Canadian Immigration Forging Our Legacy

Period of Settlement 1775-90 – Loyalists from the newly formed United States, migrate north to British territory 1790-1812 – Other settlers from the U.S. begin to farm in Upper Canada. 1815-40 – Immigrants are mainly Irish and Scottish, others come from the U.S. and Germany.

1845-52 – Irish Potato famine causes thousands of Irish to immigrate to Canada. They form new cities and help build railways, roads, and canals. 1854-80 – Majority of immigrants are English, Scottish, German, Irish, and American. Chinese immigrate to B.C.. Canada’s immigration can not keep up with the number of people leaving for the U.S. 1872 Dominion Lands Act that granted a quarter section of free land (160 acres) to any settler 21 years of age or older who paid a ten dollar registration fee, lived on his quarter section for three years, cultivated 30 acres and built a permanent dwelling

1890s Canadian immigration start to look up Clifford Sifton, Minister of the Interior began a vigorous campaign to promote the West A torrent of pamphlets and posters in several languages flooded Great Britain, Europe and the U.S. 1890-1900 – Large-scale settlement of the prairies, through government advertisements aimed at farmers in the U.S. and Britain, then west and eastern Europe

Horse-drawn wagon pulled through rural Britain to attract potential immigrants. National Archives of Canada

Reads “Canada: 160 acres of free land for every settler” Norwegian poster Issued in the 1890s Reads “Canada: 160 acres of free land for every settler” http://www.cic.gc.ca/EnGLIsh/resources/publications/legacy/chap-2.asp

Advertisement used to attract immigrants to Canada from Great Britain. National Archives of Canada

Advertisement for settlement in Western Canada. National Archives of Canada

1880-90 – More Chinese come to work on the CPR, which helps open the prairies for settlement. British, German, and Scandinavian people come in increasing numbers from the U.S. mostly as cattle ranchers

1900s Sifton focused on recruiting from Eastern and Central Europe. He stated his ideal settler as: “… something that is quite different from what the is in the mind of the average writer or speaker upon the question of immigration. I think that a stalwart peasant in a sheepskin coat, born on the soil, whose forefathers have been farmers for ten generations, with a stout wife and half dozen children, is good quality.”

Arrival of Galician immigrants in Quebec City, on their way to the West. ca. 1911 National Archives of Canada

Advertisement written in Dutch to advertise settlement in Canada Advertisement written in Dutch to advertise settlement in Canada. The poster features pictures of Vancouver, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, and Winnipeg. National Archives of Canada

1900-14 – Immigration increases dramatically 1900-14 – Immigration increases dramatically. More than one million people come from Britain. Another million from the U.S.. Numerous ethnic groups from Europe: Germans, Poles, Ukrainians, Dutch, Norwegians, Swedes, Jews, and Italians. 1914-18 – The Great War (World War I) reduces immigration drastically.

Map of southern Alberta showing the disposition of homestead lands 1913 National Archives of Canada

1919-30 – Immigration resumes 1919-30 – Immigration resumes. Most people are from the same places as earlier. About 1.5 million people come during this time, mostly to Ontario, the prairies, and B.C. 1931-39 – The Great Depression puts millions of Canadians out of work. The government shuts down the immigration program, only 130 000 people come to Canada during this period. 1939-45 – Fewer people are allowed in to Canada during World War II, only about 98,000 What happened at this time?

Immigration poster from the 1920s Immigration poster from the 1920s. A change from earlier advertisements that focused mainly on immigration.

What Attracted Immigrants to Canada? Advertising- Clifford Sifton organized mass advertising in many European countries. Agents assisted interested immigrants into moving to Canada. - Cheap land- The government promised settlers inexpensive land. In 1872 land was offered for free in the West. - Jobs- In many countries of Europe it was difficult to get a job, and they saw Canada as a land of opportunity.

Political and Religious Freedom- Immigrants saw Canada as a place they could freely practice their religion. Others came so they were not forced to do things by the government they lived under. Friends and relations- Many immigrants came to Canada because they knew people who had already immigrated here; family members, former neighbors, or people of the same ethnic background were the comfort factors in deciding to immigrate.

Immigration in Recent Times In 1947 Canadian Prime Minister Mackenzie King made a realization that if Canada limits its immigration the population of the country would grow relatively slowly, endangering the viability of a country as large as Canada. The main goals of Canada’s immigration policy did not change, it was for economic reasons. Jobs needed to be filled and the gov’t set out to get immigrants to fill them.

Canada’s Immigration under Mackenzie King ALLOWING: British and U.S. subjects who would not be a burden in Canada relatives of Canadian residents those who can work in primary industries- refugees, displaced persons, and Polish ex-soldiers

Immigration in Canada was still dominated by European peoples through to the 1960s. In 1967 when all ethnic and national restrictions were removed it paved the way for Asian immigrants to move to Canada. This meant Canada did not give preference to immigrants from Europe and the U.S. as they had done for the past 100+ years.

The Point System Canada set up a point system for selecting immigrants. People received points according to their education, job demand, age, ability to speak English or French, location they were willing to live, along with other criteria. With the point system in place Canada was able to seek out more highly skilled immigrants.

The Face of Canada Changes Once immigration laws changed it allowed many new ethnic groups and nationalities to immigrate to Canada: - Indians (from India) - Sri Lankans - Pakistanis - Sikhs - Chinese - Africans - Arabs - Latin Americans - Filipinos - Vietnamese - Khmers - Laotians - Thais - Malays - Indonesians - Israelis - Koreans - Sudanese …and many more

Multicultural Policy In 1971 Canada’s Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau declared Canada a Multicultural country, one where all cultures will be equal. Canada continues to attract and allows immigrants from all nations and ethnicities from around the world. But could there be change in the future?

Manitoba immigration poster from the 1890s. http://www.mhs.mb.ca/docs/features/walkingtours/pointdouglas/index.shtml

Chinese settlement in Victoria, B.C., 1886 Asian immigrant Head Tax Certificate, 1919. National Archives of Canada

Poster to attract Francophones