Serbian Canadians
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| Regions with significant populations | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Canadian English and Serbian | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Mainly Serbian Orthodox, non-religious | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Related ethnic groups | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Serbian American, Serbs | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Serbian Canadians are Canadians of Serbian descent. Serbs have migrated to Canada in various waves during the 20th century. The 2006 census recorded 72,690 Serbs living in Canada.[2]
History
The first Serbs to arrive in Canada came to British Columbia between 1850 and 1870. Many were employed in mining or forestry near such towns as Phoenix, Golden, Prince Rupert and Kamloops.
By 1900, Serbs began to arrive in Alberta. Many of these early settlers had migrated north from the north-west region of the United States. Coal mining attracted them to Lethbridge, while road construction was a source of employment for those in Macleod and Cadomin. Many Serbs worked on the construction of railway lines that now extend from Edmonton to the Pacific coast.
The period between the two World Wars witnessed a major increase in Serbian immigration to Canada. As with other periods of immigration, however, the exact number arriving at this time is not known.
Over 30,000 Yugoslavs came to Canada between 1919 and 1939, this included an estimated 10,000 Serbs. Many of these immigrants were single, working men who had left families in their home country to seek work in Canada. The vast majority of Serbs arriving between the wars settled in Ontario or British Columbia.
Major changes occurred in Yugoslavia during World War II . The newly established independent communist government was opposed by some Yugoslavs. Many post war refugees refused to return to their homeland to live under a communist regime. The Serbs, emigrating to Canada at this time, came from a variety of occupational backgrounds, including military and academic professions and the skilled trades.
In the late 1980s, Yugoslavia's communist government was on the verge of collapse. Shortly after the sudden breakup of Yugoslavia in 1991, a large group of Serbs moved to Canada, mostly to Southern Ontario, to cities including: Toronto, Kitchener, St. Catharines, Hamilton and Niagara Falls.
The 2001 census in Canada listed 55,540 Canadians of Serbian descent,[3] although it is assumed that there are more due to the irregularities in the classification of Serbs. Approximately 2,420 live in Alberta, with Edmonton and Calgary being the major centres of settlement.
See also
References
- ^ Powell (2005), p. 267
- ^ Vladislav A. Tomovic, Revised: Edit Petrovic (1984-10-14). "Serbs". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2013-02-14.
- ^ "Serbian immigration". Encyclopedia of Immigration. 27 February 2011. Retrieved 20 April 2013.
Books
- Powell, John (2005). Encyclopedia of North American Immigration. Infobase Publishing. Retrieved 20 April 2013.
Further reading
- Canadian Serbs: a history of their social and cultural traditions (1856-2002)
- Community Life and Culture From: The Encyclopedia of Canada's Peoples/Serbs/Paul Pavlovich
