This article does not cite any references or sources. (May 2007) Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.

In 2001, 22.73% of Montreal's population were visible minorities.

Demographics of the city of Montreal, Quebec. Image File history File links Question_book-3. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 542 pixelsFull resolution‎ (1,128 × 764 pixels, file size: 45 KB, MIME type: image/png) Pie chart of visible minorities in Montreal. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 542 pixelsFull resolution‎ (1,128 × 764 pixels, file size: 45 KB, MIME type: image/png) Pie chart of visible minorities in Montreal. ... This article is about the Canadian province. ...

General overview

According to StatsCan, in 2001^[1], the city of Montreal had 1,583,590 inhabitants. However, 3,635,700 live in the metropolitan area as of 2005 up from 3,426,350, reflecting an annual growth of 1.1 percent. Montreal has been growing more slowly than many other Canadian cities. In the 2001 census, children under 14 years of age (618,855) constituted 18.06 percent, while inhabitants over 65 years of age (442,720) numbered 12.92 percent of the total population. Some 13.55 percent of the population are member of a visible minority (non-white) group. Blacks contribute to the largest minority group, numbering some 140,000 (4.12% of Montreal inhabitants), which is the second largest community of Blacks in Canada, after Toronto. Other groups, such as Arabs (now estimated at 100,000 people), Latin American, South Asian, and Chinese are also large in number. (Chart on ethnicity on the left includes multiple responses.^[2] This article is about the English as an ethnic group and nation. ... This article is about the Scottish as an ethnic group. ... The word Jew ( Hebrew: יהודי) is used in a wide number of ways, but generally refers to a follower of the Jewish faith, a child of a Jewish mother, or someone of Jewish descent with a connection to Jewish culture or ethnicity and often a combination... Statistics Canada is the Canadian federal government bureau commissioned with gathering and analysing statistics about Canada. ... Look up black in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... For other uses, see Arab (disambiguation). ... Latin America consists of the countries of South America and some of North America (including Central America and some the islands of the Caribbean) whose inhabitants mostly speak Romance languages, although Native American languages are also spoken. ... Map of South Asia South Asia is a subregion of Asia comprising the modern states of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, . It covers about 4,480,000 km², or 10 percent of the continent, and is also known as the Indian subcontinent. ...

Controversy around the census

The 2001 Census was criticized in several different ways. It offered to respondents, for the first time, the choice of "Canadian" in addition to the traditional "ethnic" divisions (such as "French" and "British"). As a consequence, many citizens, not only those of "French" or "English" descendence, but also those from different immigrant communities, selected "Canadian". It also offered respondents a blank in which they could add responses of their own, and a significant percentage of people selected "Quebecois". These changes make difficult to estimate with precision the exactly ancestry of respondence, the news census rules make it almost impossible to make simple comparisons with any past census. In Canadian English, a Québécois (IPA: ) is a native or resident of the province of Quebec, Canada, especially a French-speaking one. ...

Specification and cultural influence in Montreal life

French

Main articles: Culture of Quebec and French Canadian

Montreal is the cultural centre of Québec, French-speaking Canada and French-speaking North America as a whole, and an important city in the Francophonie. The majority of the population is francophone. Montreal is the largest French-speaking city in North America, and second in the world after Paris when counting the number of native-language Francophones (third after Paris and Kinshasa when counting second-language speakers). The city is a hub for French language television productions, radio, theatre, circuses, performing arts, film, multimedia and print publishing. The culture of Quebec is a Western culture that is rooted in the history and society of the French-speaking majority. ... French Canadian is a term that has several different connotations. ... Motto Égalité, Complémentarité, Solidarité Members and participants of La Francophonie. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... North America North America is a continent[1] in the Earths northern hemisphere and (chiefly) western hemisphere. ... This article is about the capital of France. ... Kinshasa (formerly Léopoldville or, before 1960, also Leopoldstad) is the capital and largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. ...

Unlike other North American cities, most of which mainly serve their regions, Montreal plays a national role in the development of French-Canadian and Québécois culture. Its contribution to culture is therefore more of a society-building endeavour rather than limited to civic influence. The best talents from French Canada and even the French-speaking areas of the United States converge in Montreal and often perceive the city as their cultural capital. Montreal is also the most important stop in the Americas for Francophone artists from Europe, Africa and Asia.

