Major Immigrant Groups

The Lebanese

Fifteen thousand Lebanese people, or Syrians as they were called in the late-1890s, emigrated every year due to religious persecution in their home country of Syria and the search for better economic opportunities. Many immigrant contractors sent these Lebanese immigrants to Canada due to the availability of ships sailing to that country. Evidence of the large number of Lebanese people immigrating to Canada can be seen in the tragic sinking of the Titanic. When the Titanic sank in 1912, the majority of the people who were trapped in the ship’s steerage compartment were from Syria. Their destination was Canada in the hopes of starting new and improved lives in a new country.

The majority of Lebanese who arrived in Canada lived in cities and worked as businessmen. Some would sell goods on the street, often carrying their items for sale in wheelbarrows. Others operated small stores in many Canadian towns. The number of Lebanese to immigrate to Canada was not on the same scale as the British or Ukrainians. In fact, in 1921, there were only 122 Syrians living in Manitoba, 227 in Saskatchewan, and 146 in Alberta.