Iranian Canadian

Iranian Canadian
ایرانیان کانادا

Nazanin Afshin-Jam Amir Khadir Kaveh Farrokh Samantha Tajik Hassan Khosrowshahi Sherko Haji-Rasouli Nima Arkani-Hamed Reza Moridi Ramin Karimloo
Total population
163,290 (by ancestry, 2011 Census)
Regions with significant populations
Greater Toronto Area, Vancouver, Montreal, Ottawa
Languages
Persian, English Azerbaijani, Armenian, Kurdish, and other languages of Iran. (see Languages of Iran).
Religion
Twelver Shi'a Islam, No Religion, Sunni Islam, Bahá'í Faith, Christianity (Anglicanism and Catholicism), Judaism, and Zoroastrianism

Iranian Canadian or Persian Canadian are citizens of Canada whose national background is traced from Iran or people possessing Iranian and Canadian dual citizenship. from the 2006 Canadian census and the main communities can be found in Southern Ontario, British Columbia, and Quebec; the vast majority, however, live in the northern suburbs of Toronto such as Richmond Hill, Vaughan, Markham, and Thornhill, and in the municipalities of Vancouver such as: North Vancouver, West Vancouver, Burnaby, and Coquitlam. An estimated total of 46,255 Iranians currently reside in the Greater Toronto Area, 29,265 in the Greater Vancouver Area, 9,535 in the Greater Montreal Area, and the remainder are spread out in the other major cities in Canada based on the 2006 Canadian Census.

However, these numbers only represent the people who immigrated from Iran (Persia) and filled out the census survey. There are an estimated 50,000 more Iranians who did not fill out the survey and were born outside Iran including Canada. Estimated numbers for Toronto are around 65,000, in Vancouver they range up to 40,000 and in Montreal there are not more than 15,000.

Notable Canadians of Iranian descent

Editorial team of SHAHRVAND Weekly in Toronto which is the largest Persian newspaper in Canada.

Academia

"Persian Plaza" in Toronto's Yonge Street (North York Section). 2014

• Kaveh Farrokh, historian
• Ramin Jahanbegloo, philosopher and university professor
• Ali Khademhosseini, Associate Professor of Medicine; Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology.
• Shahrzad Mojab, Professor of Leadership, Higher and Adult Education at the University of Toronto.

Art and literature

Relief sculpture with Persian Imperial Guardsman. 5th century BC. Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto

• Jian Ghomeshi, member of Moxy Früvous, former host of CBC's "play" former host of "Q" on CBC Radio 1
• Pardis Parker, award-winning director, writer, actor, and comedian
• Nima Mazhari, painter, photographer and husband of ex-Olympic biathlete Myriam Bédard, convicted and sentenced in June 2007 for stealing paintings from the late painter Ghitta Caiserman
• Fariborz Lachini, music composer
• Sanaz Mazinani, photographer and curator
• Parviz Tanavoli, sculptor and painter
• Ramin Karimloo, West End Performer, playing the lead role of the Phantom in Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera and the sequel Love Never Dies.
• Marina Nemat, author
• Reza Baraheni, novelist, poet, critic, and political activist
• Siamak Hariri, architect
• Hossein Amanat, architect, urban designer
• Fariborz Sahba, architect
• Reza Aliabadi, architect

Beauty pageant

• Nazanin Afshin-Jam, Miss Canada 2003, 1st runner-up of Miss World 2003, actress, singer-songwriter, human rights activist, wife of Canadian Defence Minister Peter MacKay
• Ramona Amiri, Miss World Canada 2005, semifinalist of Miss World 2005
• Samantha Tajik, Miss Universe Canada 2008
• Sahar Biniaz, 2nd runner-up of Miss Tourism Queen International 2008, Miss Universe Canada 2012
• Nickta Jowhari, Miss Universe Canada 2014 Top 20, Top 3 Miss Universe Canada Humanitarian, Miss Ontario 2015.

Business

• Hassan Khosrowshahi, founder of Future Shop
• Ghermezian family. Billionaire shopping mall developers
• Shahrzad Rafati, founder of BroadbandTV Corp
• Karim Hakimi, founder of Hakim Optical

Entertainment

• Mehdi Sadaghdar, YouTube personality, electrical engineer

Foundations

• Naft Club, Canadian Oil & Gas Professionals with Persian Heritage

Crime

• Omid Tahvili, kingpin and international fugitive

Journalism

ITC TV, one of Persian-language TV stations in Toronto

Various Persian-language media (including TV and newspapers) are active in Canada. Shahrvand and Salam Toronto are two of them which covers the local events as well.

• Farid Haerinejad, CBC former producer, Documentary Maker and current ِِEditor-In-Chief of Radio Zamaneh
• Zahra Kazemi, photojournalist
• Nikahang Kowsar, cartoonist
• Maziar Bahari, journalist
• Jian Ghomeshi, CBC broadcaster, writer, producer and musician
• Touka Neyestani, cartoonist

Politicians

Reza Moridi, Iranian-born Canadian politician

• Amir Khadir - Québec solidaire MNA for Mercier, microbiologist
• Ali Ehsassi - Federal Liberal MP for Willowdale, lawyer
• Majid Jowhari - Federal Liberal MP for Richmond Hill, engineer
• Reza Moridi - Ontario Liberal MPP for Richmond Hill, physicist, engineer

Religion

• Reza Hosseini Nassab - Grand Ayatollah

See also

• Azerbaijani Canadian
• Armenian Canadian
• Iranian diaspora
• Iranian American
• Kurds in Canada

External links

• PM meets with representatives of the Persian-Canadian community
• Iranian Canadian Congress
• Persian Flags in Toronto Streets (Video)
• Canadian Oil & Gas Professionals with Persian Heritage