The degree to which Montrealers and Quebec residents support local output is impressive, considering the influence of nearby American and English Canadian culture. The cultural divide between Canada's Francophone and Anglophone culture is strong and was famously referred to as the "Two Solitudes" by Canadian writer Hugh MacLennan. Reflecting their deep-seated colonial roots, the Solitudes were historically strongly entrenched in Montreal, splitting the city geographically at Boulevard St-Laurent. This split however has become less and less apparent in the past decades. This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Look up Anglophone in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Two Solitudes is a 1945 novel by Hugh MacLennan. ... John Hugh MacLennan (March 20, 1907 - November 7, 1990) was a Canadian author and Professor of English at McGill University. ...

English

Main articles: English-speaking Quebecer and English-Canadian

Montreal is also the cultural capital for English Quebec. The Montreal Gazette newspaper, McGill University, and the Centaur Theatre are traditional hubs of Anglo culture. Notable English-speaking Montrealers such as Leonard Cohen, Oscar Peterson, Nick Auf der Maur, Melissa Auf der Maur and Mordecai Richler have been influential. Anglophones from the Eastern Townships, Ottawa Valley and Northern Quebec enjoy radio and television that is produced in English in Montreal. English-speaking Quebecers or Quebeckers (also Anglo-Quebecers, English Quebecers, or Anglophone Quebecers; in French Anglo-Québécois, Québécois Anglophone, or Anglo) refers to the English-speaking (anglophone) minority of the primarily French-speaking (francophone) province of Quebec in Canada. ... English Canadian is a term that usually refers to the English-speaking majority population of Canada, most often contrasted with French Canadian. ... Offices of The Gazette on Saint Catherine Street in Montreal The Gazette, often called the Montreal Gazette to avoid ambiguity, is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Montreal, Quebec. ... McGill University. ... The Centaur Theatre Company is a theatre company based in Montreal, Quebec and founded in 1969 by Maurice Podbrey. ...

English is well-represented and widely understood on the island of Montreal. Though Anglophones only account for approximately 18% of the population, the majority of non-native English speakers are bilingual : some 57% of Francophones and 70% of allophones claim to be able to carry a conversation in English. An anglophone is someone who speaks English natively or by adoption. ... Bilingual (English/French) stop sign on Parliament Hill in Ottawa. ...

Anglophones are concentrated and sometimes even form a majority in the Montreal boroughs (or demergered cities) of Hampstead, Montreal West, Westmount, Côte-Saint-Luc, Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Pointe-Claire, Beaconsfield, Baie-d'Urfé, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Dorval, Kirkland, Senneville, Pierrefonds, Notre-Dame-de-Grâce and Town of Mount Royal. For other places with the same name, see Hampstead (disambiguation). ... Montreal West was a former federal electoral district represented in the Canadian House of Commons, and located in the province of Quebec. ... Westmount City Hall Some typical homes in Westmount Westmount is a former (and future) city in southwestern Quebec, Canada on the Island of Montreal, an enclave of the city of Montreal; pop. ... Côte Saint-Luc within the Island of Montreal. ... Adam Dollard des Ormeaux, (1635-1660), usually known simply as Dollard des Ormeaux, was a colonist of New France who led his companions from the newly founded town of Ville Marie in 1660 to ambush a larger force of Iroquois. ... Pointe Claire is a suburb of Montreal, located on the west side of the island of Montreal. ... Beaconsfield within the Island of Montreal. ... Baie-dUrfé within the Island of Montreal. ... Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue is a former town in southwestern Quebec, Canada, at the western tip of the Island of Montreal; pop. ... Dorval is a city in southwestern Quebec, Canada in the western part of the Island of Montreal; pop. ... Kirkland within the Island of Montreal. ... Senneville is a municipality on the western tip of the Island of Montreal. ... Pierrefonds is a district of the city of Montreal, Canada, located along the Rivière des Prairies. ... Notre-Dame-de-Grâce is a residential district of Montreal located to the west of downtown; population: 30102 (according to the 2001 census data) [1]). This district, which is known as NDG to locals, is one of five districts of the borough of Côte-des-Neiges—Notre-Dame... Mount Royal within the Island of Montreal. ...

