By Carlito Pablo
Filipinos have exploded in numbers in Canada, a country they have come to cherish as their own.
A recent study by Statistics Canada reveals that the Filipino population quadrupled from 1996 to 2021, largely due to immigration.
In 2021, Filipinos in Canada numbered 967,355, a four-fold increase from 234,195 in 1996.
Citing population projections and growth scenarios, the study noted that the Filipino population is projected by 2041 to reach 1.7 million to 2.4 million people.
With these numbers, Filipinos will make up four percent to 4.6 percent of the total population in Canada by 2041.
Based on the same projections, Filipinos would remain the fourth-largest racialized group in Canada in 2041, after South Asian, Chinese and Black populations, the paper stated.
The Statistics Canada study is titled “Portrait of the Filipino populations in Canada: A Sociodemographic and Socioeconomic Analysis”.
Released on June 2, 2026, the in-depth report was authored by analyst Sajjad Taghizadeh Imani.
Statistics Canada also released two related information materials in the same week and in time for the 2026 celebration of Filipino Heritage Month in June.
Although Filipinos in Canada were mostly born in the Philippines, the study noted that they are “more likely than the non-racialized, non-Indigenous population to report a strong sense of belonging to Canada”.
“Social inclusion is a process that ensures that all members of society, regardless of their ethnocultural origin, have access to the opportunities and resources they need to participate in economic, social and political life without any barriers,” the study explained.
“A key indicator of social inclusion is a sense of belonging. This refers to how strongly individuals feel connected and attached to their local community, their town or city, their province, and Canada. In this regard, Filipino populations in Canada reported a stronger sense of belonging to Canada than the non-racialized, non-Indigenous population.”
In detail, the study noted that in 2020, 92 percent of Filipinos had a strong sense of belonging to Canada, compared with 84.7 percent among the non-racialized, non-Indigenous population.
“This trend was consistent across all geographic levels,” the paper continued, noting that 89.9 percent of Filipinos feel a strong sense of belonging to their province, compared with 80 percent of the non-racialized, non-Indigenous population.
Similarly, the paper stated, Filipinos were more likely to report a strong sense of belonging to their town or city (89.4 percent versus 75 percent, non-racialized and non-Indigenous) and their local community (87.7 percent versus 70.7 percent).
Filipino are found everywhere in Canada, with over three in five residing in Ontario and Alberta, according to the study.
In 2021, the paper noted, the most common province of residence for Filipinos in Canada was Ontario, with 38 percent of Filipinos (363,650).
Alberta had the second-largest share of the Filipino population, with 22.6 percent (216,710 people).
British Columbia follows at third, with 18.2 percent (174,280).
Manitoba had 9.9 percent (94,315); and Saskatchewan, 4.6 percent (43,760 people).
Overall, the majority or 55.3 percent of Filipinos lived in the four Western provinces of Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba and Saskatchewan, according to the study.
Quebec recorded 4.7 percent of Filipinos (44,880).
Among the Atlantic provinces, the study stated, Nova Scotia had the largest share of the Filipino population, with 0.7 percent (6,615), followed by New Brunswick at 0.5 percent (5,190), Newfoundland and Labrador at 0.2 percent (2,270), and Prince Edward Island at 0.2 percent (1,760).
The study noted that Filipinos account for the largest share of racialized populations in the territories.
In 2021, 0.2 percent of Filipinos lived in Yukon (1,945), 0.2 percent in the Northwest Territories (1,665) and less than 0.1 percent in Nunavut (315).
Overall, the Statistics Canada study stated, 0.4 percent of the Filipino population in Canada (3,925) resided in the territories.
Across the territories, Filipinos accounted for 3.4 percent of the total population, according to the paper.
Citing archival census records, the study noted that the earliest documented Filipino immigrant in Canada was Benson Flores, who reported arriving in 1861. He was enumerated on Bowen Island, British Columbia in the 1911 Census.
“Census records from 1901 also indicate the presence of other people who immigrated from the Philippines and were living on Bowen Island; one of them reported arriving in British Columbia in 1870,” the paper stated.
Before immigration to Canada from Asian countries expanded in the late the 1960s, immigration was limited.
The study noted as an example that based on the 1971 Census, fewer than 100 people who immigrated from the Philippines had arrived in Canada before 1931.
ReyFort Media 
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