IMMIGRATION’S POST-WAR BOOM By MARY PLATA

Canadian immigration policy continued to be restrictive in the first couple of years following the Second world war. Canada would become a land of hope and opportunity for thousand of Europe’s war early and oppressed The Canadian government's demonstrated sympathy for Europeans refugees, displaces people and indicated interest in Europe’s homeless.

The Pro-Immigration Lobby The government steadfastly resisted the idea of increasing immigration, a growing number of Canadian, representing a variety of interests, spoke out in favour of lowering immigration barriers. That meant: A Large population and therefore a large market, more economies of scale and greater productivity.

The European Refugees The whole question of Canada's exclusionist immigration policy was thrown into sharp relief by the presence of over a million displaces persons and refugees languishing in crowded European shelters maintained by Unite Nations agencies.

Some of these people were concentration camp survivors, while others were individuals who had been dispatched to labour camps in Germany and Austria. Demands for a more humane immigration policy multiply as increasing number of Canadians, reacting to the situation of the displaced persons and refugees, called for the prompt admission of these people on the grounds of “simple human decency”

CNCR Canadian National Committee on Refugee. The CNCR made several recommendations, among which was a request that Canada state her policy on displaced persons without waiting for decisions from the United Nations. When it comes to immigration policy, declared the refugee organization, Canada should distinguish between two categories of immigrants: a.General immigrants b.Refugees and displaced persons

Move to Liberalize Immigration Policy On May 28, 1946 the cabinet allow residents of Canada, who were capable of caring for them, to sponsor the admission of first degree relatives in Europe plus orphaned nieces and nephews under sixteen years of age. Made provision for Canadian officials to accept identity and travel documents instead of passport from displaced persons.

Canadian War Brides Among the other notable newcomers in this early post-war year were war brides who had married members of Canada’s fighting forces. Between 1942 and 1947, close to people arrived in this country. Over came from England.

A New Policy on immigration The policy of the government is to foster the growth of the population of Canada by the encouragement of immigration. To allow enough immigrants to enter the country to meet domestic labour shortages but not enough to disrupt the Canadian labour market.

Besides making a pitch to those Canadians concerned about an increase in immigration, King tried to pacify those opposed to Oriental immigration. He did this by defending Canada's right to discriminate, stating that the racial and national balance of immigration would be regulate so as not to alter the fundamental character of the Canadian population.

Ethnic origin was also central to the screening process. Acting on instructions from Ottawa, the Canadian officials routinely rejected Jewish applicants, even though the Jews had been the most abused victims of the Fascists.

Immigration of Balts to Canada The Balts were Estonians, Latvians, and Lithuanians who had found themselves caught between German and Soviet forces in the Second World War, opposing Soviet occupation of their respective countries in 1940, the German invasion that followed, and then the advance of the Russian forces Between 1948 and 1950, groups of these illegal immigrants, numbering in total people, made their way by small, often unseaworthy, boats to Canadian ports.

Refugee Labour Humanitarianism undoubtedly played a role in Canada’s decision to admit large numbers of non-sponsored displaces person, such as Estonians in Germany and Sweden. At the time of the Suez crisis, the economy was again buoyant and most Canadian were hard pressed to find economic reasons by they should not welcome more immigrants.

The department of Citizenship and Immigration noted that it had sole responsibility for the placement of Hungarian refugees and pending their establishment, for ensuring that they had food and shelter. Trough the generosity of voluntary groups and individuals a number of refugees were taken into private homes while others were placed in receptions centres across the country.

The Downturn in Immigration As the Canadian economy became more and more sluggish, the newly elected Progressive Conservative government turned the tap. As a result, immigration was drastically reduce. In 1950, thousands of Dutch farm families and single agriculturalists came to Canada under the auspices of the “Netherlands Farm Families Movement”, an immigration scheme worked out by the Canadian and Dutch government.