Canadians Abroad
The Canadians Abroad Project is a joint research project analyzing the causes and consequences of Canadian citizens living abroad. For more information, visit the Canadians Abroad website.
Canadians have always had mixed feelings about their fellow citizens who choose to live outside of the country. For more than three decades, concerns about “brain drain” and the liabilities associated with Canadians abroad have shaped public debate about Canadian emigration. This research report aims: to determine the number and demographics of Canadians living abroad for periods of more...
June 27, 2011
Over the past decade a growing number of countries have become interested in revisiting, refreshing and rebuilding relations with their overseas populations. A new field of public policy, referred to as diaspora strategy, has emerged. Given that 2.8 million Canadian citizens live overseas (equivalent to 8% of the national population), including in such powerful economies as the United States and...
May 31, 2011
This report presents findings of a survey of Canadian citizens in Hong Kong. The survey identified that 7.85 percent of Hong Kong households have at least one Canadian citizen over the age of 18. A conservative estimate finds 295,930 Canadian citizens living in Hong Kong. This survey provides estimates of the number of Canadian citizens in Hong Kong, identifies factors creating...
February 24, 2011
This paper illustrates how the Canadian population living abroad, now numbering nearly 2.8 million people, has important implications for the development of Canadian citizenship policy. The paper traces the evolution of citizenship policy from its earliest days. Following official timelines from government sources, the paper is divided into four periods: 1867 – 1947; 1947 – 1977; 1977 – 2009...
June 28, 2010
Canada has 2.8 million citizens – or roughly 8% of the nation’s total population – permanently residing outside Canada. The interaction or lack of interaction of this group with Canada has become a hot public policy issue, particularly in the wake of the evacuation of Canadians from Lebanon in 2006. This study looks at the extent to which Canadians living abroad participate in Canada in a variety...
June 28, 2010
China is the top source of immigrants to Canada, and an important sources of students and tourists. It is also a major magnet for Canadians in search of better job opportunities and education. This paper argues that Canada should adopt a forward-looking policy to take advantage of its Canadian diaspora living in China and the growing number of talented...
May 17, 2010
To understand how Canadian diasporas are established as communities, this study mapped the communication infrastructure of the Canadian diaspora. That is, media and organizations established within diasporic communities. This study identified 60 Canadian diasporic media, 53 organizations and 110 alumni networks in 12 selected destinations in Asia, Europe, North America and the Middle East. This...
March 05, 2010
Canada is a nation of immigrants. Little is known, however, about nearly 2.8 million Canadians living abroad. This paper explores Canada’s substantial policy gap between the treatment of Canadians at home and citizens abroad. Based on survey data, the paper also finds out that the Canadian overseas community feels strongly as “Canadian” and want to be connected to Canada. In...
November 15, 2009
Canada has a hidden province, more populous than Manitoba or Saskatchewan, with more citizens than all of Atlantic Canada. Where is this ‘secret’ province? It’s in the United States and in Hong Kong, the United Kingdom, China and in dozens of other countries around the world. It is made up of the estimated 2.8 million Canadian citizens who live outside our national borders – around 8% of all...
October 29, 2009
The conference looked at some statistical data on Canadians living abroad and heard descriptions of several centres of overseas Canadian concentration. It was observed that the size of the overseas Canadian population varies considerably from country to country, and the lack of a standardized approach to tracking the whereabouts of the population beyond voluntary registration makes it very...
July 28, 2009
