Czechoslovak National Association in Canada : The Czechoslovak National Association in Canada, under the name the Czechoslovak National Alliance, was created in 1939 to unite Canadians of Czech, Slovak and Carpatho-Ruthenian origin against the Nazi takeover of Czechoslovakia. Their newspaper, Nova Vlast, (Montreal), was its official publication. With Stephen Rudinsky as president and Charles Buzek as secretary-general, the Alliance membership expanded from 46 branches at the beginning of the Second World War to over 90 branches in 1945. Through the Czechoslovak War Charities Fund in Canada, the Alliance collected some $31,000 in aid of the war effort. It sent cigarettes, chocolate bars and other gifts to Czechoslovak soldiers overseas. Following the war, it undertook special drives to collect food, clothing, and other necessities for families in the homeland whose lives had been disrupted by the war.
After the war, the Alliance turned increasingly to Canadian concerns. In 1946 and 1947, it participated in the Senate Standing Committee on Immigration and Labour. It took the initiative in providing a representative home for Czech and Slovak Canadians, which resulted in the building of Masaryk Hall and Masaryktown in Toronto.
With the communist coup in Prague in 1948, the Canadian Fund for Czechoslovak Refugees was organized to aid persons fleeing Czechoslovakia. Refugees who came to Canada sought to use the organization as a basis from which to continue the struggle for Czechoslovak liberation. This resulted in a dispute between old and new members, which ceased only in 1956, when suppression of the uprising in Hungary showed that liberation was not imminent.
The Alliance, whose membership during this period declined to some sixteen branches, was incorporated in 1960, when its name was changed to Czechoslovak National Association in Canada (CNAC). It returned again to more immediate Canadian concerns, such as schooling and organizing festivals. Stress was placed on keeping the traditions of the homeland alive, while at the same time integrating Czechoslovak Canadians into the larger fabric of Canadian society.
In May 1995 the CNAC changed its name to the Czech and Slovak Association of Canada. Since that time, the Association has focused its efforts on promoting democracy within Canada, as well as supporting Canada's efforts to uphold and strengthen democratic systems elsewhere in the world. They also provide support to Czech and Slovak refugees while promoting understanding and goodwill between all cultures in Canada.
