Overview of the set

This set of History Docs invites students to rank the factors which encouraged Ukrainian immigration to Canada prior to 1914 after examining a variety of primary and secondary sources including advertising cards and posters, government letters, interviews, pamphlets, journal articles, and books.

Click on the thumbnails below to view enlarged images in a new window.

Download the complete set of images to your desktop.

Primary sources
	1. North Atlantic Trading Company advertising card | Advertising card distributed by the North Atlantic Trading Company between 1900 and 1905. The backside of the card features a map of potential sea routes to Canada from Europe. “160 acres of free land in Canada,” © Expired. Library and Archives Canada C-088625. This poster is held in GARDD, RG 76 Immigration Branch Records, Vole 225, file no. 113228, part 9.
	2. CPR immigration poster |  Poster published by the Canadian Pacific Railway between 1910 and 1930, advertising ocean passage to potential Ukrainian immigrants. Glenbow Museum Archives Poster-32 Transcription:
	3. Mary Yurichuk’s story | Excerpts from a reflection written by Mary Yurichuk that was published as part of an online exhibition created by virtualmuseum.ca. “First wave of Ukrainian immigration to Canada, 1891–1914: Mary Yurichuk’s story,” via Taras Shevchenko Museum (virtualmuseum.ca), http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/pm_v2.php?id=story_line&lg=English&fl=0&ex=464&sl=5484&pos=1 (Accessed October 6, 2011). © Kobzar Publishing Ltd.
	4. Yuri Vyrostok’s story | Excerpts from a reflection written by Yuri Vyrostok, published as part of the exhibition created by virtualmuseum.ca. “First wave of Ukrainian immigration to Canada, 1891–1914: Yuri Vyrostok’s story,” via Taras Shevchenko Museum (virtualmuseum.ca), http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/pm_v2.php?id=story_line&lg=English&fl=0&ex=464&sl=5509&pos=1 (Accessed October 6, 2011). © Kobzar Publishing Ltd.
	5. Pro vilni zemli (About free land) | Excerpt from a pamphlet written by Joseph Oleskiw entitled Pro vilni zemli, published in 1896 for potential Ukrainian emigrants. “Pro vilni zemli (‘About Free Land’)” in Men in Sheepskin Coats: A Study in Assimilation. Toronto: Ryerson Press, 1947. Pp. 23-27.
	6. Letter from Commissioner of Immigration to Deputy Minister of the Interior | Excerpt from a letter written from W. F. McCreary, Commissioner of Immigration, to James Smart, Deputy Minister of the Interior in May 1897. © Government of Canada. Reproduced with the permission of the Minister of Public Works and Government Services Canada (2011). Source: Library and Archives Canada/Department of Employment and Immigration fonds/RG76-I-A-1, Volume 144 File Part 1, Microfilm reel C-7300, File 34214. Transcription:
	7. Interview with Ivan Pylypiw | Excerpt from an interview conducted in 1932 with Ivan Pylypiw (Pillipiw), one of the first Ukrainians to visit Canada. William A. Czumer, Recollections about the life of the first Ukrainian settlers in Canada (Edmonton, AB: Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies, 1981, pp. 14–16. Reproduced with the permission of CIUS Press.
	8. Motivation to immigrate| Excerpt from an interview with Mary Slobodyn, published as part of Reminiscences of courage and hope, a book of collected reflections from Ukrainian women who arrived in Canada in the beginning of the 20th century. Peter Krawchuck, Reminiscences of courage and hope (Toronto, ON: Kobzar Publishing Co. Ltd., 1991), p. 165.
	9. Order-in-council by the Canadian federal government | Excerpt from an order-in-council passed by the Canadian government on May 31, 1902. Order-in-council, P.C. 902, May 31, 1902. © Public Domain. Immigration Agreement with the North Atlantic Trading Co. for bringing immigrants to Canada from Europe at so much each - [Minister of the Interior] 1902/04/21, Approved 1902/05/31 Transcription:
	10. House of Commons debate transcript | Excerpt from a House of Commons debate held on May 1, 1906. © Public Domain. Canada, Debates of the House of Commons, May 1, 1906, pages 2366-2367.Official reports of the debates of the House of Commons of the Dominion of Canada | Canada. Parliament. House of Commons. -- Ottawa : King's Printer [etc.], [188--195-]. -- (April 26, 1907). -- v. ; 31 cm. -- P. 2367. nlc-11090
Secondary sources
	1. Peasants in the promised land | Excerpt from a book written by historian Jaroslav Petryshyn entitled Peasants in the promised land: Canada and the Ukrainians—1891-1914, published in 1985. Jaroslav Petryshyn with L. Dzubak, Peasants in the promised land: Canada and the Ukrainians—1891-1914 (Toronto, ON: James Lorimer & Company, 1985), pp. 28–30.
	2. Emigrant views of the Canadian west | Excerpt from an article written by historian John C. Lehr entitled “Propaganda and belief: Ukrainian emigrant views of the Canadian west,” published in 1983. John C. Lehr, “Propaganda and belief: Ukrainian emigrant views of the Canadian west,” in Jaroslav Rozumnyj (ed.), New soil—old roots: The Ukranian experience in Canada (Winnipeg, MB: Ukrainian Academy of Arts and Sciences in Canada, 1983, p. 11.
	3. More push than pull? | Excerpt from an article written by historian Jaroslav Petryshyn entitled “Sifton’s Immigration Policy,” published in 1991. Jaroslav Petryshyn, “Sifton’s Immigration Policy” in Lubomyr Luciuk and Stella Hryniuk (eds.), Canada’s Ukrainians: Negotiating an Identity (Toronto, ON: University of Toronto Press, 1991), pp. 26–27. Reproduced with the permission of Lubomyr Luciuk.
	4. The role of the North Atlantic Trading Company | Excerpt from an article written historian Jaroslav Petryshyn entitled “Canadian immigration and the North Atlantic Trading Company 1899–1906: A controversy revisited,” published in 1997. Jaroslav Petryshyn, “Canadian immigration and the North Atlantic Trading Company 1899–1906: A controversy revisited,” Journal of Canadian Studies 32, 3 (1997), pp. 55–76.

