{ Canadian Immigration & Refugees

 Prior to World War I: massive immigration boom  During World War I: fears of sabotage from German, Austrian and Hungarian people  These people were labelled as enemy aliens and restrictions were placed on them under the War Measures Act A Recap of Canadian Immigration Policies

 There were also deep-seated prejudices against people of other ethnic groups currently living in Canada  Discrimination against Chinese-Canadians since the days of the CPR  Chinese Exclusion Act of 1923 eliminated the head tax but made it almost impossible for people to immigrate from Asia  Komogata Maru Incident (1914) – arrived in Vancouver harbour with 376 immigrants from India; were denied entry because they had not arrived via continuous passage  1917: Government announced a list of “preferred” and “non-preferred” countries

 Post-WWI: massive immigration boom, mostly coming from England, Poland, the US, Scotland and Ireland  Discrimination against “enemy aliens” and many other ethnic groups still present  World War II: once again, enemy aliens were required to register with the gov’t (fears of sabotage or espionage)  Particular prejudice against Jewish and Japanese immigrants  British and American immigrants preferred, immigrants of other backgrounds actively discouraged

 Post-WW II: borders re-opened, another boom of immigration  Most immigrants included war brides from England, Scotland and Wales  Immigrants also included many displaced persons and refugees  Immigration Act of 1952: gave powers to a new Minister of Immigration  Practice of barring immigrants based on ethnic origin continued  1960’s - demand for immigrants meant open doors for new arrivals

 Changes to the Canadian immigration policy are traditionally made based on economic need within Canada  Changes are often made to encourage more skilled workers to immigrate or to encourage wealthy immigrants to invest in Canadian business Changes to the Canadian Immigration Policy

 1962 – new legislation removes most limits on immigrants of Asian, African and other origins  1967 – legislations made Canada’s immigration policy “colour blind”  Immigrants now chosen using a points system based on education and employment prospects  National and racial origins no longer factors Changes to the Canadian Immigration Policy Cont’d

 Introduced in 1971 under Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau  Official policy of the Canadian gov’t  Encouraged the country’s different ethnic groups to express their cultures  Programs set up to make immigrants feel at home in Canada and to prevent racism by promoting respect for all cultures Multiculturalism

 Late 1960’s – Canada makes larger allowances for refugees fleeing persecution in their own homeland  1976 – changes to the immigration policy allows immigration of family members with relatives already in Canada Continued Policy Change

 1978 – Canada’s Immigration Act is put into law  Created four categories of immigrants:  Independents  Family  Assisted relatives  Humanitarian (ex. refugees)  Revised the points system  Removes restrictions placed on people with mental or physical handicaps  A series of Bills through the 1980’s and 1990’s would revise the immigration policy further, getting rid of the most restrictive pieces of the screening process and outlining the process for refugees claiming protection in Canada

 Points system: must have 67/100  Criteria used includes education, fluency in English or French, experience and employment opportunities  Ex. higher education = more points  Same four categories (family, humanitarian, independents & assisted relatives)  Many people criticize Canada’s immigration system saying that it is “too open” Today’s Immigration Policy

What does this cartoon say about the author’s beliefs about Canada’s immigration system?

 Poverty in Canada:  decreased education or limited access to well-paying jobs means that many immigrants are a part of the low-income bracket  Many often arrive during economic recessions which means fewer jobs are available  Many immigrants face issues trying to get their foreign credentials and education recognized here in Canada  Ex. Doctors who end up in minimum wage jobs  Racism or discrimination from people within Canada  Difficulty finding work or a place to live  No job makes it hard to afford a place to live  Language barriers  While communicating in French or English is part of the screening process, many people have been allowed to immigrate even if they cannot communicate in either language (often those who are part of the family or assisted living groups) Immigration Problems

 Definition: people who have left their countries for fear of persecution based on race, religion, nationality or political opinions  If you seek refugee status in another country = “asylum seeker”  Economic migrant = a person who leaves their home because of poverty (but does not fear persecution Background:  1969: Canada signs the UN Convention on Refugees – granted right for refugees to seek asylum but does not impose an obligation for states to grant asylum Refugees

 Once they have applied and have had their initial hearing, asylum seekers are released while their case is considered  30,000 back-logged cases; 4,000 disappear into Canadian or US cities each year  Estimated that 25,000 illegal migrants enter Canada each year What happens to people after they arrive?

Boat People:  Summer 1999: 500 economic migrants from China arrived off the coast of Vancouver Isl.  Summer 2010: 490 Tamil migrants seeking asylum arrived off Canada’s West Coast  Concerns as to whether or not there are human smugglers or terrorists (Tamil extremists) on board  In both cases: many of these people have had their cases heard and then they have been released to await their final trial date Illegal Migrants in BC

The MV Sun Sea arrives August 2010 from Sri Lanka filled with 490 Tamil migrants seeking refugee. Many Canadians argued that we should have turned these people away in international waters (similar to the US policy).

 Research the current refugee crisis and write a well- developed paragraph summary answering the following questions:  Who are the refugees?  What countries are they fleeing from?  Where are they trying to get to?  Why are these people fleeing their home countries?  How is Canada responding to the crisis?  Do you agree or disagree with our response? What do you think we should be doing to respond to this crisis? Current Refugee Crisis