Algerians in Montreal: history and culture
This article has a map. Tap to see itA larger wave of Algerian immigrants arrived in Montreal in the 1990s. Many of those who left Algeria in the 1990s were French speakers with a university education. The 2021 census counted 65,860 people of Algerian origin in Quebec, and the community lives mainly in the Montreal area.
The 1990s and after
A larger wave of Algerian immigrants arrived in Montreal in the 1990s. Many of those who left Algeria in the 1990s were French speakers with a university education. The 2021 census counted 65,860 people of Algerian origin in Quebec, and the community lives mainly in the Montreal area.
Many Berbers in Montreal are Kabyles from Algeria, and Montreal has the largest Kabyle community in Quebec. The city has many Kabyle and Amazigh associations.
The Petit Maghreb
From the late 1990s, Maghrebi shops multiplied on the rue Jean-Talon, in Saint-Michel. The part of the rue Jean-Talon between the boulevard Saint-Michel and the boulevard Pie-IX is known as the Petit Maghreb. The Association du Petit Maghreb, formed by local merchants, led the project.
In 2009 the Petit Maghreb was presented as the first Maghrebi quarter in North America. The Dar Al-Arqam mosque stands on the rue Jean-Talon, in the Petit Maghreb.
Music, food and football
Kabyle associations in Montreal celebrate Yennayer each January, with couscous and evenings of Kabyle music.
A chaâbi orchestra linked to the École Ladjrafi Musique d'Algérie et Arts (ÉLMAA) plays the chaâbi of Algiers in Montreal. The Festival du monde arabe de Montréal includes concerts of Algerian chaâbi.
The Petit Maghreb has Maghrebi restaurants, cafés, bakeries, pastry shops, grocery shops and halal butchers. The footballer Mohamed Farsi was born in Montreal to Algerian parents.
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