Un moment-clé dans l`évolution de la communauté roumaine de Montréal : la reconnaissance juridique de son existence par le Parlement du Québec (février 1914) – avec, en annexes, les deux versions (anglaise et française) de la loi du 19 févrie
A Key Moment in the Evolution of the Romanian Community of Montreal: Its Legal Recognition by the Quebec Parliament (February 1914)

Summary/Abstract: This study analyzes a significant moment in the evolution of the Romanian community of Montreal: its legal recognition by the Parliament of Quebec, in February 1914. It originated with the observation that this significant moment in the community`s past has to a great extend been lost to time, being unknown to the Romanians living in Montreal today and tries to understand why this is. Using first-hand sources – some of which have remained unpublished for the last hundred years – the study is organized on three levels. First, it seeks to explain the reasons for the slow growth of the community at the beginning of the 20th century and – in this context – to situate this ethnic community within the larger geographic area of Montreal. For this reason, the study identifies the most important “nuclei” of the Romanian settlement on the Island of Montreal before 1914 and follows the link between the development of these “nuclei” of Romanian life and the occupations of the first generation Romanians. Second, the study focuses on the petition of 12 Bukovinian Romanians who addressed the Quebec Parliament in 1913, requesting the legal recognition of their community and presents the biographies of 6 of these 12 Romanians, true “Founding Fathers” of the community, emphasizing the fight for leadership between two central characters in the community, Ștefan Cabba & Vasile Rotari. Finally, the study presents the stages of adoption – by the Quebec Parliament, in 1913 / 1914 – of Bill 182 legally recognizing the Romanian community of Montreal.

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