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In 1893 there were about 1,400 ethnic Italians in Montreal.[3] During this time, Italian employment agencies that worked with Canadian steamship and railway companies attracted many Italian labourers to Montreal.[4] Additional growth in the Italian population took place in the 20th century.[3] The 1905, the Royal Commission appointed to Inquire into the Immigration of Italian Labourers to Montreal and alleged Fraudulent Practices of Employment Agencies was launched into deceptive tactics used by padroni, labour brokers that recruited Italian workers for Canadian employers. The commission recommended that the city of Montreal pass a by-law requiring immigration agents and offices to be licensed before being permitted to carry out their business.[5]
The first Catholic church for the Italians became Mount Carmel Parish in 1905. It was established by an Italian-speaking man, Canon Bruchési. In 1911 the second Italian parish opened.[3]
The political unit of the Italian community split after Benito Mussolini became the leader of Italy in the 1920s. During World War II the Canadian government opposed pro-Mussolini elements in the Montreal Italian community.[3]
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In 1931, there were more Italians than people of British origins in St. Jean Ward. During that year, in 19 of Montreal's 35 wards, the Italians were the largest non-French and non-British ethnic group. This was also the case in five other cities and towns in Greater Montreal.[9]
Harney, Nicholas DeMaria. "Ethnicity, Social Organization, and Urban Space: A Comparison of Italians in Toronto and Montreal" (Chapter 6). In: Sloan, Joanne (editor). Urban Enigmas: Montreal, Toronto, and the Problem of Comparing Cities (Volume 2 of Culture of Cities). McGill-Queen's Press (MQUP), January 1, 2007. ISBN0773577076, 9780773577077. Start p. 178.
^ abcdLinteau, Paul-André, René Durocher, and Jean-Claude Robert (translator into English: Robert Chodos). Quebec: A History 1867-1929 (Volume 1 of Quebec, a History, Paul André Linteau). James Lorimer Company, 1983. ISBN0888626045, 9780888626042. p. 47.
^Rosenberg, Louis and Morton Weinfeld. Canada's Jews: A Social and Economic Study of Jews in Canada in the 1930s (Volume 16 of McGill-Queen's Studies in Ethnic History). McGill-Queen's Press (MQUP), Oct 12, 1993. ISBN0773563946, 9780773563940. p. 33.
Boissevain, Jeremy. The Italians of Montreal: Social Adjustment in a Plural Society (Volume 7 of Studies of the Royal Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism). Information Canada, 1974. See profile atGoogle Books
De Martinis, Lucio. Italian Identity in Montreal: Issues of Intergenerational Ethnic Retention (Canadian theses). McGill University (Canada), 2005. See profile at Google Books
Ramirez, Bruno and Michael Del Balso. The Italians of Montreal: From Sojourning to Settlement, 1900-1921. Associazione di Cultura Popolare Italo-Quebecchese : mail order, Les Éditions du Courant, 1980. - See profile at Google Books
Ramirez, Bruno. "Workers without a Cause: Italian Immigrant Labour in Montreal: 1880-1930." In: Arrangiarsi: The Italian Immigration Experience in Canada. Eds. Roberto Perin and Franc Sturino. Montreal: Guernica, 1989.