Some 30 years after the adoption of the Charter of the French Language, French is more widely spoken by Montreal's various communities. 66% of Quebec Anglophones claim to be able to carry a conversation in French. It is now common to hear the children of Vietnamese, Italian, Haitian and Arab immigrants speaking French with a distinct Québécois accent, as well as English and their own mother tongues. The Charter of the French Language (also known as Bill 101 and Loi 101) is a law in the province of Quebec, Canada defining French as the only official language of Quebec. ...

While tensions can occur between Anglophones and Francophones, contemporary Montreal is home to a diverse collection of cultures and peoples who generally live together amicably.

Italian

Main article: Italian Canadian

Montreal's Italian community is one of the largest in Canada, second only to Toronto. With 250,000 Montrealers with Italian ancestry, Montreal has many Italian districts, such as Little Italy, Citta Italiana, R.D.P., Saint-Leonard and LaSalle. Italian is the 3rd most spoken language in Montreal and in the province of Québec. There is such a large number of Italian Canadians in Montreal, that when Italy won the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Italian Montrealers took to the streets a celebrated en masse, resulting in many major streets such as Saint Lawrence Boulevard to be closed down. Italian-Canadians are Canadians of Italian descent. ... Montreals Little Italy (French Petite Italie) runs along Saint Lawrence Boulevard, between Saint-Zotique and Jean Talon streets. ... Saint Leonard is a former city on the Island of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. ... Rivière-des-Prairies–Pointe-aux-Trembles is a borough in the eastern end of Montreal, Quebec. ... LaSalle is a former city on the Island of Montreal in southwestern Quebec, Canada. ... During the 1960s, a terrorist group known as the Front de libération du Québec (FLQ) launched a decade of bombings, robberies and attacks on government offices. ... Italian-Canadians are Canadians of Italian descent. ... 2006 World Cup redirects here. ... There is also a Boulevard Saint-Laurent in Gatineau, see Boulevard Saint-Laurent (Gatineau) Saint Lawrence Boulevard or boulevard Saint-Laurent (its official name, in French) is a major street in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. ...

Jewish

Montreal's Jewish community is historically one of the oldest in Canada and one of the most populous in the country, second to Toronto and numbering about 93,000 according to the 2001 census. The community is quite diverse, and is composed of many different Jewish ethnic divisions that arrived in Canada at different periods of time and under differing circumstances. Included among Montreal's diverse Jewish community are the European Jews (Ashkenazim) who arrived mostly prior to and following World War II ; the Middle Eastern and North African Jews (Mizrahim) who were already French-speaking having come mostly from former French colonies; and Spanish Jews (Sephardim) and again Ashkenazim who had previously settled in Britain and from there moved to Canada as far back as the 18th century. More recent arrivals include significant numbers of Russian, Argentinian, and French Jews as well as some individual Indian Jews, Ethiopian Jews and others. Close to 25% of Montreal's Jewish population have French as their mother tongue. Jewish leadership: Since 70 AD and the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem there has been no single body that has a leadership position over the entire Jewish community. ... Jewish ethnic divisions refers to a number of distinct Jewish communities within the worlds ethnically Jewish population. ... For other uses, see Europe (disambiguation). ... Ashkenazi (אַשְׁכֲּנָזִי, Standard Hebrew Aškanazi, Tiberian Hebrew ʾAškănāzî) Jews or Ashkenazic Jews, also called Ashkenazim (אַשְׁכֲּנָזִי&#1501... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... A map showing countries commonly considered to be part of the Middle East The Middle East is a region comprising the lands around the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea, a territory that extends from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. ...  Northern Africa (UN subregion)  geographic, including above North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, separated by the Sahara from Sub-Saharan Africa. ... This article deals with those Jewish communities indigenous to the Middle East. ... In the strictest sense, a Sephardi (ספרדי, Standard Hebrew Səfardi, Tiberian Hebrew Səp̄ardî; plural Sephardim: ספרדים, Standard Hebrew Səfardim, Tiberian Hebrew Səp̄ardîm) is a Jew original to the... // Indian Jews are a religious minority, living among Indias predominantly Hindu populace. ... The Beta Israel (or House of Israel), known by outsiders by the pejorative term Falasha or Falash Mura (exiles or strangers) are Jews of Ethiopian origin. ...

