Iranian Canadians

Iranian Canadians
ایرانیان کانادا

Total population
(205,000 (2015 estimate))
Regions with significant populations
Richmond Hill, North York, West Vancouver, Montreal, Ottawa
Languages
Persian, English, Azerbaijani, Armenian, Kurdish, and other languages of Iran (see Languages of Iran)
Religion
Twelver Shi'a Islam, Irreligion, Sunni Islam, Bahá'í Faith, Christianity (Anglicanism and Catholicism), Judaism, and Zoroastrianism

Iranian Canadians or Persian Canadians 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, 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
• Payam Akhavan, pioneer in international criminal law and leading human rights advocate; McGill University

Art and literature

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

• Reza Aliabadi, architect
• Hossein Amanat, architect, urban designer
• Reza Baraheni, novelist, poet, critic, and political activist
• Jian Ghomeshi, member of Moxy Früvous, former host of CBC's "play" former host of "Q" on CBC Radio 1
• Siamak Hariri, architect
• Ramin Karimloo, West End performer, playing the lead role in Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera and the sequel Love Never Dies
• Fariborz Lachini, music composer
• 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
• Sanaz Mazinani, photographer and curator
• Marina Nemat, author
• Ghazal Omid , (غزل امید), non fiction political writer, non fiction children book writer, speaker, NGO Executive
• Pardis Parker, award-winning director, writer, actor, and comedian
• Fariborz Sahba, architect
• Parviz Tanavoli, sculptor and painter

Beauty pageants

• Nazanin Afshin-Jam, Miss Canada 2003, first 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
• Sahar Biniaz, second 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
• Samantha Tajik, Miss Universe Canada 2008

Business

• Ghermezian family, billionaire shopping mall developers
• Karim Hakimi, founder of Hakim Optical
• Hassan Khosrowshahi, founder of Future Shop
• Shahrzad Rafati, founder of BroadbandTV Corp
• Malekyazdi family, High rise Developers
• Baghai family, High rise Developers

Crime

• Omid Tahvili, kingpin and international fugitive

Entertainment

• Mehdi Sadaghdar, YouTube personality, electrical engineer

Foundations

• Naft Club, Canadian oil and gas professionals with Persian heritage

Journalism

ITC TV, one of the 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 cover local events as well.

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

Politicians

Reza Moridi, Iranian-born Canadian politician

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

Religion

• Reza Hosseini Nassab, Grand Ayatollah

See also

• Azerbaijani Canadians
• Armenian Canadians
• Iranian diaspora
• Iranian Americans
• 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