General Consulate of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia in Montreal

Presented document of the month is report that the Consulate (later General Consulate) in Montreal sent to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (from 1929 Kingdom of Yugoslavia) on organized immigration of the foreign citizens to Canada. Although this document itself was customary document sent by the consular representatives of the Kingdom of SCS (emigration question was the most often topic), this one yet has significant, symbolic and historic value since it marks 100th anniversary of the new stage of organized immigration to Canada where important role had immigrants from the region of former Yugoslavia.
Canada, being one of the rarely populated country and not sufficiently developed was in need for foreign immigrants, so its government authorized railway company Canadian Pacific Railways (CPR) and later on newly founded Canadian National Railway (CNR), that is not mentioned in this report, to perform organized colonialization of foreign citizens.
With regard that in that time, USA drastically limited immigration, Canada could have been acceptable alternative for poor inhabitants predominantly from agrarian country of the Eastern and South-Eastern Europe, where Kingdom of SCS belonged to as well. That was the reason that agents from CRP were sent to investigate conditions in Yugoslavia. Within several years, network of representative offices of those companies were formed in order to enable Yugoslav citizens and their families to emigrate. In the period from 1925 to 1930, 20.000 of Yugoslav citizens emigrated with their families.
Outbreak of great world economy crisis stopped immigration and some of the immigrants were forced to return back to their country. All the same time, the most of them found their way and styed permanently there.

Prepared by: Krejić Predrag, Archives advisor