Origin, birthplace, nationality and language of the Canadian people

Bibliographic data

Monograph

Identifikator:: 1794974814

URN:: urn:nbn:de:zbw-retromon-182133

Document type:: Monograph

Title:: Origin, birthplace, nationality and language of the Canadian people

Place of publication:: Ottawa

Publisher:: Acland

Year of publication:: 1929

Scope:: 224 S.; Diagramme

Digitisation:: 2022

Collection:: Economics Books

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Chapter

Document type:: Monograph

Structure type:: Chapter

Title:: Chapter VII. The naturalization of immigrant peoples

Collection:: Economics Books

THE NATURALIZATION OF IMMIGRANT PEOPLES horn in the United States appear to have naturalized to a greater extent than immigrants from the corresponding countries in Europe. The same holds true for the Czechs, Serbo- Croatians and Ukrainians in the Slavie group, and for the Belgians and the Finns. To the question as to whether a generation's residence in the United States for those of foreign extraction is or is not favourable to naturalization, it is difficult to give any categorical answer. The chief difficulties appear to be the following:—first, in certain cases the figures for origins and countries of birth are not comparable without making great sllowances for admixtures of other stocks among the immigrants from the corresponding sountries of birth. A second important difficulty is in respect to date of arrival, for no material is available showing the comparative length of residence for immigrants of the various origins born in the United States and of those who have come direct from overseas. Finally, there is in some cases a marked difference in the occupation followed by settlers irom across the water and those of the same origin from across the land frontier. An examination of the figures in detail will illustrate the interplay of these factors. The more recent nature of Scandinavian immigration from the United States is prob- ably an important factor in explaining the negative percentages for the Scandinavian group. This applies with special force to the Icelanders, who, as a group, have been longer in Canada than any other of the Scandinavian peoples. Then a large number of the Scandinavians coming to Canada from the United States work in the lumber woods, in contrast with the agricultural occupation of those who come direct from the Scandinavian peninsula. As compared with agriculture the work of a lumber-jack is obviously compara- tively unfavourable to naturalization. As with the Scandinavians, it is also probable that there is a considerable spread between the length of the time that the United States and European born Dutch and Germans have oeen in this country, which in some measure may account for the smaller percentage natur- alized among the immigrants of those origins from across the line. Further, it is probable “hat a larger percentage of those from the United States go to cities and pursue commercial sccupations than of those who come direct from Europe. Whether the atmosphere of, say, Illinois is such as .to predispose immigrants of German extraction from that state to assimilate readily in Canada is a further matter for consideration. It is not surprising that immigrants from Austria, with such a considerable admixture of German stock, show the same characteristics as the Germans themselves. Yet immigra- tion from both Austria and Russia contains a large percentage of Jews who, as a stock, have naturalized to a much smaller extent than immigrants of either Austrian or Russian origin. The influence of this group would operate in the opposite direction, tending to reduce the percentage naturalized of those coming direct from Austria and Russia, as compared with the figure for the Slavs listed among the United States born immigrants as of Austrian and Russian origin. Just how far length of residence is a factor cannot be determined, though probably it is important. The negative figure for the Poles may be explained in part by the probability that those who come from the United States include 1 larger percentage of the wandering type found in our cities and in certain of our mining districts. A larger percentage of such men is probably found also in many of the other groups of immigrants of United States birth. The difficulty of weighing the relative influence of these factors must be obvious. The immigrants from Finland, on the other hand, are almost entirely of Finnish stock, and the Finns from the United States as from Europe are primarily an agricultural people. That they show a larger percentage naturalized seems to substantiate the logical assumption that the influence of a generation’s residence in the United States normally is to make :he political assimilation of immigrants to Canada easier. The occupations of the Italians are the same whether they come from the United States or from Italy. Italian immigrants are also free from admixture of other stocks, and it is probable that there is no great difference in the length of residence of United States and European born Italians in Canada. There we have a case where most of the disturbing factors are inoperative, and it is found shat those born in the United States are naturalized to a considerably greater extent than those who have come from overseas. Similar remarks apply to the Roumanians. The comparison for the United States born French and the European born French immigrants, 44

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