Italians Help Fill a Canadian Labour Shortage

	Proportion of Italian immigrants who arrived in Canada during each of the two major waves of immigration

Italian immigration to Canada did not really gain steam until the early twentieth century. From the end of the nineteenth century to the 1970s, about 650,000 Italians chose Canada as their destination. Unlike most countries, however, Canada received over two-thirds of its Italian immigrants between 1947 and the 1970s.

	Poster for The Bureau of Canadian Information, c. 1920 Source: © Canadian Pacific Railway Archives

From the early twentieth century to the 1960s, it was the chronic shortage of labour in this young developing country that attracted Italian workers. The Canadian labour market, compared to that of Italy, offered a relatively high level of employment and income. Italian immigration to Canada was also encouraged by Canadian immigration policies, which were more liberal than those of other countries due to the labour shortage, especially after the Second World War.

	Customs officer and immigrants, Pier 21, Halifax, Nova Scotia Source: © Pier 21

In 1967, new Canadian legislation restricting the number of relatives that could be sponsored and giving priority to skilled workers slowed down Italian immigration to Canada. Italy's economic recovery and its adoption of social security measures also contributed to the decline.

	Passports of Italian immigrants

	Italian passport of Onarina Deganutti 1927 Lent by Luigi Piccini

	Italian passport of Vincenzo Catania 1956 Lent by Vincenzo Catania