The Latin American community in Canada: a growing audience and how to speak to it
For many businesses in Canada, the Latin American community is not a niche. It is a large, diverse and growing audience, with its own languages, traditions and ways of making decisions. Understanding it is the first step to speaking to it with respect and relevance.
What the numbers say
According to Statistics Canada, Latin American populations in Canada reached 726,820 people in 2021, compared with 251,585 in 2001. They went from 0.9% to 2.0% of the country’s population in two decades.
The community is far from uniform. In 2021, 27.8% were born in Canada, 13.2% in Mexico and 12.9% in Colombia, and many more come from other countries in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Language matters too. In the 2021 Census, Spanish was the non-official language spoken by the most people in Canada: about 1,171,000 people could speak it.
And there is a date to remember: in Canada, October is Latin American Heritage Month.
One community, many cultures
«Latino» is a convenient word, but it groups people from more than twenty countries. A Dominican, a Mexican and a Colombian share a language, but not the same expressions, holidays, food or references. Treating everyone as one group is the fastest way to sound distant.
What builds trust
- Speak the language, well. A careful Spanish translation shows respect. An automatic translation with errors shows the opposite.
- Mind the tone. Formality, warmth and humour vary from one country to another, and between generations.
- Show real people. Authentic faces and stories connect more than generic images.
- Be part of the community. Supporting local events and initiatives says more than any slogan.
- Respect the dates that matter. National holidays and family celebrations are moments of pride, not just sales opportunities.
Bilingual is often the answer
Many people in the community live their professional life in English or French and their family life in Spanish. A brand that can move between languages naturally, without forcing one or the other, feels closer.
At Cool Digital Marketing we work in English and Spanish with businesses that serve this community in Canada, the United States and the Dominican Republic. If you want to talk about how your brand connects with it, let’s talk.
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