Group Maintenance

The Arab presence in Canada is significant, with almost twelve out of every 1,000 Canadians being of Arab descent. The large majority of these are recent immigrants and this portion of the group greatly outnumbers the community that grew from the first, turn-of-the-century arrivals. Arab Canadians are a heterogeneous ethnic group which encompasses diverse religions and national origins, but within this diversity the predominant origins are Lebanese and, to a lesser degree, Egyptian.

Arab ethnic identity in Canada has ebbed and flowed, depending on the volume of immigration and other factors. While immigrants from the Arab world tend to share the Arabic language and culture, there are important differences in self-definitions. The generic identity that many of them carry is unquestionably Arab, but, for some, the identity of their country of origin either takes precedence or completely replaces the generic. The strength of ethnic identity varies by social circumstance and ideological upbringing. Thus, third and later generations of Canadians of Arab descent are less prone to carry a strong ethnic identity, compared to first or even second generations. Similarly, those whose identity is tied to the ideology of Arab nationalism tend to be imbued with an Arab identity rather than a citizenship- or country-based identity. Currently, about six out of ten Arab-descent Canadians are Canadian citizens either by birth or by naturalization.

The available evidence indicates that Arab Canadians are well placed educationally and occupationally but it appears that their income is not commensurate with their educational and occupational qualifications. This may be due partially to the fact that about three out of four Arab Canadians are foreign-born. More generally, however, studies indicate that visible minorities suffer a disadvantage in the Canadian labour force, and Arabs are one such minority group.

The descendants of the earliest pioneer immigrants are now fifth-generation Arab Canadians, and over the time period represented by these generations the Arab-Canadian community has developed considerably. Superimposed on this continuity is the diversity seen among Arab Canadian families which results from varied national, cultural, and linguistic origins, educational and occupational experiences, and income levels. Diverse cultural beginnings and variability in distance from the immigrant experience among Canadians of Arab descent are reflected in the community and the challenges it faces in multicultural Canada. Popular television and films continue to be major sources of distortion and disinformation regarding peoples of Arab descent and thus, at a broader societal level, prejudice surfaces intermittently. Arab Canadians feel that the culture and heritage of which they are rightly proud is misunderstood by their fellow citizens, and this perception is a critical challenge not only for Arab but for all Canadians.