The 20th Century in Canada Immigration

Closing the Door to Immigration Many Canadians disliked Sifton’s “open-door immigration policy” Why? Labour organizations feared that unskilled workers might take jobs away from their union members. Some feared that the British character of Canada would be lost French-Canadians thought their culture and people would be overrun

B.C. & Immigration Immigration was a very thorny issue in British Columbia. Why? 1. Employers were hiring Asian immigrants in the mines, forests, and the canneries because they worked hard and for less money.

Frank Oliver Frank Oliver became the Minister of the Interior in 1905. He supported the Anti-Asian sentiment in B.C. He introduced a more selective immigration policy aimed at Asian immigrants. Provincial governments started to restrict Chinese, Japanese, and East Indian immigrants

B.C. – The “Golden Mountain” Chinese immigrants were the largest group of Asians in B.C. at the turn of the century. Why? Cariboo Gold Rush Construction of the CPR By 1891 close to 9400 Chinese living in B.C. Most of these men lived in Chinatowns in Vancouver, Victoria, Nanaimo, and New Westminster. Chinatown in San Francisco (1900)

Opponents of Asian Immigration Organizations formed such as the Asiatic Exclusion League (1907) In 1907 Lieutenant Governor James Dunsmuir refused to sign a Anti-Japanese Immigration bill a mob formed and destroyed much of Vancouver’s Chinatown. Brought worldwide attention onto the city of Vancouver, which was very embarrassing to Federal Government.

Why was the Federal Govt Upset? Japan was an ally of Great Britain. Prime Minister Laurier apologized to the Japanese government and created a Royal Commission to investigate the issue. The government did set a limit of 400 Japanese immigrants a year into Canada after this event.

By “Continuous Passage” Only Since 1904 Sikhs had been encouraged to immigrate to Canada by CPR agents. It was difficult to restrict East-Indian immigration because they were British subjects.

What did the Federal Government do to restrict East-Indian Immigration? The government amended the 1906 Immigration Act Immigrants were now required to come to Canada via a non-stop, direct route from their country of origin. But this was impossible from India.

The Komagata Maru Incident 1914 Gurdit Singh, an East Indian businessman, tried to challenge the amended Immigration Act. He charted the Komagata Maru and transported 354 Sikh immigrants to Vancouver.

The Komagata Maru Incident Continued The Komagata Maru left Hong Kong on April 4, 1914. The ship stopped in China and Japan before arriving in Vancouver on May 23, 1914. The Canadian Government quarantined the ship in the harbor. The ship sat in the harbor for two months before the Government escorted out of Vancouver harbour on July 23, 1914.

What happened to the Komagata Maru? The ship sailed back to Calcutta (Arriving on September 26, 1914) A British gunboat detained the ship and they were taken to Baj Baj, a suburb of Calcutta, where they were detained. The British officials told the Sikhs that were to be sent to Punjab via a special train The men refused due to religious and political reasons. Gurdit Singh tried to walk to Calcutta with the other occupants of the ship. A skirmish took place, gunfire ensued, and 20 East Indians were killed and nine were wounded.