In 1956 and 1957, Canada received more than 37,500 refugees who fled Hungary after Soviet troops marched on Budapest to crush a revolution that sought political reform and independence from the Soviet Union. Spurred by popular sympathy, the Canadian government acted quickly to select, transport, and resettle people in cooperation with non-profit organizations; a successful and unprecedented process which later established an important model for the reception of future refugees to Canada.
Today, Arif Virani, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada and to the Minister of Democratic Institutions, and Member of Parliament for Parkdale - High Park, commemorated the national historic significance of the Refugees of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution with a special ceremony to unveil a plaque at Budapest Park. The park is known locally as the heart of the Hungarian community in Toronto. The announcement was made on behalf of the Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Minister responsible for Parks Canada, Catherine McKenna.
The repression of this uprising generated the largest wave of refugees since the months following the end of the Second World War. In only three months, almost 200,000 Hungarians - about 2% of the population of Hungary - sought refuge from the Communist regime. In response to this crisis, Canada provided assistance to Hungarian refugees with measures such as simplifying admission of immigrants, negotiating Hungarian escape from camps, providing for the needs of refugees upon arrival to Canada, and assuming most of the associated costs of resettling. Since then, the refugees have gone on to make significant contributions to economic and cultural life across Canada.
The Government of Canada, through the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, recognizes significant people, places, and events that shaped our country as one way of helping Canadians and youth connect with their past. The commemoration process is largely driven by public nominations. To date, more than 2,000 designations have been made.
