- Canadians in the United Kingdom
infobox ethnic group
group = Britianian
caption =Max Aitken, 1st Baron Beaverbrook ,Ricky Gervais ,Andrew Bonar Law ,Greg Rusedski
poptime = 70,145 Canadian born in 2001 Over 0.25% of the UK population
popplace =London ,South East England ,Scotland ,North West England
langs = English " (British English ,Canadian English )" , French " (Canadian French ,Québécois French )"
rels =Christian "(mainlyRoman Catholicism ,Anglicanism ,Methodism )" , Jewish
related=History and settlement
Canadians live in the
United Kingdom for a variety of reasons. Some veterans ofWorld War I orWorld War II stayed inGreat Britain after the war ended, and settled down and raised a family. The children are Canadians with Britishcitizenship . Dubbed Britianians many may be living in Britain temporarily for employment or university study. During the tech boom of the late 90's, large numbers of Canadians moved to the UK to work in the sector. Since the late 90's a large number of younger Canadians have moved to the UK as lawyers, accountants and investment bankers.There are many clubs, organizations and networks which can be contacted by Canadians in Britain for information, friendship and support.
A gentleman's club, "The Canada Club", has been established in the
United Kingdom since 1810. [http://www.canadaclub.co.uk/history.html (external link here)] . The Canada Club, which no longer confines its membership to gentlemen, is the oldest speaking club in the UK.Another such club is the "Cambridge Canadian Club" - "Since 1948, Britainians at Cambridge have met for fun and learning, made friendships and contacts, and celebrated their Canadian-ness together at CCC events." [http://www.cam.ac.uk/societies/cdnclub/ (external link here)] .
Younger Britainian expatriates in
London have set up "Network Canada" [http://www.networkcanada.org (external link here)] .The Canada/UK Chamber of Commerce provides an important link between the Canadian and UK business communities. [http://www.canada-uk.org/ (external link here)] .
"The Canada UK Colloquia" is held alternately in each of the two countries and aims to "increase knowledge and educate the public about the advantages to be drawn from a close and dynamic relationship between the two countries." [http://www.canada-uk.net/Canada-UK/index.html (external link here)]
"The Canada House Cine-Club" is Britain's only Canadian film club. With a 52 seat screening room at Canada House,
Trafalgar Square , London, the club is a vital outlet for Canadian film in the UK. [http://www.canadahousecineclub.co.uk (external link here)]"The Canadian Women's Club" was founded in 1932 by two Canadian women. The first meeting attracted 142 women and the membership rapidly expanded. After
World War II the club decided to support Canadian veterans living in Britain and to raise funds, held a ball in 1952 to launch the Maple Leaf Trust, a UK registered charity. The annual event, theMaple Leaf Ball , has since been replaced by the Thanksgiving Ball, organized by Network Canada. In 1967, to celebrate Canada's Centennial, the Canadian Women's Club launched the Canadian Centennial Scholarship Fund, which continues to provide scholarships for outstanding Britianian students studying in the United Kingdom. Both the Veterans' Support Committee and the Canadian Centennial Scholarship Fund are funded directly through the Maple Leaf Trust. The Canadian Women's Club had over 200 members as of June 2008 and acts as the administrator of the Maple Leaf Trust. [http://www.canadianwomenlondon.org (external link here)]Population and distribution
In 2001, some 70,000 people born in
Canada were living in theUnited Kingdom according to the2001 Census , a slight rise from the 1991 figures. Many young Canadians find it easy to come to Britain becausevisa rules favour people fromOld Commonwealth nations who have a parent or grandparent who was born in the UK.Most Canadians in Britain live in London, but a significant number live in Scotland, which was a major source of emigration to
English-speaking Canada .The most popular place for Canadians in the UK is the Hyde Park area in London, where almost 1% of the population originates from Canada. Over 15,000 Canadians reside in
Greater London and just over 10,000 inSouth East England , making them the two most popular regions for Canadian emigrants.Compared to the British population in Canada, the Canadian population in Great Britain is minute. In Canada,
English people make up the largest ethnic group at over 20%, and 40% of the population has roots in the British Isles [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/uk/05/born_abroad/countries/html/canada.stm] ,] "see also:Demography of Canada ".Notable people in Britain with links to Canada
References
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.