Argentinean Immigration to Canada

Argentinean Immigration to Canada

Introduction

A human being is a gregarious animal. People are always seeking to live together in communities or organized groups. Because of this primary necessity, cities, nations, countries and states are formed. Every country has its own culture and people adopt the nationality of the country where he/she was born.

When someone leaves its own country with the aim to live in another one, he/she becomes an ‘immigrant’. Immigrants need to get used to a new culture and society, however, they can not forget their roots and their costums. For that reason, immigration has transformed many cities in multicultural areas.

Canada is an immigration friendly country and Toronto is the most multicultural city in the world. According to the last Canada Statistics Report that analyzes the 2006 Census based on ethnic origin, there are more than 200 different ethnic groups in Canada.

Which are these groups? Chinese are in the top of the ethnic origin’s group list. Then, they are followed by “the South Asian” and “the Blacks” as the second and third largest groups, respectively. Other visible minorities are Filipinos (8.1%), Latin-Americans (6%) and Arabs (5.2%) (Delaney, 2008).

Many Argentinean people have chosen Canada as a country to immigrate to and settle down. However, Is the Argentinean community a visible minority in Canada? How many Argentineans are living here? How did these people immigrate to Canada? When and why did it happen? How did they become part of the Canadian community? How did they integrate to the Canadian culture?

This is an exploratory essay which tends to answer these questions through three main areas of study. First of all, the process of Argentinean immigration to Canada will be observed. Secondly, some reasons that explain this phenomenon will be identified. Finally, the third part of this paper will analyze how Argentinean people have been integrated to this society and in which ways they try to preserve and highlight their own culture.

The Argentinean Immigration to Canada

There is almost 11,000 km of distance that separates Argentina from Canada. Argentina is situated in the south part of South America. Canada, in contrast, is located in the north part of North America. Despite this distance, both of them have something in common: Argentina and Canada are immigrant countries.

At the end of the 19th century and at the beginning of the 20th century, Argentina received a high volume of European immigration. Many Italian and Spanish came to this country which had an open immigration policy. Because its population was not big enough, Argentina needed people to work in the farms and in the construction of the railroad. For example, in 1870 the population was less than 2 million. In 1915, in contrast, the population increased up to 8 million (Metropolis International, 1999). However, in the middle of the last century immigration decreased and many people started to emigrate.

Canada, as well as Argentina, has been an open country to immigrants. Immigration has played an important role in the constitution of Canadian society. Today Canada has such a variety of immigrants that it is a multicultural country. At the beginning of the 20th century, most immigrants came from Europe. Nowadays, in contrast, most immigrants come from Asia. However, many people from Latin America, Argentineans included, immigrate to Canada too.
How many Argentineans have immigrated to Canada? According to Canada’s National Statistical Agency, by the year 2006 there were 18,120 Argentinean people living here. It represents the 0.6% of the country’s population. Most of them (9,935) have settled down in the province of Ontario (Canada’s National Statistical Agency).

When did Argentinean people come to Canada? How the immigration process was? Agueda Reuz Bazan, an expert in multiculturalism in Canada, analyzed this process in her paper called “Argentinians”. According to this paper, the arrival of Argentinean people to Canada can be identified at the beginning of the 20th century. However, the largest amount of immigration started in 1956. Since that year, three main immigration waves can be identified: the first wave took place from 1955 to 1973; the second wave from 1973 to 1983 and the last wave from 1983 to 1989.

The first significant group of Argentineans immigrants traveled to Canada in the middle of the 20th century. By the year 1963, 1286 Argentineans had arrived to this country. Since that date and until 1973, an average number of 400 people were coming to this country every year (Reuz-Bazan). This first immigration wave was possible because of the Canadian Immigration Act of 1952. This document encouraged European and American immigrants by giving them special treatment. As many Argentineans had a European background, they benefited from this policy.
The second wave of immigration started in 1973. At that time, many people wanted to leave the country due to the political situation in Argentina. Militaries came into the government by force and began to control the country. Because of the political oppression, the ideological persecution and the military repression that many Argentineans suffered in that days, they decided to leave the country.

