1 Historical Sketch Massive Immigration from Hungary To
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1 Historical Sketch Massive immigration from Hungary to Canada did not take place until after the middle of the 1920’s. Most of the 25,000 to 28,000 Hungarian settlers who arrived between 1925 and 1930 were rural peasants fleeing from chaotic and grim economic prospects in their home land. Many of them became employed in southwestern Ontario’s sugar beet and tobacco farming, or in northern mining and lumbering towns. Only a minority of these newly arrived Hungarians chose to establish themselves in Ontario’s large industrialized urban centres. The first Hungarian Canadian socio—cultural club was established in Toronto in 1930. During the depression of the 1930’s very few new Hungarian immigrants were allowed into Canada. Hopes for greater economic opportunities caused many Hungarian Canadians to relocate from the north and the Prairies to the industrial centres around Toronto and Hamilton. Amidst the political turmoil that kept most of Central Europe in its grip after the end of the Second World War, many Hungarians fled their country as refugees and “displaced persons”. About 12,000 of them arrived in Canada between 1946 and 1953. Unlike the first wave of Hungarian immigrants, these people were in large part well—educated businessmen and professionals who decided to stay in urban Ontario. After the Hungarian revolution (1956) another 37,000 Hungarian refugees were admitted into the country, most of whom settled in the urban centres of Ontario: Toronto, Hamilton, St. Catharines, Windsor, Ottawa, Kitchener and London. Thanks to their knowledge of the English language, their skills, and their proclivity for intermarriage with Anglo-Canadians these Hungarian Canadians generally became easily integrated into broader Canadian culture, although many Hungarian Canadian clubs and societies retained the use of the Hungarian language. After 1977 the most important Hungarian Canadian organization was the Canadian Hungarian Federation (Toronto, Ont.), which united a large number of local clubs, and also includes a fund-raising branch, the United Hungarian Fund. Other important Hungarian Canadian organizations are: the Canadian Hungarian Authors’ Association (Ottawa, Ont.), the Hungarian Canadian Engineers’ Association (Toronto, Ont.), the Hungarian Veterans’ Associations, the Hungarian Helikon Society (Toronto, Ont.), St. Steven of Hungary Women’s Group (London, Ont.), the Canadian Tobacco District Hungarian House 2 (Delhi, Ont.), and the Hungarian House (Toronto and London, Ont.). The Hungarian Canadian community and its Hungarian School Board maintain five schools in Toronto. There are Hungarian Canadian Boy Scouts and Girl Guides in Toronto, Hamilton, and Oshawa. Since 1957 Hungarian immigration to Canada has been on the decline once again. The 1971 census showed that Ontario counted 65,695 people of Hungarian descent, 23,350 of whom resided in Toronto. In 1981 the Hungarian Canadian population in the province had decreased to just over 59,000. Sixty percent of Hungarian Canadians are Roman Catholics, just over 10 percent adhere to the United Church, over 9 percent are Presbyterians, 4.2 percent Lutheran, 3.6 percent Anglican, and some are Greek Orthodox..