Integrating Prague Spring Refugee Professionals in Canada, 1968–1969
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Refuge 37(1) http://doi.org/10.25071/1920-7336.40660 “Small Gold Mine of Talent”: Integrating Prague Spring Refugee Professionals in Canada, 1968–1969 Jan Raska Abstract tion depended on intergovernmental cooperation between Following the August 1968 Soviet-led invasion of Czech- Canada and its provinces, and the assistance provided by oslovakia, 11,200 Prague Spring refugees were resettled local Czech and Slovak communities across the country. in Canada. This movement included many experienced Résumé professionals and skilled tradespeople. This article exam- ines how these refugees navigated language training and Suite à l’invasion menée par l’Union soviétique en Tché- barriers to employment, including professional accredita- coslovaquie en août 1968, 11 200 réfugiés du Printemps tion, and examines how this experience shaped bureau- de Prague ont été relocalisés au Canada. Ce mouvement cratic and public views of refugee integration. The focus comprenait plusieurs professionnels expérimentés et ou- of this article is primarily on resettlement and integration vriers qualifiés. Cet article examine comment ces réfugiés efforts in Ontario, since roughly half of the Prague Spring ont composé avec la formation linguistique et les obstacles refugees were permanently resettled in the province. The à l’emploi, y compris l’accréditation professionnelle, et article outlines how, as part of its efforts to help the refu- examine comment cette expérience a façonné la vision gees with their economic and social integration, Canadian bureaucratique et publique de l’intégration des réfugiés. officials provided assisted passage, initial accommodations, Cet article se concentre principalement sur les efforts de help with securing Canadian employment, and English- or réinstallation et d’intégration en Ontario, étant donné French-language training. Prague Spring refugees navigat- qu’environ la moitié des réfugiés du Printemps de Prague ed professional obstacles, including securing accreditation ont été réinstallés de façon permanente dans la province. of their foreign credentials and underemployment in their Cet article décrit comment, dans le cadre de leurs efforts respective fields. Their successful resettlement and integra- pour favoriser l’intégration économique et sociale des réfu- giés, les autorités canadiennes leur ont fourni une aide au © Jan Raska, 2021. This open-access work is licensed under a Creative Commons Cette œuvre en libre accès fait l’objet d’une licence Creative Commons Attribu- Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International Licence, which permits use, repro- tion-NonCommercial 4.0 International Licence, laquelle autorise l’utilisation, la duction, and distribution in any medium for non-commercial purposes, provided reproduction et la distribution de l’œuvre sur tout support à des fins non commer- the original authorship is credited and the original publication in Refuge: Canada’s ciales, pourvu que l’auteur ou les auteurs originaux soient mentionnés et que la Journal on Refugees is cited. publication originale dans Refuge : revue canadienne sur les réfugiés soit citée. 50 Volume 37 Refuge Number 1 transport, un hébergement initial, de l’aide pour obtenir un refugees between September 1968 and January 1969 (Can- emploi au Canada et une formation linguistique en anglais ada, 1970, p. 524). Scholarship has claimed that political ou en français. Les réfugiés du Printemps de Prague ont été self-interest, economic considerations, and international confrontés à des obstacles professionnels, notamment en humanitarianism played an important role in the federal ce qui concerne l’accréditation de leurs diplômes étrangers government’s decision to bring mostly young and well-edu- et le sous-emploi dans leurs domaines respectifs. Le succès cated skilled workers and professionals to Canada because they could make an immediate contribution to Canadian de leur relocalisation et de leur intégration reposait sur la society and its economy (Troper, 1993, p. 271). Scholars coopération intergouvernementale entre le Canada et ses have also pointed to Cold War ideological considerations provinces et sur le soutien apporté par les communautés to explain Canada’s resettlement of these refugees. Cana- tchèques et slovaques locales à travers le pays. dian officials relaxed immigration criteria, including med- ical examination and security screening, to embarrass the Introduction Soviet authorities for propaganda purposes and to politicize vernight on August 20–21, 1968, Warsaw Pact forc- the Eastern Bloc as a group of refugee-producing commu- es invaded Czechoslovakia to crush the Prague nist states (Dirks, 1977, p. 255). Spring—a period that lasted over seven months in Humanitarian