The concept of Italy in Canada and in Italian Canadian writings from the eve of Confederation to the Second World Wa

When Italians began to arrive in Canada, late in the nineteenth century, they found that the Canadian population had fixed ideas and hostile feelings towards Italy. As soon as the Italians settled, they voiced their disapproval of such ideas and feelings; and in their writings, they expressed an idealized image of their home country. In the twentieth century many factors induced the Canadians to change their negative view of Italy: the change in the Canadian world outlook, the growth of the Italian population in Canada, and specially World War I, in which Italy and Canada were allied. During the war, to the satisfaction of the Italian emigrants, Canadians spoke well of Italy and also recognized the contribution that Italians had made to the development of Canada.;The rise of fascism caused a growing polarization in Italian communities across Canada: anti-fascists saw in the new regime a danger to modern civilization, while fascists considered it the dawn of a new era. Because of the fascist stand against bolshevism Canadian opinion makers approved of fascist Italy and unwittingly bestowed upon local fascists their emblem of approval by participating in their meetings. The Italian aggression against Ethiopian (1935-36) created a wave of negative feelings towards fascism throughout the country: this change of mood in the Canadian society progressively isolated focal fascists; while the anti-fascists came forward voicing the majority's antipathy for fascism.;The analysis of the Canadians perception of Italy and its people from the eve of Confederation to the Second World War enables us to understand how these have been affected by world events and cultural developments. More importantly, however, it allows us to view the developments of erroneous opinions found in recent multicultural historiography about early Italian immigrants and about the degree of fascist penetration in Italian communities in Canada.