From: The Encyclopedia of Canada's Peoples/Estonians/Karl Aun
Most post-war Estonian immigrants have been anti-Communist. Nationalism was vastly more important than political leanings, and Soviet annexation converted even the few pre-war left-sympathizers into fervent anti-Communists. While voluntary economic collectivism was popular, enforced central control became anathema. Many Estonian immigrants of the period around the abortive Russian Revolution of 1905 came precisely because they had a leftist world-view, and many of the people who emigrated between Estonian independence in 1919 and the time shortly after abolition of the Estonian Communist Party in 1924 also were politically leftist and therefore uncomfortable in Estonia.
Estonian immigrants’ main political concern until the early 1990s was the restoration of Estonian independence. Viewing Canada as only a temporary sanctuary, they concentrated on lobbying for their homeland, often in conjunction with Latvian and Lithuanian immigrants. Since Canada had not recognized Soviet annexation of these countries, they were accorded a polite reception but little encouragement. By continually reminding politicians of their moral responsibilities, Estonian Canadians prevented de jure acceptance of political reality in the Baltic states. An annual Baltic Evening, launched in Ottawa in 1960, entertained and informed cabinet ministers, senators, and members of parliament. In addition, the Estonian Federation and the Estonian Central Council continually petitioned all levels of government in support of human rights in Estonia and cooperated with other eastern European groups in organizing protests and pickets of Soviet embassies and cultural exchanges.
During the quadrennial Estonian World Festival in 1972 over 15,000 ethnic Estonians from the “free world” gathered in Toronto. Many cultural events and exhibits and a parade exposed other Canadians to the Estonian presence and the fact of the occupation of Estonia. This event and the Estonian World Festival, also in Toronto in 1984, were used to inform the wider Canadian population.
In 1985 the Estonian community initiated – aided by the two other Baltic communities – an annual, Canada-wide Black Ribbon Day, to commemorate the signing of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact (23 August 1939), which led to Soviet annexation. It soon became an international day of protest. The last Black Ribbon Day was held in 1991.
An Estonian law of 1991 conferred a right to citizenship on all individuals who had held Estonian citizenship in 1940, and on their spouses and descendants. During the 1992 Estonian election, twelve Canadian Estonians stood for parliament, but none came close to being elected; almost 4,000 people in Canada cast votes.
