Bosnian Canadians
Bosnian Canadians () are Canadian citizens whose ancestry can be traced to Bosnia and Herzegovina. According to the 2016 Canadian Census, there were over 38,000 people in Canada who identified as having Bosnian ancestry. In the 2011 Canadian census, 22,920 people stated that they are of Bosnian descent. The traditional centers of residence and culture for Bosnian Canadians are located in Toronto, Montreal, Edmonton and Calgary. History The history of Bosnian arrivals to Canada, however, dates back to as far as the 19th century. The 1891 Canadian census recorded two individuals from Bosnia and Herzegovina living in Canada. The census records show that they were both men, working as laborers in Ontario. World War I During World War I, Canada, as part of the British Empire, declared war on the Central Powers, including Austria-Hungary, which then included Bosnia and Herzegovina. As a result, many Bosnians living in Canada at that time were considered enemy aliens and faced discrimination and internment. According to historical records, there were a few Bosnians living in Canada at the time of World War I, but their numbers were relatively small. Some of them may have been classified as Austro-Hungarian or Yugoslavian immigrants, depending on the