Dutch Canadians

Dutch Canadians are any Canadian citizens of Dutch ancestry. According to the Canada 2006 Census, there are 1,035,965 Canadians of Dutch descent, including those of full or partial ancestry.

History
The first Dutch people to come to Canada were Dutch Americans among the United Empire Loyalists. The largest wave was in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century when large numbers of Dutch helped settle the Canadian west. During this period significant numbers also settled in major cities like Toronto. While interrupted by the First World War this migration returned in the 1920s, but again halted during the Great Depression and Second World War. After World War II a large number of Dutch immigrants moved to Canada, including a number of war brides of the Canadian soldiers who liberated the Netherlands. There were officially 1886 Dutch war brides to Canada, ranking second after British war brides. During the war Canada had sheltered Crown Princess Juliana and her family. The annual Canadian Tulip Festival held in May commemorates her with a generous number of tulips coming from The Netherlands. Due to these close links Canada became a popular destination for Dutch immigrants. The Canadian government encouraged this, recruiting skilled workers. This post-war wave went mainly to urban centres such as Toronto, Ottawa, and Vancouver. With the economic recovery of the Netherlands in the post-war years immigration to Canada slowed.

While one of the largest minority groups in Canada, Dutch Canadians have tended to rapidly assimilate and there are relatively few Dutch Canadian organizations and media. One important institution is the Christian Reformed Church in North America, with most congregations found throughout Alberta, British Columbia, and Ontario. The Institute for Christian Studies in Toronto, The King's University in Edmonton, and Redeemer University College in Ancaster, Ontario are associated with this Dutch Reformed/Calvinist denomination. Christian Schools International, the Christian Labour Association of Canada, and the Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario are organizations with strong Dutch-Canadian roots.

Dutch Canadians, because of their shared cultural and religious heritage, tend to form tight-knit communities. This has led to an in-joke known as Dutch Bingo, where it is said that a Dutch Canadian is able to figure out his/her connection to another Dutch Canadian by asking questions about the other's last name, town of birth, church and the college they attended.

Academia

 * Mark Brodwin (1974 - ), astrophysicist
 * Parzival Copes (1924 - ), economist with a particular interest in regional science and specialization in fisheries, economics, and management
 * Sidney van den Bergh (1929 - ), astronomer
 * Robert J. Zydenbos – scholar in Indology and philosophy

Arts and entertainment

 * Neve Campbell (1973 - ), actress
 * Nicole de Boer (1970 - ), actress
 * Sarah de Leeuw (1973 - ), writer (Dutch descent)
 * Kristen Hager (1984 - ), actress (Dutch descent)
 * Ernest Hillen, journalist
 * Aart Kemink (1914–2006), painter
 * Kristin Kreuk (1982 - ), actress
 * Cornelius Krieghoff (1815–1872), painter
 * Robert Naylor (1996 - ), actor (Dutch descent, maternal; great-grandson of Hendrik Ellard Dykhuis)
 * Patricia Rozema (1958 - ), writer, director
 * Sonja Smits (1958 - ), actress (Dutch descent )
 * Cobie Smulders (1982 - ), actress
 * Jessica Steen (1965-), actress
 * Dorothy Stratten (1960–1980), model
 * Jack van der Laan (1952-), founder of Canada Netherlands Friendship Association; born in Harkema, Friesland, the Netherlands
 * Aritha Van Herk (1954 - ), writer
 * Laura Vandervoort (1984 - ), actress; played Kara Zor-El in the American television series Smallville (Dutch descent)
 * Jeon Somi (2001-), model and singer, member of Korean girl group I.O.I

Business

 * William Cornelius Van Horne (1843–1915), president of CPR
 * Annette Verschuren (1957 - ), former President of The Home Depot Canada

Farming

 * Wiebo Ludwig (1941 - 2012)

