Origin, birthplace, nationality and language of the Canadian people

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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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Document type:: Monograph

Structure type:: Chapter

Title:: Chapter X. The relation of origins and nativity to crime

Collection:: Economics Books

192 RELATION OF ORIGINS AND NATIVITY TO CRIME due to an age distribution especially favourable to crime, for immigration from Austria had assumed comparatively large dimensions quite early in the century. The same remark applies to the Roumanians and to a lesser degree to the Poles and Russians. It is exceedingly significant that these five countries which send such large numbers of criminals to Canada, are all situated in the central, east and southern parts of Europe and that, with the exception of the Ukraine, they constitute the main sources of our immigrant population from that geographical division. In fact in 1921 the five countries mentioned were among the first seven foreign countries in respect of the number of emigrants sent to Canada. Further, that situation has not obtained merely during the latter years of the last decade, It has been typical of immigration during the whole of this century. Between 1900 and 1914 Russia and Austria each sent to Canada more emigrants than any other contin- ental European country. At no time since 1900 has Italy stood lower than fifth place, and in the past ten years she has ranked either first, second or third among continental Furo- pean countries in the number of emigrants sent to Canada. The simple fact of the matter appears to be that immigration since the beginning of the century has brought to Canada the least desirable of foreign peoples in the largest numbers, i.e, the least desirable in respect of their crime records. Their records in learning the official languages of Canada. illiteracy, intermarriage and infant mortality are dealt with in other chapters. The countries of birth have been grouped in a summary table (Table 119), where the number in penitentiaries and rates per 100,000 are presented in parallel columns. A few of the significant facts are brought out by comparing Tables 118 and 119. First, there were twice as many male immigrants from Austria in our penitentiaries in 1921 as from the whole of North Western Europe. Secondly, the number of males from Italy in Canadian peni- tentiaries was 70 p.c. greater than the number born in all countries in North Western Europe combined; and thirdly, more Russians by two-thirds were serving heavy sentences in Canadian penal institutions at the date of the census than immigrants from all Germanic and Scandinavian countries together. These facts challenge most emphatic comment. Further, Table 119 shows that over seven times as many immigrants from South, Eastern and Central Europe were serving sentences for major offences in Canada as from North Western Europe. In fact 88 p.. of the European born males in our penitentiaries came from the South, Eastern and Central parts of the continent. The rate per 100,000 males from South, Eastern and Central Europe was over three times greater than that for those from the northwestern section. Passing to the immigrants from the United States, it is surprising to find that the proportion of males born in that country in Canadian penitentiaries was almost as large as the rate for the South, Eastern and Central European groups. The actual number of United States born. male convicts per 100,000 male immigrants over 21 years of age was 159, as against 185 for South, Eastern and Central Europe and 53 for Asiatic immi- grants. It will be shown below that the high rate for the United States born is not attributed to the bona fide settler. The close proximity of the United States and the ease of crossing the international boundary makes Canada peculiarly subject to visits of the professional criminals from that country. Turning to the linguistic groups, the Latin and Greek countries take the lead with nearly 300 per 100,000 males in penitentiaries, a proportion seven times greater than that for the Scandinavian immigrants and well over four times that for those from Germanic countries. The penitentiary population of males born in Slavic countries ig 161 out of every 100,000 male immigrants, which is four times as laree a proportion as among those coming from Scandinavian countries. Such facts cannot but claim the attention of those interested in the observance of law and order, and in the building of a Canadian nation imbued with ideals of right conduct. As was intimated above, their importance is further emphasized by the discussion in a previous section showing that those countries which send the largest proportion of criminals to Canada have dominated foreign immigration since the beginning of the century

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