ARGENTINIAN migration to Canada began at the beginning of the twentieth century. An early group movement from Argentina to Canada that took place in 1901 involved the migration of Welsh colonists from Patagonia to Saskatchewan. Between 1946 and 1973, a second wave of immigration to Canada coincided with economic and political decline in Argentina. These developments provided a powerful impetus for many professionals, entrepreneurs, and skilled workers to move north. In the decade after 1973, as the result of political instability and oppression, the high level of inflation, and terrorist group activities, Argentinian immigration increased to more than 1,000 per year. There were a number of claims for refugee status. Many Argentinians arriving in Canada in the early 1970s declared their intention to work in manufacturing, assembly and repairwork, engineering and construction. Still others sought employment in management, education, administration, and office services.

According to 1996 Canadian census data, 7,115 persons claimed Argentinian ancestry (single and multiple responses). Many Argentinians (3,535) settled in Ontario, and most of these chose Toronto and surrounding areas. Among the professionals, the largest numbers are physicians, dentists, architects, and engineers. Many who arrived in the 1970s became electricians, mechanics, carpenters, construction workers, hairdressers, small retailers, or travel, insurance, and real estate agents. The Argentine community in Ottawa is characterized by a large number of professionals that includes university professors and civil servants.

The second-largest concentration of Argentinians in Canada (1,985) is found in Quebec with almost 50 percent having arrived between 1971 and 1980. Montreal is home to more than 90 percent of Quebec Argentinians. The occupational profile of this group indicates a preference for the social sciences, administration, manufacturing, construction, business, and the fine arts.

In the west, British Columbia is home to nearly 1,000 Argentinian immigrants, the majority being either first-or second-generation Argentinians of European descent. The Vancouver community is composed mainly of professionals and entrepreneurs of small and medium-sized businesses, scholars and teachers, artists, and social workers. There are also concentrations of Argentinians in the cities of Calgary and Edmonton. Many of these Alberta residents are employed in the oil industry, particularly with those companies that have interests in Argentina.

Because of small numbers and relatively recent arrival, ethnocommunity organizational and institutional life is still in the initial stages of development. The limited number of cultural organizations and activities among Argentinian Canadians can be attributed to the group’s entrepreneurial mentality that drives many community members to seek integration into Canadian society first. Only after they have succeeded in their careers do these individuals organize associations to maintain and promote their cultural heritage.

The high educational level and European roots of many members of the Argentinian-Canadian community have enabled a number of individuals to make exceptional contributions to Canadian culture and society. The novelist and editor, Alberto Manguel, won both the Harbourfront Literary Award in Toronto and the British McKitterick Prize for a first novel. He is well known for his contributions to literary programs of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and the CTV television network and for his articles in a host of Canadian and international print media. In architecture, Carlos Ventin is particularly noted for his conversion of courthouses, schools, town halls, jails, factories, and other obsolete structures. His firm also worked on the restoration of the Ontario legislative buildings at Queen’s Park and the old city hall in Toronto. In the halls of academe, B. Carlos Vazan of the University of Ottawa is internationally known for his work on medieval philosophy, history, and education. Professor Mario Bunge, based at McGill University, is the author of numerous books and publications on the philosophy of science. And in the medical sciences, Adolfo de Bold at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute won international recognition for his discovery of ANF, a hormone that has provided a major breakthrough in cardiac physiology.

That many Argentinians have ancestry in other countries has allowed them to establish meaningful relationships with other groups such as the Italian communities in Toronto and Ottawa and the Jewish community in Montreal. Argentinians have also collaborated with other Latin Americans in organizing soccer clubs, producing radio programs, and publishing Spanish-language newspapers that include El Popular and El Correo in Montreal.

And because many Argentinians came to Canada as a result of political unrest or economic decline, this experience motivated a number of them to enter public life. Sergio Marchi of Argentinian and Italian ancestry, who arrived in Canada from Argentina as a child in 1959, was first elected a member of parliament for the Toronto riding of York West in 1984. He served as opposition critic in several portfolios and as chair of the Ontario and national caucuses of the federal Liberal Party before becoming a cabinet minister in the government of Jean Chrétien in 1993. Leaving the government in 1999, he is today Canada’s Ambassador to The World Trade Organization. Such achievements and accomplishments serve to demonstrate the pride of these individuals in being Argentinian Canadians.