organizations and supporters of refugee Owhich civic freedoms were restored, press censorship was rights criticized the Canadian government for playing Cold abolished, and the economy was liberalized, all in an effort War politics in its selection and admission of refugees flee- to reform the communist regime from within. The sudden ing communism in Eastern Europe, while other individuals crisis forced approximately 27,000 Czechoslovak nationals in search of refuge from right-wing regimes were ignored to seek refuge in the West. They joined close to 80,000 com- (Troper, 1993, p. 272). Others suggest that federal officials patriots who were in Austria, Yugoslavia, West Germany, used the pretence of humanitarian intervention to disguise Italy, France, and the United Kingdom at the time of the So- economic self-interest and bring refugees to Canada who viet-led invasion. Many of these individuals were on holiday, did not pose a security risk to Canadian society. In addition, studying at universities abroad, or conducting business as the Canadian government sought to maintain good rela- representatives of state companies. As a result of the inva- tions with its Soviet counterparts and to promote détente sion, many individuals and families decided that they could without further heightening Cold War tensions (Madokoro, not return home and looked for permanent resettlement in 2009, p. 168). the West. Conversely, Czechoslovak nationals who left their The Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia caught homeland after the invasion did so because they refused to Canadian officials by surprise. Initially hesitant to imple- live under Soviet occupation. Many of them sought United ment a military or humanitarian response, the Canadian Nations (UN) convention refugee status and asylum in the government was criticized by the mainstream press for its West (Holborn, 1975, pp. 516–517). perceived inaction. Coupled with the lobbying efforts of Many Czechoslovak nationals did not meet the con- the Canadian Czechoslovak and nationalist Slovak com- ditions for UN convention refugee status since they were munities, Canadian officials were pressured to establish a outside of their home country at the time of the invasion. resettlement scheme for the Prague Spring refugees. In the While the office of the United Nations High Commissioner context of the Cold War, Canadian officials were aware that for Refugees (UNHCR) declined to label them as convention many of these individuals and families held pro-democracy refugees, the Canadian government chose to manipulate the and anti-communist values that fit into the conservative convention definition and later deemed them as refugees. Cold War consensus found in Canada. Similarly, Canadian Manpower and Immigration officials viewed the Czechoslo- officials deemed the Prague Spring refugees to be highly vak refugees (also commonly referred to as the Prague Spring desirable immigrants—as a result of their political beliefs refugees) as “good material” as a result of their post-second- and economic backgrounds as skilled workers and profes- ary education, training, work experience, professions and sionals—who could adapt rapidly to Canada’s culture and skilled trades, and linguistic abilities (Madokoro, 2009, economy (Raska, 2018, pp. 146–147). pp. 165–167). Canadian officials also believed that this “small The Prague Spring refugee movement occurred during gold mine of talent” would be able to rapidly assimilate into a period of immigration policy formulation that sought to the fabric of Canadian society and make a significant con- address labour shortages in Canada’s economy. Coupled tribution to Canada’s economy (Whalen, 1968). with the liberalization of Canadian immigration with the Several reasons underpin the Canadian government’s introduction of Order-in-Council P.C. 1967–1616—com- decision to resettle approximately 11,200 Prague Spring monly referred to as the points system, in which racial and 51 Volume 37 Refuge Number 1 geographic criteria limiting immigration were removed— recognized that Czechs and Slovaks had fled communism immigrant selection was based increasingly on education, in their homeland, which helped to establish their Cold skills, work experience, and the linguistic ability of the War desirability within Canadian society. Federal officials prospective immigrant. Meanwhile, bureaucratic efforts believed these refugees would promote the Cold War con- to integrate newcomers were organized into a framework sensus and help prevent communist infiltration in their eth- beginning with immigrant selection, followed by short- nocultural communities and across Canada (Raska, 2018, term integration—helping immigrants access services, pp. 225, 230–231). including language training, orientation, and employ- Ethnocultural communities play an important