Quote:
Originally Posted by kwoldtimer
More likely just a way to avoid post-war anti-German sentiment.
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That's exactly what it was. It was easy enough to say "I'm Dutch" when your ancestors in North America most likely dated to colonial times.
Some Dutch Loyalists did come to Ontario, though not as many as German Loyalists.
Since these people were virtually all English-speaking, multigenerational Canadians by the 20th century, it's impossible to decipher who among the English-speakers were "really" Dutch vs. "really" German.
Note however that German origin response in Ontario collapsed among the most dispersed and assimilated elements. In the "German triangle" that included Waterloo, Perth, Huron, Bruce and Grey counties (and where many Germans immigrated in the 19th century), German ancestry numbers held up in post-WWI censuses.
In addition, Lutheranism remained strong in the Waterloo/German triangle area, a marker of German ethnic identity.