Politics

Greeks have a strong and passionate interest in politics, especially that of Greece. This affects the social life of Greek-Canadian communities, which in turn have influenced political and social developments in Greece. Greek Canadians have financially assisted Greek political parties and have organized political associations in Canada. On many occasions they held demonstrations dealing with political events in the homeland and at times have even returned to serve as volunteers in the Greek army. The two Balkan wars (1912–13) were the first such event that affected Greeks in Canada. Many young immigrant men returned to Greece to join the army and fight against the Ottoman Empire, and Montreal, Toronto, and Ottawa became the scenes of preparation and ethnic solidarity. The Panhellenic Union – a U.S.-based Greek organization – mobilized potential Greek soldiers in various Canadian cities. On arrival in Greece the volunteers were sent to military camps in Athens and Nauplion and eventually to the battlefront, along with thousands of American Greeks.

When World War I broke out Greek Canadians expressed concern over the role of Greece in the conflict – the Venizelists supported Prime Minister Venizelos, who favoured the Allies; the Royalists favoured the German-leaning, neutralist monarchy. A bitter struggle for control of positions within the Greek communities in Canada followed, with debates taking place in coffeehouses, restaurants, and community centres. The conflict diminished as the struggle began subsiding in Greece.

The outbreak of World War II, the defence of Greece against Italian and German invaders (1940–41), and later the National Resistance Movement against Nazi occupation (1941–45) united Greek Canadians in an effort to assist the homeland. Through the Greek Relief Fund they collected and sent hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of food, clothing, and medical supplies to Greece. During the civil war (1946–49) the fund assisted the nationalist Greek government, which was fighting Communist forces. Most Greek Canadians had been in Canada for many years and could not understand the new struggle in the homeland, and left-wing Greeks in Canada could not organize any significant political movement.

Activity related to old country politics appeared again in the mid-1960s, as democratic movements were emerging in Greece against the monarchy and American influence. In 1965, when King Constantine dismissed Prime Minister George Papandreou, a large political rally in Montreal denounced his actions. The response of Greek Canadians to the right-wing dictatorship of 1967– 74 was mixed. Liberals, many of them university students, were among the first to express their opposition, and anti-junta organizations were formed immediately, including the Panhellenic Democratic Association (Makrygianis) in Montreal and Rigas Ferreos in Toronto. In 1968 the Panhellenic Liberation Movement (PAK) was organized in Toronto and directed by Andreas Papandreou, then a visiting professor at York University, as a vehicle for bringing permanent structural changes in Greek society. Such organizations attempted to inform Greek Canadians, and Canadians in general, about the oppressive nature of the dictatorship through lectures, formal demonstrations, newsletters, and the mass media, and they collected money to support the families of political prisoners in Greece. Most parish leaders were supportive of the dictatorship because of the traditional association of the church with right-wing politics and the dictators’ claim that they would establish a “Greece of Christian Greeks.”

The military coup d’état in Cyprus of July 1974, which overthrew President Makarios, shocked Greek Canadians. Most organizations, including the Cypriot-Canadian community, demonstrated against this takeover. The Turkish invasion of Cyprus a few days later united Greek Canadians of all political convictions in massive anti-Turkish demonstrations in many Canadian cities. After the fall of the Greek dictators in November 1974, open hostilities between pro- and anti-junta elements in Canada subsided.

With the return home of Andreas Papandreou, committees of his Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK) arose in Montreal, Toronto, and London to link Greece and the Greek communities in Canada. Between 1978 and 1988 local PASOK committees arranged visits by more than twenty-five PASOK members of the Greek parliament. In 1981 Papandreou’s PASOK government established a Ministry of State for Greeks Abroad to focus on the Greeks of North America through visits of artists, exchange youth programs, and academic representatives to advise Greek schools on Greek-language programs.

By 1983 organizations of the conservative Greek party Nea Democratia (New Democracy) and the right-wing party EDEN had started to emerge in Toronto and Montreal. In May 1985, for example, supporters organized election campaigns and sent large amounts of money and even volunteers to Greece. The re-election of PASOK subdued this political mobilization.

In the early 1990s old country politics were focused on the Macedonian controversy. When Macedonia, a republic of former Yugoslavia, applied for admission to the United Nations under the name “Macedonia,” Greek-Canadian reaction was swift. The Hellenic Canadian Congress, Greek Orthodox parishes, and the AHEPA of Canada organized demonstrations in many Canadian cities. On 29 February 1992 over twenty thousand Greek Canadians marched on Ottawa, claiming that the Slavic Macedonians have no right to use the name “Macedonia” or to use ancient Macedonian symbols. The admission of Macedonia to the United Nations in April 1993 as “The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia” did nothing to reduce Greek anxiety. Protests followed, and Greek-Canadian organizations, including the Pan-Macedonian Association of Ontario, urged Ottawa to work with the United Nations to ensure that the new state not use the name “Macedonia” and that it give up what many Greeks regarded as its legitimate claims to Greek culture, history, and territory.

Greek historians believe that Greeks living abroad constitute an important component of Greek society and have aided in its survival for more than 170 years. The pride of Greek Canadians has been reflected in Greek veterans’ organizations in Canada. Veterans’ Associations of the Greek National Resistance 1941–45 were established in 1981 in Montreal and Toronto and in 1991 in London. Resistance organizations (especially the Hellenic Popular Liberation Army, or ELAS) occupied twelve German army divisions in Greece, killed over 22,000 enemy troops, and facilitated Allied victories on other fronts. Veterans participate in ethnic holiday celebrations, parades, and fund-raising events for philanthropic and educational purposes and collect historical materials related to the 1941–45 struggle.

As soon as Greek Canadians became familiar with politics in the host society they started participating in municipal, provincial, and federal politics. In the early 1960s the Greek Association of the Liberal Party appeared in Montreal, made up mainly of Greek businessmen and second-generation professionals. The association was active during election campaigns, and most of its members were involved for reasons of political patronage. In 1965 John Kambites, a corner-store owner and broadcaster from Montreal, ran as a New Democrat in the federal election in an area where Greeks were concentrated; the small number of Greeks with voting rights and socialist convictions could not elect him. In Quebec’s 1976 provincial election three Greek Canadians ran in the Laurier riding, which was 30 percent Greek, yet again none was elected. During the 1980s more Greek Canadians joined the three major political parties at provincial and federal levels and participated in campaigns and fund-raising events. Some became candidates in ridings with large Greek populations. In 1993 Conservative Gus Mitges and Liberal Jim Karrygianis were serving in the House of Commons, and Liberal Philip Gigantis and Conservative Staff Baroutis were serving in the Senate. Only Christos Sirros had been elected to a provincial legislature, in Quebec.