From: The Encyclopedia of Canada's Peoples/Ismailis/Milton Israel
A few members of the Shiite Imami Ismaili Muslim community were already living in Canada when the substantial flow of immigrants ousted from Uganda began to arrive in 1972. This was a second migration for a people, most of whose ancestry was rooted in Gujarat and Kutch on the west coast of India. Soon after the Ugandan expulsion order was announced, the Aga Khan contacted Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau and negotiated the acceptance of Ismaili refugees. A Canadian office in Kampala and federally funded Uganda committees in various Canadian cities coordinated the resettlement of the more than six thousand, mostly Ismaili, Ugandan Asians who arrived. There were a few more entrepreneurs, particularly traders, than average among the group, but the refugees came with a range of professional credentials and work experience. The influx of Ismaili immigration from Kenya, Rwanda, Zaire, Madagascar, and the South Asian region continued throughout the 1970s. Families were reunited, and only a remnant population was left in East Africa. Enhanced migration from South Asia added to the numbers. Today, there are approximately 65,000 to 75,000 Ismailis living in Canada. About 80 percent of these are Khojas from Gujarat, descendants of converts who responded to the missionary effort in India. Ismaili Canadians live in every part of the country, although the largest number are concentrated in Ontario.
