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The
Mennonites, like many other people,
came to Canada because they were looking for a better life. The
first Mennonite to come to Canada came from Pennsylvania in the
1780s. These Mennonites had came to the United States during the
1600s and 1700s. Before that, they had lived in Switzerland. These
settlers moved what is now the Kitchener-Waterloo area in Ontario.
It is still a major Canadian centre for Mennonites.
The
next large migration began in the 1870s. The Mennonites in south
Russia had prospered, but the Russian government passed a law that
removed the Mennonites' total exemption from military service. If
they stayed in Russia, they thought they might have to serve in
the military, something they did not believe was right. Instead
of risking this, they looked for land in North America. One of the
best places they found was in southern Manitoba, in Canada.
David
Stoesz military exemption card 1918.
Mennonite
Heritage Centre vol. 1561 file 43.
In
Manitoba, the Mennonites received a large amount of land and the
Canadian government promised them that they could have freedom of
worship and would not have to do any
military service.
Why
would the Canadian government do this for the Mennonites?
The
reason is that Canada was looking for good settlers and farmers
to farm on the Prairies. Mennonites had earned a reputation for
being hard-working, honest, and successful farmers. This deal was
good for both sides. Canada got useful citizens and the Mennonites
got land and did not have to perform military service. In fact,
Canada's laws dealing with the peace
churches go back to the early 1800s.
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