| A Brief History of the
Italian Canadian Community |
| For a country whose area is
less than one third that of Ontario, Italy and its people
have had a profound effect on the makeup of Canada.
From the landing of Giovanni Caboto (also known as John
Cabot) on the shores of Newfoundland in 1497 to the
present day, Italy’s sons and daughters have been an
integral component of the Canadian mosaic. |
|
| Most Italian Canadians trace
their roots in North America back to the periods of
greatest immigrant inflow at the turn of the century and
following World War II. But the first settlement of
Italians in Canada dates back to 1665, when soldiers from
various parts of what later became Italy were recruited by
the French Army’s Carignac-Salières Regiment.
Many remained in New France after their North American
tour of duty.
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| Italians also served under
British command in the de Meuron and Watteville regiments,
in Lower Canada (now Quebec) during the War of 1812.
When the regiment disbanded in 1816, some soldiers,
enamoured with the country, remained.
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| A third period of early
Italian settlement in Canada, albeit a small one, occurred
during the Italian Risorgimento---the years which
culminated in the creation of a united Italy in 1870.
One prominent immigrant of this period was James Fornieri
(1779-1866), who became the first professor of modern
languages at the University of Toronto. |
|
| The turn of the century was a
time of increasing industrialization in Canada, a period
which attracted a great many immigrant workers form both
Europe and Asia. Many Italians came---to build
railroads, bridges, and public buildings across the
country. Most brought with them dreams of making
enough money to return to Italy and live out their days in
happy prosperity. But many settled permanently in Canada,
and adopted it as their own country. |
|
| The 1920’s in Italy were
marked by the rise of fascism, which put duty to the state
above all else. Thus, immigration---especially to
the democracies of North America---was discouraged. |
|
| But after the Second World
War and well into the 1960s, large numbers of Italians
emigrated to Canada, many arriving at Halifax’s Pier 21,
now the site of an impressive memorial to the million
immigrants who passed through its doors. For the
most part, newcomers from Italy settled in Toronto and
Montreal where most earlier immigrants had already
established themselves, but many also went west to
Calgary, Edmonton, and Vancouver. |
|
| By most recent estimates,
more than 1.3 million Canadians claim Italian ancestry,
making this country one of the largest Italian population
centres outside Italy. |
|
| Italians have contributed
much to Canadian society and culture. Indeed, in
recent decades Italian Canadians have advanced to the
forefront of Canadian life---in real estate and land
development, business and the professions, religious and
academic life. Indeed, since the 1970s, more and
more Canadians of Italian origin have pursued
post-secondary and post-graduate education, making a
genuine contribution to Canada’s intellectual life in
universities and colleges from coast to coast to coast. |
|
| And Canada has been deeply
influenced by its Italian communities. Across the
country the lifestyle and culture Italian immigrants
brought with them has touched countless aspects of
Canadian life. Two very significant milestones in
that progress were achieved in 1991, when Frank Iacobucci,
the British Columbia-born son of Italian Canadians was
named a justice of the nation’s Supreme Court, and Nino
Ricci, a second generation Canadian from Leamington,
Ontario, won the Governor General’s Award for his book,
Lives of the Saints, the story of immigrants from the
Abruzzi-Molise region of Italy. |
|
| Italian Canadians see
themselves as Canadians first, but with definite and
strong links to their country of origin. As they
strive to maintain that connection, they continue to make
an important contribution to the multicultural diversity
of Canadian society. |
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| Links
to additional information on Italian Canadian history
|
| An
Italian Canadian bibliography
|
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