From Holland to Canada

When hostilities ceased at the end of World War II in 1945 the Dutch economy was ruined to the point where as much as one-third of the population was thinking of emigrating. Most of those wishing to emigrate turned their attention to Canada, and the liberation of Holland by the Canadian Army was one reason for this marked preference. Following the war, Canada was suffering from a shortage of farmers and farm workers, whereas Holland had a surplus of both. The situation was particularly acute in eastern and southern Holland, a region of small farms and large farm families, and most Dutch agrarian immigrants arriving not just in Kings County, but in all of Nova Scotia, were to come from the southern and eastern areas of Holland.

In 1947, the Canadian and Dutch governments signed a formal agreement - The Netherlands-Canada Settlement Scheme - by which Canada was to accept Dutch farmers and farm workers, and their numbers were to be established annually as dictated by Canada’s needs in the agricultural sector.

After 1948, the number of Dutch immigrants arriving annually in Nova Scotia continued to see a fairly steady increase until 1953, following which the numbers started to decline, and by 1960 the stream had virtually dried up. The sharp drop in the number of Dutch immigrants arriving in Canada, and Nova Scotia after the mid-1950s was largely a consequence of a reviving Dutch economy.

The agrarian immigrants mostly stayed in Nova Scotia. Their aim, whether they had been farm owners or farm labourers in Holland, was to obtain a farm of their own, and that was relatively easy to achieve in Nova Scotia. In this province, farms were, for a number of reasons, comparatively inexpensive. However, one of the big drawing cards were the farm loans provided by the Nova Scotia Land Settlement Board, the only provincial farm-loan program of its kind in Canada at that time.

What was the impact of the Dutch immigrants in Kings County? It is widely acknowledged that in this county, as well as in other parts of Nova Scotia, they played a not insignificant role in stimulating, rejuvenating and expanding the agricultural sector of the economy. Through hard work, with the aid of the financial support described above, as well as with help and support from their neighbours, the vast majority of them built up successful farms.

In summary, it can be said that the Dutch immigrant farmers of the post-World War II era and their descendants, as well as non-agrarian Dutch immigrants and their descendants, have become part of the Kings County mosaic and will remain so in generations to come.

*A more detailed account of the Dutch immigration to Kings County is available in the narrative package accompanying this exhibit. This information is provided courtesy of Gerry Gerrits.

Here are a few photos of the exhibit:

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