Image viewer

Reasons for Ukrainian immigration pre-1914

5 images

Back to parent gallery

 

Student tasks

Question: Rank the factors that encouraged Ukrainian immigrants to come to Canada prior to 1914, from most important to least important.

When determining what reasons accounted for Ukrainian immigration to Canada prior to 1914, you may want to consider the following aspects:

• the political, economic and social conditions in the Austro-Hungarian and Russian Empires during the late 19^th century
• advertising from the Canadian government to attract immigrants to Canada
• employment opportunities in Canada
• the importance of family and friends.

Teacher notes

The following notes on topics addressed in the History Docs are intended to enhance teachers' understanding of the sources and ability to guide students in interpreting them.

Using History Docs

View our online guide for instructions about how you might use History Docs.

Tools for investigating documents

Use or adapt these resources to suit your needs.

Historical context for teachers

Ukrainian immigration to Canada

• Despite previous periods of independence, the Ukrainian people did not have a nation to call their own in the 19^th century; instead, Ukrainian territory was controlled by two powerful empires. The crown lands of Galicia and Bukovyna in Western Ukraine were controlled by the Austro-Hungarian Empire, while Eastern Ukraine was part of the Russian Empire.
• Ukrainians began to migrate to Canada in large numbers beginning in 1891, following the incentive scheme to settle the Canadian Prairies developed by Clifford Sifton, the Minister of the Interior in Prime Minister Wilfrid Laurier’s cabinet.
• Sifton wanted to populate western Canada with immigrants and farmers to supply eastern Canada and the world with agricultural exports, create a growing market for goods manufactured in Central and Eastern Canada and prevent American expansion into Canadian territory.
• Sifton’s advertising campaign, "The Last Best West", enticed immigrants with the promise of virtually free land. Between 1896 and 1905, the Canadian government’s recruiting budget for immigrants increased from $900 000 to $4 000 000. Under Sifton’s direction, the Canadian government sent posters, agents, exhibits, mobile museums, fairs, testimonies, factbooks and other information to nations all over Eastern and Western Europe in hopes of convincing potential immigrants to move to Canada.
• Most posters offered 160 acres for free or for as little as $10. The reality was often different. Frequently, land was far away from rail transport or local settlements, and very few people received 160 acres for ten dollars. Many land speculators had already taken the good land and were selling it for inflated prices.
• Sifton identified various cultures as being more desirable than others. British (Scottish Crofters) and American immigrants were most desirable because they were easily assimilated into Canadian life. Sifton also favoured Ukrainians, Russians and Scandinavians because they were used to farming in a similar environment and climate.

Arrival in Canada

• Ukrainian immigrants arrived in Canada with either Austrian or Russian passports, and Canadian immigration officials classified them depending on the region or province they were from whether it was Galicia, Bukovyna or Ruthenia.
• Canadian immigration authorities wrongfully assumed that most Ukrainian immigrants were from the steppelands of Central Ukraine, which was similar in land and climate to the prairies of western Canada; however, most of the immigrants were from the rolling wooded countryside of Western Ukraine, which was more similar to the climate and conditions in southern Ontario.
• Approximately 171 000 Ukrainian immigrants came to Canada between 1892 and 1914, the majority of which came from the provinces of Galicia and Bukovyna in western Ukraine that was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Many Ukrainians received homesteads on marginal or heavily wooded land on the northern edge of the prairies. They settled primarily in areas that resembled the climate and terrain of western Ukraine—the aspen parkland regions that stretched from southern Manitoba to the Peace River area of northern Alberta.
• Ukrainian immigrants often settled close to each other in order to maintain their language, customs and religious traditions.
• Map: Ukrainians, Ruthenians, Galicians, Bukovynians in the Austro-Hungarian and Russian Empires       Jaroslav Petryshyn with L. Dzubak, Peasants in the promised land: Canada and the Ukrainians—1891–1914 (Toronto, ON: James Lorimer & Company, 1985), p 29.