Galician (western Ukrainian) immigrant group, St. John, New Brunswick 1905. Although foreign government advertising was banned in countries within the Austrian and Russian Empires, peasant farmers were leaving in search of a better life abroad.

As Minister of the Interior, 1896-1905, and to the end of his life in 1929, Clifford Sifton never wavered from his statement to the House of Commons in July 1899 about the value of peasant farmers from central and eastern Europe.

I do not care what language a man speaks, or what religion he professes, if he is honest and law-abiding, if he will go on that land and make a living for himself and his family, he is a desirable settler for the Dominion of Canada; and the people of Canada will never succeed in populating Manitoba and the North-west until we act practically on that idea. If we can find people...willing to obey the laws and pay taxes for the support of our institutions, we must open our doors to these people and give them such encouragement as will overcome the initial difficulties of their change of situation.