In this period of time, the number of people that came to Canada increased from 400 per year in 1969 to more than 1000 in 1973. The second wave of immigrants was larger and more massive than the first one. However, this phenomenon stopped when the democracy returned to Argentina in 1983.

Despite the fact that many Argentineans came back to their country when a new civil president was elected in the beginnings of the 80s, many of them still wanted to immigrate due to the economic instability and hyperinflation. This is the main reason that explains the third wave of immigration to Canada at the end of the 80s. Finally, after these three waves, by the year of 1991, more than 11.000 of Argentineans were living in Canada.

Although Reuz Bazan made an exhaustive analysis of the Argentinean immigration process; her paper did not contemplate the last 15 years. Therefore, if the last Canada’s Census is observed, another wave of immigration can be added: the fourth wave (Canada’s National Statistical Agency).

The fourth wave started in 1991 and finished in 2006. According to the statistics, the number of Argentineans that arrived to Canada between 1991 and 2000 is 3,185. However, in the year 2000 a massive arrival started. In the time of 6 years, from 2000 to 2006, 6,200 Argentineans arrived in this country. This dramatic increase can be explained by the collapse of Argentina’s politics and economy. In that period of time, Argentina defaulted in foreign debt, unemployment rose dramatically, almost half of the population fell below the poverty line and the number of homeless increased. From 2001 to 2003 Argentina suffered an exodus of 255,000, six times the total number of emigrants reported in the period 1993-2000 (Jachimowicz, 2003). Spain, Italy, Israel and the United States were the most popular destinations, but also many Argentineans chose Canada to settle down.

The main reasons that pushed Argentineans to leave the country in all these waves have been economic recession, political changes and social instability. When things started to go bad in one country, people see emigration as a positive change, a relief and as a possibility to improve their standard of living.

On the other hand, there are some reasons that might explain why Canada was chosen as a country to immigrate. In the first place, that Canada had an open immigration policy and encouraged European immigration was very favorable to Argentinean immigrants who might have felt identified with that culture. Having a European past and immigrant antecedents, make it easier for Argentinean people to integrate into the society (Reuz-Bazan). In addition to this, Canada offered them the possibility of prosperity and success that other countries did not give them. Finally, a long history of harmonious bilateral relations between Canada and Argentina and the commitment with the same global values (such as multilateralism, human rights, democracy and non- proliferation) can be also argued as a good reason.

How did Argentinean people integrate into the Canadian society? Do they have a specific or distinctive area in Toronto where they can be found easily?

If the map of the city of Toronto is observed, many specific communities can be identified at first sight. There are a “Chinatown” at Spadina St. and Dundas Ave., a “Koreatown” in the “Annex” neighborhood, a “Greek Area”, a “Little Italy”, a “Little Poland” and a “Portuguese Village”. Argentinean people do not have a distinct area in Toronto.

The inexistence of a distinctive Argentinean area can be explained by two main reasons. First of all, the Argentineans who immigrated to Canada belonged to the “urban intelligentsia” and the “skilled labour” population, so, through their professions, they could integrate easily to the Canadian Society. According to Reuz Bazan, Argentineans in Canada worked as electricians, mechanics, carpenters, construction workers, hairdressers, small retailers, travel, insurance, physicians, dentists, architects, and engineers, university professors, and civil servants. Secondly, the Argentinean specific area does not exist because of their European background. Many Argentineans are descendants from Italian or Spanish; as a result, they were able to establish close relationships with these communities in Canada. (Reuz Bazan).

Despite the fact that Argentinean people do not have a distinctive area, Argentina’s culture can be found in Canadian society in two main fields: dance and food.

