From: The Encyclopedia of Canada's Peoples/Haitians/Daniel Gay
At least since 1968, the Haitian population in Canada has been continually if erratically renewed by new immigration. Between 1968 and 1974, about two-thirds of Haitians coming to Canada did so as independent immigrants, while about two-thirds of those who came between 1975 and 1995 were sponsored immigrants. As a result of both legislative (Bill C-24) and administrative measures at the federal level, almost all immigrants who have come since 1975 have been relatives of Haitians already in the country and have been admitted in the context of Ottawa’s family reunification policy. There were, however, exceptions to this rule. Refugees and “illegal immigrants” who arrived between 1975 and 1980, most often on their own, benefited from a special decision taken by Ottawa in their favour in 1980. Until 1986, there were 964 refugee claimants in Canada, but the number of refugees admitted has declined substantially since that date.
Haitians tend to concentrate in various areas in different ways and for different reasons. The presence of family members can be a reason for settling in a particular place. Language can be another factor: in Montreal, for example, Haitians could be drawn more to the French-speaking east end than to English-speaking areas of the west end. On the other hand, this factor may be mitigated by the availability of housing and employment. Thus, the Atwater area of west-central Montreal brings English-speaking Quebeckers together with Haitian Quebeckers for socio-economic rather than linguistic reasons.
According to the 1991 census, 94.5 percent of Haitian immigrants admitted to Canada lived in Quebec. Most of the small number who remained lived in Ontario (4.7 percent), followed in order by Alberta, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and British Columbia.
A large majority of Haitians in Quebec – between 79 and 82 percent according to some estimates – live in downtown Montreal and in the northeastern suburbs of Montreal North and Saint-Léonard. Since the late 1970s and early 1980s, Haitians have tended to leave downtown for the northeastern part of the city, notably the Jarry and Saint-Michel neighbourhoods. In addition, there has been a further concentration in Saint-Léonard.
