Jamaicans in Montreal

Research Project - Jamaicans in Montreal

In this paper I will be discussing the Jamaican ethno-cultural group of Montreal. Through the research I have done and the information I have collected, I hope to give anyone who reads this paper an in-depth look in to the history of Jamaican people in Canada and Montreal more specifically.

Jamaicans Coming to Canada

The first Jamaican's to migrate to Canada were called Maroons. In 1796, Jamaican Maroons, slaves who fought their way to freedom, they were exiled to Halifax, NS; this was the first large group of Jamaicans in Canada. Following the Second World War, the National Act of 1948 was designed to attract cheap laborers; this resulted in many Jamaicans coming to Canada. The Jamaicans who entered Canada after World War II did so because they believed it was an opportunity to escape poverty and seek a new start in a world where personal advancement and success seemed to be encouraged. Between 1955 and 1965 many women came to Canada to work and in the years that followed their children and husbands came to Canada as well.

Caribbean immigrants to Canada were more likely to settle in large cities such as Toronto, Montreal, Edmonton, Vancouver, Winnipeg, etc (The Canadian Encyclopedia, 2000). In 1989 86.7% of Jamaican immigrants settled in Ontario, 7.4% settled in Quebec, 2.6% settled in Alberta, 1.1% settled in British Columbia, 1.7% settled in Manitoba and 0.6% settled in the rest of Canada. Jamaicans made up 27.5% of the total number of West Indian immigrants for that year (Anderson, 1993). Because of language concerns, most West Indian immigrants settle in Ontario as oppose to Quebec. In addition, Toronto is the largest city in Canada and is a magnet for West Indian immigrants (The Canadian Encyclopedia, 2000). According to the Canadian Encyclopedia, Jamaicans made up 40% of West Indian immigration in the early 90s. Nevertheless, there was a decline during the early 80s, a recovery during 1986 and a decline again by 1989 (The Canadian Encyclopedia). . Jamaican immigration to Canada is at an all time low; it is currently ranked number 10 by immigration Canada for the year 2000.

Jamaican Population in Quebec

At census time in 2001, 10 635 people had declared themselves of the Jamaican ethnic origin in Quebec. More than three people out of five (63.3%) declared themselves of only Jamaican origin, whereas 36.7% declared Jamaican origin with another ethnic origin. 47.6% of the members of the Jamaican community were born here and 52.4% were out of the country. 61.3% of Jamaican immigrants arrived in Quebec between the period of 1971 to 100- and less than 17.4% has immigrated during the