Our story

The Czechoslovak (now Czech and Slovak) Association was established out of the need for a strong central organization of Czech and Slovak expatriates that could contribute to the liberation of Czechoslovakia during World War II. Although a similar need had already arisen during World War I, a unified goal for the many diverse interest groups, societies, and clubs was not found until 1939 when Czechoslovakia lost its independence. Under the leadership of Slovak-Canadian Štefan Rudinský from Montreal and Czech-Canadian Gustav Přístupa from Toronto, the obstacles preventing unification were overcome. A joint committee of national organizations was formed and met on May 7, 1939, in Toronto, where it was decided to establish the National Association of Slovaks, Czechs, and Carpatho-Rusyns in Canada.

On June 24–25, 1939, the first congress was held at the Church of All Nations in Toronto. In the presence of 140 delegates, an executive committee was elected, led by Štefan Rudinský as chairman and Karel Buzek as general secretary. The original name was soon changed to the Czechoslovak National Association in Canada (ČSNS). Virtually all Czech and Slovak organizations actively cooperated with the Association, except for the separatist-oriented Slovak League. After the establishment of the Slovak State in March 1939, the League found itself in a difficult position. Many of its leaders sympathized with Tiso’s authoritarian regime and the Hlinka Slovak People’s Party. Although the Slovak League contributed to Canada’s war effort by raising money for the Red Cross, it always did so separately from the rest of the Czech and Slovak community, which was united under the Czechoslovak National Association.

Out of its own initiative and the broader interest in fighting Nazi Germany, the Association grew rapidly—from 46 local branches in 1939 to 86 with approximately 6,500 members by the end of 1942. This growth was aided by trips organized across Canada, from the East Coast to the West Coast. The first of these trips was undertaken by Karel Buzek and leading Slovak Association member Peter Klimko. Another trip was made possible by Canadian clubs for Senator Vojta Beneš, the older brother of President Edvard Beneš, and two representatives of the Czechoslovak foreign armed forces—Colonel Jan Ambruš and Captain Rudolf Nekola. The latter returned to Canada after the Communist coup in 1948, became a Canadian citizen, and published the weekly newspaper Nový domov (New Homeland). The Association managed the Czechoslovak War Charitable Fund in Canada, raising approximately CAD 330,000 for various purposes related to the war and the liberation of Czechoslovakia. It also contributed to Canada’s decision, from April 1941 onward, to recognize members of the Czechoslovak minority in Canada as citizens of an allied nation.

At the congress in November 1945, led by Slovak-Canadian Jan Gažo from Windsor, three main objectives were set: promoting Canadian citizenship, preserving Czech and Slovak cultural heritage, and providing material assistance to the homeland devastated by the war. The last of these goals was made possible after ČSNS General Secretary Karel Buzek also became the executive director of the Canadian United Allied Relief Fund.

After the war, the activities of ČSNS shifted from political matters to social concerns, moving from international issues to domestic ones. In 1946 and 1947, the Association submitted two extensive letters to the Canadian Senate Committee on Immigration and Labour, requesting specific legislative changes, many of which were implemented in subsequent years. During this period, the Czech and Slovak community also began building Masaryk Hall and the Masaryk Memorial Institute in Scarborough, part of metropolitan Toronto.

The Association quickly responded to the Communist takeover in Czechoslovakia in February 1948 by sponsoring the Canadian Fund for Czechoslovak Refugees. However, a division arose between new arrivals and longtime Czech and Slovak expatriates in Canada, which hindered the effectiveness of ČSNS for at least eight years (1948–1956). In 1949, despite these challenges, the Canadian Fund for Czechoslovak Refugees was successfully established and continues to operate within the Association to this day. Nevertheless, the Communist Party sought to influence socially vulnerable immigrants who had arrived in the 1920s and 1930s. A unifying moment for the community came with the Hungarian Revolution of 1956. Under the leadership of Frank Němec, who had served as Czechoslovak ambassador to Canada before 1948, the Association returned to its steady and constructive work.

