How Canada’s Immigration Policies Through the Ages Has Shaped Canada’s Identity
Canada is a country built from immigrants whether it be the Aboriginal peoples, whose ancestors migrated across the Bering Strait from Asia, to the arrival of Europeans to New France, to the immigration of Chinese railway workers in the 1800s, to more recent arrivals (Brearton). The immigration policies that surround these migrations often reflected the values and attitudes (discriminatory or welcoming) of the Canadian society and as a result contribute to Canadian identity and history. Therefore, it can be said that the immigration policies surrounding the years following Confederation, during WWI and WWII, and the late 20th and early 21st century shaped Canada’s …show more content…
Following Confederation in 1867, the new federal government set immigration policy as a priority. Additionally, the desire to secure national sovereignty in the mostly unoccupied lands in the west caused Canada to encourage immigration. The first Immigration Act was passed in 1869 by the federal government and established the basic framework of Canadian immigration policy (Immigration Acts (1866 - 2001)). In theory, the Act was considered an “open door” policy, with very few exceptions as to who could enter Canada (Makarenko). However, in practice this was untrue as Canada’s definition of an ideal immigrant was British or American at the time. Lower on the list of desirability was immigrants originating from Eastern and Northern Europe (France, Russia, Belgians, Ukrainians, Germans, etc.) At the bottom of the list were those considered “less assimilable and less desirable” (the Jews, Asians, Roma people and Black people) (Troper). This racist ideology is especially blatant when considering the reasons behind the Chinese Head Tax and Exclusion Act that came into effect in 1885. The reasoning being that the majority (white Canadians) believed that Chinese immigrants would be a burden to Canadian Society (Chan). The overtly racist attitudes that Canadians held at this time, shameful as they are, are …show more content…
In an attempt to eliminate racial discrimination through immigration policy, Canada implemented the Point System in 1967. A system in which an individual was given points based on their valuableness to the Canadian labour force, and other factors such as their age and education level rather than their race or country of origin (Brearton). In addition, Canada became the first country to adopt multiculturalism as an official policy in 1971 (Burnet and Driedger). This can be connected to the reform in immigration policy during the following years. In 1975, the Green Paper was introduced and would shift immigration goals to creating more ethnic diversity (Dirks). Both the 1976 and 1980 Immigration Act included the addition of immigration classes known as refugees, families, assisted relatives, independent immigrants, and business (Immigration Acts (1866 - 2001)). Moreover, following the events of September 11th, 2001, Canada once again reformed its immigration policy this time to strengthen security and increase the difficulty of entering Canada under certain immigration classes (Makarenko). However, this most recent amendment has done nothing to discredit Canada’s reputation as having one of the world’s most open immigration policies in the world
Canada is a country built from immigrants whether it be the Aboriginal peoples, whose ancestors migrated across the Bering Strait from Asia, to the arrival of Europeans to New France, to the immigration of Chinese railway workers in the 1800s, to more recent arrivals (Brearton). The immigration policies that surround these migrations often reflected the values and attitudes (discriminatory or welcoming) of the Canadian society and as a result contribute to Canadian identity and history. Therefore, it can be said that the immigration policies surrounding the years following Confederation, during WWI and WWII, and the late 20th and early 21st century shaped Canada’s …show more content…
Following Confederation in 1867, the new federal government set immigration policy as a priority. Additionally, the desire to secure national sovereignty in the mostly unoccupied lands in the west caused Canada to encourage immigration. The first Immigration Act was passed in 1869 by the federal government and established the basic framework of Canadian immigration policy (Immigration Acts (1866 - 2001)). In theory, the Act was considered an “open door” policy, with very few exceptions as to who could enter Canada (Makarenko). However, in practice this was untrue as Canada’s definition of an ideal immigrant was British or American at the time. Lower on the list of desirability was immigrants originating from Eastern and Northern Europe (France, Russia, Belgians, Ukrainians, Germans, etc.) At the bottom of the list were those considered “less assimilable and less desirable” (the Jews, Asians, Roma people and Black people) (Troper). This racist ideology is especially blatant when considering the reasons behind the Chinese Head Tax and Exclusion Act that came into effect in 1885. The reasoning being that the majority (white Canadians) believed that Chinese immigrants would be a burden to Canadian Society (Chan). The overtly racist attitudes that Canadians held at this time, shameful as they are, are …show more content…
In an attempt to eliminate racial discrimination through immigration policy, Canada implemented the Point System in 1967. A system in which an individual was given points based on their valuableness to the Canadian labour force, and other factors such as their age and education level rather than their race or country of origin (Brearton). In addition, Canada became the first country to adopt multiculturalism as an official policy in 1971 (Burnet and Driedger). This can be connected to the reform in immigration policy during the following years. In 1975, the Green Paper was introduced and would shift immigration goals to creating more ethnic diversity (Dirks). Both the 1976 and 1980 Immigration Act included the addition of immigration classes known as refugees, families, assisted relatives, independent immigrants, and business (Immigration Acts (1866 - 2001)). Moreover, following the events of September 11th, 2001, Canada once again reformed its immigration policy this time to strengthen security and increase the difficulty of entering Canada under certain immigration classes (Makarenko). However, this most recent amendment has done nothing to discredit Canada’s reputation as having one of the world’s most open immigration policies in the world