AUSTRIA’S association with Canada is a long-standing one: it dates as far back as the seventeenth century. The first Austrians linked with Canada were the soldiers who participated in the defence of New France.

The mass emigration from the Austro-Hungarian Empire to Canada began at the end of the nineteenth century. No single explanation can account for the rapid demographic change, the over-division of arable land, a dearth of industry, military conscription, growing ethnolinguistic persecution, and political instability were all factors motivating the peasants from the eastern provinces to come to Canada. During this first wave from 1880 to 1914, German-speaking people from the regions of Galicia, Bukovina, and the Banat made their way to the Canadian West. They were lured by the Dominion government’s promise of free land, by steamship companies, and by the various agents involved in the emigration process. Some prairie settlers did not come directly from the homeland but, instead, immigrated from the United States where they had originally settled. With land restrictions in the American West and few new opportunities for expansion, the Canadian prairies offered new opportunities for making a living. Settling near Langenburg, Meberg, Qu’Appelle, and Kendal in Saskatchewan, and near Edmonton, Josephsburg, Spruce Grove, Golden Spike, and Stony Plain in Alberta, these people welcomed the collapse of an oppressive eastern empire and began to assert their cultural identities as, for example, Czechs, Serbs, Croatians, Ukrainians, Hungarians, Jews, and Romanians.

Living conditions became particularly challenging in Austria after the First World War when the country was reduced to a portion of its former size. As a result, the flow of immigrants to Canada from three states of the Federal Republic of Austria – Carinthia, Styria, and Burgenland – was relatively large between 1926 and 1938. With Germany’s occupation of Austria in 1938, thousands of political refugees, mainly from the educated, business, and professional classes, arrived in Canada. A much larger flow of immigrants began after the Second World War when Austria again went through challenging times with her economy at a low ebb and the occupation troops of Britain, France, the United States, and the Soviet Union on her soil.

Data on ethnic origin from Canada’s 1996 census indicate that 140,520 people were wholly (28,085) or partially (112,435) of Austrian origin. Austrian Canadians settled principally in Ontario (48,710), British Columbia (33,980), and Alberta (24,925). Smaller concentrations were also found in Saskatchewan (13,700), Manitoba (9,155), and Quebec (7,230). Austrians became urban dwellers during the postwar period. Toronto accounts for 10,510; Vancouver, for 8,800; Montreal, 5,695 (virtually the entire sum of Austrians in the province of Quebec). Also, in 1996 Canadians having at least some Austrian ancestry still resided on the prairies, albeit no longer living on farms in the old settlement blocs. Edmonton has an Austrian community of 4,875. Although not so large as Edmonton’s settlement, Calgary also has a group settlement of 4,305. The same census reported 1,470 people of Austrian background in Victoria and 1,410 in Saskatoon.

Most of the early immigrants from Austria were farmers and artisans who played an active role in the early development of Canada, particularly in the opening of some of the most arid and isolated parts of the West. Members of the interwar and postwar periods arrived with a variety of skills and professional training. Among the immigrants were skilled tradesmen, technicians, and professionals (including medical doctors and engineers). At the same time, many Austrians were also establishing themselves on a relatively large scale in business and industry. A number of factors led to their success. Chief among these were a highly developed work ethic with emphasis on self-employment, risk taking, and resourcefulness. Of note, one of the most successful entrepreneurs to emerge from the community is Frank Stronach, founder of Magna International, the auto parts manufacturing giant. Stronach is Canada’s pre-eminent breeder of thoroughbreds: this successful sportsman has stood in the winner’s circle numerous times, having won the Belmont Stakes, the Kentucky Derby, and two Queen’s Plates.

In many of Canada’s largest urban centres, there is at least one Austrian club or organization. Most of these organizations, of a social or cultural nature, were formed initially to meet the social and economic needs of the refugee communities. Today, they also serve as a point of contact for other Canadians interested in the cultural life and heritage of Austria.

Many Canadians of Austrian origin have enriched our cultural life in the fields of music, theatre, and the decorative and visual arts. Among them are the classical guitarist Norbert Kraft, harpsichordist Greta Kraus, pianist and composer Anton Emil Kuerti, and choreographer Anna Wyman.