In the 1960s, the activities of ČSNS increased, and the number of branches began to grow again. Anthony Daičar from the town of Batawa, founded by Tomáš Baťa, became the chairman, while Jiří Corn was elected as the general secretary. A prominent figure within the Association from the ranks of the Czechoslovak National Socialist Party in exile was Professor Vladimír Krajina. Although membership fees were reduced to one-fifth of what they had been during the war, they still allowed for the organization of bazaars, dance events, theatre performances, and other social gatherings. A significant initiative of ČSNS was its efforts to establish an independent department for Czech and Slovak literature at the University of Toronto.

The Czechoslovak National Association in Canada, which was renamed the Czechoslovak Association in 1984 and later, after the dissolution of Czechoslovakia, became the Czech and Slovak Association of Canada (ČSSK/CSAC), consistently provided support and assistance to Czech and Slovak refugees and maintained relations with federal and provincial governments in Canada in this regard. In Canadian politics, which has aimed to create a multicultural society, expatriate associations and organizations have traditionally held an important role. Notably, the Association was one of 36 expatriate organizations represented in the Canadian Ethnocultural Council that played a part in advocating for the still-valid Multiculturalism Act C-96.

In 1999, ČSSK celebrated its 60th anniversary. As of January 2000, it had 14 branches in various Canadian provinces, with approximately 3,800 paying members in the following locations: Batawa-Belleville, Calgary, Edmonton, Halifax, Hamilton, Kingston, Kitchener-Waterloo-Guelph, London, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, St. Catharines, Vancouver, and Winnipeg. The highest governing body of the Association is the annual general meeting (congress), which approves financial statements and reports from individual representatives and committees. Between congresses, the Association is managed by the National Council, which consists of seven elected representatives, four permanent committee chairs (immigration, social affairs, organization and integration, and culture and information), and 6–12 elected members. The council also includes the former president from the previous two-year term. The Association has representatives for Western, Central, and Eastern Canada, as well as auditors and a five-member arbitration court to resolve disputes between members. Sixty percent of the expenses related to managing immigration affairs at the Toronto headquarters are covered by the Canadian federal government, with the remainder funded by membership fees. The official publication of the Association is the ČSSK/CSAC Newsletter, while individual branches also publish their own periodicals.

The Toronto branch of ČSSK currently organizes dance classes, discussions, literary events at the Czech restaurant U Vlastičky, and concerts featuring early Czech music for its members. At the initiative of Peter Munk, a regular overview of articles from Anglo-American press sources about the Czech Republic is published. The television studio Okno (Joseph Čermák and director Milo Kubík) records numerous significant cultural and political events in which the Association participates. Among these are the 1988 concert marking the 60th anniversary of the founding of Czechoslovakia, President Václav Havel’s visit in 1990, the first Canadian production of The Bartered Bride, performed in Toronto in 1994, and recordings of New Theatre productions organized in collaboration with Czech and Slovak professional actors since 1990. Of particular documentary and historical value are profiles of prominent figures from the Czechoslovak exile community in Canada, including Josef Škvorecký, Zdena Salivarová, Tomáš Baťa, Ota Hora, Karel Buzek, Jiří Corn, Rudolf Hásek, Oskar Morawetz, Ján Smerek, Otakar Širek, Anna Šireková, Emilie Peřinová, Jiří Traxler, Jan Waldauf, Walter Dufek, Milo Komínek, and Canadian historian Professor H. G. Skilling, who focused on Czechoslovak history. Missing from this series, however, is a profile of Vladimír Krajina, though journalist Anita Machová at least recorded a radio interview with him for Radio Canada International.

In collaboration with this television group, Czech Television Ostrava produced a four-part documentary series in 1992 about Czech and Slovak expatriates in Canada, titled Canadian Mosaic (1. Harsh and Kind, 2. Toronto Dreaming, 3. Entrepreneurship as a Dream, 4. No One Is Alone Anywhere).

ČSSK re-established contacts with the homeland after 1989. During joint meetings with representatives of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Czech Parliament and the Senate Committee for Expatriates, discussions throughout the 1990s focused on issues such as dual citizenship, absentee voting rights, the completion of personal property restitutions, and facilitating the return of expatriates to their homeland. Czech and Slovak expatriate organizations in Canada were represented in most of these negotiations by Miloš Šuchma from Ottawa. During the summer and fall of 1997, the Association organized a fundraising campaign to assist flood-affected areas, raising a total of 100,000 Canadian dollars, which was sent to the homeland via the Red Cross.