Regarding dance, there are many places where “Tango”, the typical dance of Buenos Aires, is taught. There is an Argentina Tango Club in Vancouver. There is another one in Victoria (British Columbia). Also, Argentinean Tango has a place at University of Toronto. The aim of these Clubs is to promote and support the dancing of Tango in the same way it is danced in Argentina. Many “tango masters” come from Buenos Aires to Canada teach and show the dance every year. In addition to this, these clubs work as a way to keep in close touch with their native culture.

Regarding food, Argentinean most popular cuisine can be tasted in Toronto. The “Sky Ranch Restaurant”, an eating place situated in Dufferin St. at Castlefield, offered a wide range of Argentinean dishes such as: grilled meat, steak, paella, Argentinean meat pie and homemade custard with “dulce de leche” (caramel cream). This restaurant has been in business for 14 years at the same location which indicates that many Argentineans have been living here since a long time ago. Another place where Argentinean food can be purchased and tasted is “El Gaucho”. El Gaucho is a butchery and general store which is situated in the intersection of Jane St. and Wilson Ave. All the products that it sells are related to Argentinean costums: “mate” (traditional drink), “yerba’ (special herb to prepare mate), “dulce de leche” (sweet milk or caramel cream), meat (beef or steak) and coal necessary to make the “asado” (barbecue or grill).

Conclusion

The Argentinean Community in Canada is not big. Argentineans are a minority ethnic group here, but not a visible one. Argentineans immigrants arrived in this country since the beginning of the 20th century. However, the mains flows of immigrants occurred in 1973 due to the dictatorial government and in 1990 and 2001 because of the economic crisis. Canada has always been seen as a country of better opportunities to grow professionally and economically by the Argentineans. On the other hand, Canada has always been friendly to European immigrants. For that reason, Argentinean people could take advantage of this preferential treatment.

Argentinean immigrants have been integrated very well to the Canadian Society. They could develop their profession and skills on many fields such as services, education or independent activities. Although there is not a distinctive are in the city of Toronto in which Argentinean people could be found, its culture is represented through the Tango and the cuisine. Tango is taught by many Argentinean dancers who want to promote the dancing and maintain close relationships with their native country. The Argentinean cuisine can also be tasted in a specific and traditional restaurant.

That is the way Argentinean immigrants do not lose their costums. That is the way; immigrants do not miss their country and that is the way they can show and share their culture and transform societies in multicultural ones. Argentinean people in Canada are just a little part of its multicultural mosaic.

Bibliography
· CANADA IN THE MAKING: Immigration Acts (1866 - 2001). Available on line in: http://www.canadiana.org/citm/specifique/immigration_e.html
· CANADA’S NATIONAL STATISTICAL AGENCY: Tables: Argentinean Immigration in Canada and in the Province of Ontario. Available on line in: http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census06/data/highlights/Immigration/Table404.cfm and http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census06/data/highlights/Immigration/Table404.cfm
· CITIZENSHIP AND IMMIGRATION OF CANADA: Recent Immigrants in Metropolitan Areas: Toronto—A Comparative Profile Based on the 2001 Census Http://Www.Cic.Gc.Ca/English/Resources/Research/Census2001/Toronto/Parta.Asp
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· METROPOLIS INTERNATIONAL (1999) An Integral Part of the Whole. Volume 2 Number 2. Avalailable on line in http://canada.metropolis.net/publications/newsletter/newslet22_e.html
· REUS-BAZÁN, A.: Argentineans. Canada’s Multicultural Historical Resources Online. Available online in: http://www.multiculturalcanada.ca/ecp/content/argentinians.html
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Web Sites
· Argentine Tango in Vancouver: http://www.sfu.ca/~jsanders/
· The Home of Argentine Tango in Victoria: http://www.tangovita.com/
· Tango in Toronto: http://www.torontotango.com/
· Sky Ranch: Argentinean Restaurant: http://skyranch.sites.toronto.com/

Word Number (Characters with spaces) 12.745

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This was my final essay at YORK UNIVERSITY