiekebelt Deborah "Debbie" Van Kiekebelt (born March 1, 1954 in Kitchener, Ontario) is a Canadian athlete and sports broadcaster. She was a gold medallist in the pentathlon at the 1971 Pan American Games, and was named that year's Canadian Woman Athlete of ...

, track and field athlete *

Adam van Koeverden Adam Joseph van Koeverden (born January 29, 1982) is a Canadian sprint kayaker and politician. He is an Olympic gold medallist in the K-1 500m category (2004) and a two-time world champion in K-1 500 (2007) and K-1 1000 (2011), winning four O ...

, Olympic gold medallist in K-1 500 m; his last name relates him to the Dutch city of Coevorden *

Lauren van Oosten Lauren van Oosten (born November 17, 1978) is a Canadian competition swimmer and a breaststroke specialist. Biography She is originally from Nanaimo, British Columbia and is of Dutch heritage. She grew up and learned to swim in Nanaimo, before ...

, swimmer * John van 't Schip, footballer, manager currently serving

Greece national football team The Greece national football team ( el, Εθνική Ελλάδας, ) represents Greece in men's international football matches and is controlled by the Hellenic Football Federation, the governing body for football in Greece. Greece play mos ...

* Ryan VandenBussche, former ice hockey player in the NHL * Kelly VanderBeek, alpine skier * David Van der Gulik, former ice hockey player in the NHL * Mike Vanderjagt, most accurate kicker in NFL history; played for the

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 20 ...

and

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divis ...

* Jim Vandermeer, ice hockey player in the NHL * Pat Verbeek, former ice hockey player in the NHL * Tonya Verbeek, Sport wrestler, three time Olympic medallist * Kris Versteeg, retired NHL ice hockey player for the

Chicago Blackhawks The Chicago Blackhawks (spelled Black Hawks until 1986, and known colloquially as the Hawks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago. The Blackhawks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division i ...

Steve Yzerman Stephen Gregory Yzerman (; born May 9, 1965) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player currently serving as executive vice president and general manager of the Detroit Red Wings, with whom he spent all 22 seasons of his NHL playing c ...

, retired NHL player for the

* Marcel De Jong

References

External links

Canadian Encyclopedia - DutchDCA: Dutch Canadian Association - Dutch CanadiansCAANS: Canadian Association for the Advancement of Netherlandic Studies - Dutch Canadians''Maandblad de Krant'', monthly magazine for Canadians and Americans of Dutch OriginDUTCH the magazine, about the Netherlands and its people, at home and abroadHistorical articles about postwar Dutch immigration to Canada and the USA
{{Authority control *

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 tota ...

Dutch Dutch