Canadian Immigration

1
Canadian Immigration

• Multiculturalism?
• Melting Pot?

2
The definition
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• Immigration
• To enter and settle in a country or region to
  which one is not native.
• Multiculturalism
• A social or educational theory that encourages
  interest in many cultures within a society rather
  than in only a mainstream culture
• A social and political movement and position that
  holds differences between individuals and groups
  to be a potential source of strength and renewal
  rather than of strife. It values the diverse
  perspectives people develop and maintain through
  varieties of experience and background stemming
  from racial, ethnic, gender, sexual orientation
  and/or class differences in our society. It
  strives to uphold the ideals of equality, equity
  and freedom and includes respect for individuals
  and groups as a principle fundamental to the
  success and growth of our country.

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The Good
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We are all Immigrants

• All Canadians, including the Native People (this
  is up for debate), can trace their origins to an
  immigrant past. This does not mean that the
  majority of Canadians are immigrants.

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We are all Immigrants

• The 2006 census had over 200 different ethnic
  origins reported
• The 2006 census also found that 19.8 of the
  population was born outside Canada

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Multiculturalism Act

• In July 1988 the Multiculturalism Act was adopted
• Canada was the first country in the world to pass
  a national multiculturalism law.

8
Multiculturalism Act

• The following are the stated goals of the act
• promote the understanding that multiculturalism
  reflects the cultural and racial diversity of
  Canadian society
• promote the understanding that multiculturalism
  is a fundamental characteristic of the Canadian
  heritage and identity
• ensure that all individuals receive equal
  treatment and equal protection under the law
• promote the understanding and creativity that
  arise from the interaction between individuals
  and communities of different origins
• foster the recognition and appreciation of the
  diverse cultures of Canadian society
• preserve and enhance the use of languages other
  than English and French, while strengthening the
  status and use of the official languages of
  Canada

9
Multiculturalism Day

• As of 2002 every June 27 is officially
  Multiculturalism Day in Canada
• According to the government it is an opportunity
  to celebrate our diversity and our commitment to
  democracy, equality and mutual respect and to
  appreciate the contributions of the various
  multicultural groups and communities to Canadian
  society.

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Charter of Rights and Freedoms

• Section 27 of the Charter states
• This Charter shall be interpreted in a manner
  consistent with the preservation and enhancement
  of the multicultural heritage of Canadians.
• It empowers the courts to take Canadas
  multicultural reality into account at the highest
  levels of decision-making.
• A relevant example is the issue of freedom of
  individual expression, which must take account of
  the prohibition against racial slurs or
  circulation of racially based hate propaganda.

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Charter of Rights and Freedoms

• Section 15(1) states
• Every individual is equal before and under the
  law and has the right to equal protection and
  equal benefit of the law without discrimination
  and, in particular, without discrimination based
  on race, national or ethnic origin, colour,
  religion, sex, age, or mental or physical
  disability.

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Apologies

• 1988 Government apologized to Japanese
  Canadians for the wrongful incarceration, seizure
  of property and the disenfranchisement of
  Japanese Canadians during World War II and
  offered compensation
• 2006 - Government apologized to Chinese
  Canadians for the head tax that was imposed on
  Chinese immigrants until 1923 and Canadas
  subsequent refusal, until 1947, to accept Chinese
  immigrants
• 2008 Government apologized to First Nations of
  Canada for the residential school experience that
  was imposed upon them and offered compensation

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The Bad
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Chinese Exclusion Act

• By 1885 some 17 000 Chinese labourers had helped
  build the trans continental railway
• In spite of this in 1885 a head tax on Chinese
  immigration was implemented starting at 50 then
  increasing to 100 in 1900 and to 500 in 1903
• While it existed the Canadian government
  collected some 23 million
• July 1 1923 the Chinese Exclusion Act came into
  affect and effectively banned Chinese immigration
  for 25 years

15
Continuous Journey Regulation

• In 1908 Canada passed the Continuous Journey
  Regulation which required that immigrants must
  travel from their country of origin to Canada
  without a stop over else where
• In practice this regulation only applied to
  people coming from India
• In 1914, a year after Canada accepted some 400
  000 immigrants (still a record) a steamship from
  India carrying 376 Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs was
  not allowed to land in Canada
• Interestingly all 376 people were British
  subjects the same as everyone living in Canada at
  that time

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Ku Klux Klan

• Came to Saskatchewan in 1926
• By 1928 they were established in 100 towns and
  cities in Saskatchewan with its head in Moose Jaw
• At its height the Klan had 40 000 members which
  was the second largest organization in the
  Province and the largest membership in the Klan
  outside of the USA

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Ku Klux Klan

• Klan in Saskatchewan attacked the unassimilable
  immigrants from central and south eastern Europe
• Klan both in Saskatchewan and central Canada
  would attack the Roman Catholics and the French
• In B.C. the Klan would attack the Chinese and
  Asian immigrants

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Ku Klux Klan

• The Klan became powerful enough that Saskatchewan
  premier J.G. Gardiner even debated them
• Gardiners Liberal party would be defeated in
  1929 primarily on issues brought up by the Klan
• In 1930 the Klan would disappear from the
  province and would not return for 50 years

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Internment Camps

• World War I
• During the war Canada registered some 80 000
  enemy aliens
• Some 8 600 of these aliens were placed into
  internment camps
• While designed to hold enemy combatants the camps
  tended to hold people who were either poor or
  subject to prejudice by the average Canadian

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Internment Camps

• World War II
• In 1940 government defined enemy aliens as any
  German or Italian immigrant who was naturalized
  since 1922, later the Communist party members
  were added
• As a result some 30 000 people were registered
  and some 500 Italians and 100 Communists were
  interned

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Internment Camps

• World War II
• Canada at the request of the British government
  interned some 700 Jewish refugees from the
  Holocaust on the grounds that some might be spies
• In 1942 some 22 000 Japanese Canadians were
  removed from their homes and sent to internment
  camps, road construction camps, self supporting
  camps or if they complained prisoner of war camps

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The Question
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Issues

• Should Canada make it easier for foreign trained
  professionals to work in Canada?
• Should Canada be cracking down on the boat people
  who come to Canada?
• Should Canada be examining marriages to
  foreigners more closely?
• Should Canada make immigration easier?

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• Is multiculturalism in Canada dead?