Canadian government designates 1956 Hungarian refugees national historic event

The Canadian government on Thursday announced the designation of the Refugees of Hungary's 1956 anti-Soviet Revolution as a national historic event, the Canadian Embassy told MTI.

"The arrival of thousands of Hungarian refugees helped to shape Canada's model for the reception of refugees and helped Canadians adopt a more receptive attitude towards immigrants," the embassy statement quoted Environment Minister Jim Prentice as saying, who made the announcement.

"With the support of its population, Canada admitted, as immigrants, more than 37,500 Hungarian refugees during the 1956 Soviet invasion of Hungary - the largest group any country received in proportion to its population. Never before had Canada ensured the selection, transport, and establishment of so many refugees in such a short period of time," it said.

The Hungarian refugees themselves, generally young and highly qualified when they arrived, contributed significantly to Canadian society, particularly to its cultural diversity and to the national economy by contributing their skills to the country's workforce, the document added.

Canada has on several occasions expressed appreciation towards Hungarian refugees arriving in the country after the 1956 revolution that was crushed by the Soviet Union. In November 2008 Governor General Michaelle Jean unveiled a memorial to the Hungarian refugees in Budapest's City Park.

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