Politics and civil service

 * Michael Chong (1971 - ), Conservative MP, Wellington-Halton Hills
 * Roméo Dallaire (1946 - ), former Liberal Senator, humanitarian, author, UN peacekeeper and Canadian Forces Lieutenant-General
 * Harry de Jong (1932-2014), Abbotsford, British Columbia Social Credit MLA from 1986 to 1994
 * Mike de Jong, Abbotsford, British Columbia Liberal MLA since 1994
 * Simon De Jong (1942-2011), former federal Saskatchewan NDP MP
 * Jacob De Witt (1785-1859), Member of the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada, Member of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada
 * Rick Dykstra (1966 - ), Conservative MP St. Catharines from 2006 to 2015 and Parliamentary Secretary
 * Fred Eisenberger (1952- ), former Ward Alderman and Mayor of Hamilton, Ontario
 * John Gerretsen (1942 - ), former Mayor of Kingston, Ontario, former Ontario MPP and provincial cabinet minister
 * Samuel Holland (1728–1801), Royal Engineer and first Surveyor General of British North America
 * David Mathews (c. 1739-1800), American Loyalist and former Mayor of New York City during the American Revolution who settled in Nova Scotia and became a leading administrator.
 * John Oostrom (1930 - ), first Dutch-born MP, Progressive Conservative for Willowdale
 * Case Ootes, former city councillor in Toronto; served as deputy mayor under Mayor Mel Lastman and represents one of the two Toronto—Danforth wards
 * Egerton Ryerson (1803-1882), Methodist minister, public education advocate, Chief Superintendent of Education for Upper Canada
 * Peter Stoffer (1956 - ), NDP MP Sackville-Eastern Shore from 1997 to 2015
 * Jacob Van Buskirk (1760-1834), Representative for Shelburne County in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1805 to 1818
 * John van Dongen Abbotsford, British Columbia Liberal MLA from 1995 to 2013
 * Anthony Van Egmond (1778-1838), Member of the Reform Movement in Upper Canada, a leader of the rebels in the Upper Canada Rebellion
 * Bill Vander Zalm (1934 - ), former Mayor of Surrey, BC Social Credit MLA and entrepreneur in British Columbia, Canada. He was the 28th Premier of British Columbia from 1986 to 1991
 * Adam Swart Vedder (1834-1905), Westminster-Chilliwhack, British Columbia MLA from 1897 to 1898
 * Elizabeth Witmer (1946 - ), former Progressive Conservative MPP, Ontario cabinet minister and Chair of Workplace Safety & Insurance Board of Ontario

Sports

 * Kyle Bekker (1990 - ), soccer player for Montreal Impact of Major League Soccer, formerly for Toronto FC and FC Dallas.
 * Jeff Beukeboom (1965 - ), retired NHL ice hockey player
 * Petra Burka (1946 - ), Olympic figure skater, Dutch born
 * Jason de Vos (1981 - ), retired professional soccer player
 * Greg de Vries (1973 - ), former NHL ice hockey player
 * Karl Dykhuis (1972- ), ice hockey player; first cousin of Mark Brodwin, astrophysicist
 * Dan Hamhuis (1982 - ), ice hockey player in the NHL for the Vancouver Canucks
 * Trevor Linden (1970 - ), retired ice hockey player and now General Manager in the NHL for the Vancouver Canucks
 * Dwight Lodeweges (1957 - ), footballer and coach
 * Joe Nieuwendyk (1966 - ), former ice hockey player in the NHL, Hockey Hall of Fame member and former General Manager of the Dallas Stars
 * Beorn Nijenhuis (1984 - ), speed skater, who represents the Netherlands at the 2006 Winter Olympics
 * Ingrid Poelman (1969 - ), judoka, won gold at the 1986 Canadian Judo Championship
 * Daniel Sprong (1997 - ), ice hockey player in the NHL for the Pittsburgh Penguins
 * Eric Staal (1984 - ), ice hockey player in the NHL for the New York Rangers
 * Jared Staal (1990 - ), ice hockey player in the American Hockey League (AHL) for the Charlotte Checkers
 * Jordan Staal (1988 - ), ice hockey player in the NHL for the Carolina Hurricanes
 * Marc Staal (1987 - ), ice hockey player in the NHL for the New York Rangers
 * Bruce Timmermans ( - 1999), activist cyclist and founder of Citizens for Safe Cycling Ottawa
 * Evert van Benthem (1958 - ), speed skater, won the Elfstedentocht in 1985 and 1986
 * Adam van Koeverden (1982 - ), Olympic gold medalist in K-1 500 m; his last name relates him to the Dutch city of Coevorden
 * John van 't Schip (1963 - ), footballer
 * Kelly VanderBeek (1983 - ), alpine skier
 * Mike Vanderjagt (1970 - ), most accurate kicker in NFL history; played for the Indianapolis Colts and Dallas Cowboys
 * Jim Vandermeer (1980 - ), ice hockey player in the NHL
 * Steve Yzerman (1965 - ), retired NHL player for the Detroit Red Wings