Montreal's Jewish community is very active in business sectors such as fabrics, alcohol, real estate, finance, and the fine arts. Demographically smaller than other ethnic groups, Montreal's Jewish community has nevertheless been a leading contributor to Montreal's cultural landscape and is renowned for its level of charitable giving and its plethora of cultural and social service community institutions. Among these are the world renowned Jewish Public Library of Montreal, Saidye Bronfman Centre for the Arts, and Montreal Holocaust Memorial Centre. A variety of fabric. ... Alcoholic beverages An alcoholic beverage is a drink containing ethanol, commonly known as alcohol, although in chemistry the definition of alcohol includes many other compounds. ... Real estate is a legal term that encompasses land along with anything permanently affixed to the land, such as buildings. ... Finance studies and addresses the ways in which individuals, businesses, and organizations raise, allocate, and use monetary resources over time, taking into account the risks entailed in their projects. ... Fine art is a term used to refer to fields traditionally considered to be artistic. ... // Summary Founded in 1914, the Library continues to serve Montrealers diverse recreational, informational, educational, and cultural needs. ... The Montreal Holocaust Memorial Centre was founded in 1979 by a group of survivors of the Holocaust around Steven Cummings. ...

Jewish culinary contributions have also been a source of pride for Montrealers; two world-renowned contributions are Montreal's smoked meat sandwiches and Montreal style bagels. There are many private Jewish schools in Montreal, partly funded by the Québec government (like most denominational schools in Québec). Approximately 7,000 children attend Jewish day schools, over 50% of the total Jewish school age population, an extremely high percentage for North American cities. Food from plant sources Food is any substance normally eaten or drunk by living organisms. ... Smoked Meat sandwich, served with coleslaw, potato chips and half a pickle Smoked meat is a method of preparing cured meats which originated among the Jews of Central Europe; and is often associated with Montreal, Quebec, Canada. ... The Montreal bagel is world famous, with people coming far and wide to Montreals two most revered bagel joints, Fairmount Bagels and St. ...

The Montreal Jewish community has experienced a significant population decline since the election of a separatist provincial government in 1976.

Arab

According to CH (Montreal's multicultural channel) there are 150 000 Arabs in Montreal. Arabic is the fourth language in importance, with many of Lebanese, Syrian, Palestinian, Egyptian and Algerian origin having a special French connection. The Arab district is St. Laurent, they are well appreciated for their Middle Eastern cuisine and art, and in the view of most they enrich the whole city with their presence. The Arab presence is so large that it is clearly fragmented into multiple "subcultures:" an anglophone with no knowledge of Arab history or culture can distinguish some distinct "Arab" cuisines in restaurants observed during a 30-minute walk along Saint Catherine's street.

Greek

Greek is the fifth language in importance, formerly the fourth before ceding that position to the Arab-speaking community. Nevertheless, the Greek community remains vibrant: several neighborhoods contain a number of Greek-owned businesses and local festivals and churches add the to the multicultural character of the city. The neighbouring city of Laval also has a sizable Greek community, predominantly residing in the borough of Chomedey.

Chinese

Approximately 5% of Chinese Canadians live in Montreal. The suburb of Brossard has a high ethnic Chinese population. Motto: Si Je Puis Oultre (Old French for If I Can Do More) Coordinates: Country  Canada Province Québec Administrative region Montérégie (16) RCM Independent City (previously the now defunct Champlain) Electoral district Federal: Brossard—La Prairie      MP: Marcel Lussier Provincial: La Pinière      MNA: Fatima Houda-P...

See also

• Demographics of Quebec

Current Statistics Population: The current population of Quebec is estimated at 7 509 928 individuals (1 April 2004). ...

References