ຄົນລາວແຄນາດາ | |
|---|---|
| Total population | |
| 24,580 (2016)[1] | |
| Languages | |
| Lao, Tai-Kadai, Hmong, Canadian French, Canadian English[2] | |
| Religion | |
| Theravada Buddhism,[3] Mahayana Buddhism, Laotian folk religion, Christianity and Islam | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Lao people, Isan people, Shan people, Thai people, Ahom people and Asian Canadians |
Laotian Canadians (Lao: ຄົນລາວແຄນາດາ), are Canadian citizens of Laotian origin or descent. In the 2016 Census, 24,580 people indicated Laotian ancestry.[1] Bilateral relations between Canada and Laos were established in 1954 with the formalization of the independence of the Kingdom of Laos from France. In August 2015, Canada's first resident diplomat opened the Office of the Embassy of Canada in Vientiane, Laos.
The term Laotian is wide, as it either refers to the people born in Laos and its many ethnicities [49 recognized by Laos] (the Hmong people per example) or, the real term for the majority Lao Loum (constituting 69% of the country) that is simply Lao. The “S” in Laos is actually silent, it was added as the plural of Lao during the French unification of the many Lao states in 1947 to form the Kingdom of Laos (unified from the Kingdom of Luang Phrabang, the Kingdom of Vientiane, the Kingdom of Champassak and the principality of Muan Phuang. All were previously ruled by Siam, and before that were part of the first Lao Kingdom of Lan Xang.)
Today, many Lao Canadians (like Lao Americans and Laotians in France) claim royal ancestry of the main dynasty of Khun Lo such as the House of Champassak in these former states.
Lao people have similar food, culture and language to the Thai of Thailand. Across Canada, restaurants serving Thai food are usually owned by Lao people or the ethnic Isan people [citation needed]. (See the famous Green papaya salad)
Most Lao still refer to themselves as Tai (not to be confused with Thai from Thailand), but from the large sub-group of the Tai people. A distinct Lao identity first appeared during the major loss of the Khorat plateau in 1778 when the Rattanakosin Kingdom (Siam) took over Vientiane and the Lao rebellion (1826–1828) against Siamese rule. After the failed independence attempt, Rama III implemented forced tattooing to identify the ethnic Lao population and accelerated huge population transfer into what is today Thailand. It would be officially proclaimed during French colonial rule when all states were unified in 1904, thus distinguishing them from Thais of Thailand.