The Cold War in Val-d’Or: A History of the Ukrainian Community in Val-d’Or, Quebec

The author notes that Ukrainian immigrants arrived in Quebec's Abitibi region as prospectors and miners in the 1930s and established the first rival pro-communist and nationalist community organizations that reflected their political orientation. This rivalry, he explains, was the ‘motor’ that activated this expatriate Ukrainian community but also perpetuated political differences that is the main theme of his study. The political rivalry was reinforced during the Cold War years with the arrival of the Displaced Persons in the late 1940s. The author used the surveillance reports of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police that documents the left-right political rivalry within in the community during this latter period. The uncertainties of the mining economy, the aging of the work force and the isolation from the large urban centres encouraged out migration that contributed to the gradual decline of the community. The author also includes information on the relations among the Anglophone, Francophone and ethno-cultural communities in Val-d’Or.

Oakville, ON

Mosaic Press

2020

184p.

en

978-1-77161-516-7