● The First Canadians
● The Settlers
● French Canadians
● The Story of a Canadian

The Settlers

Canada, like the US, is very much a nation of immigrants. The number of aboriginal peoples was very small compared to the size of the country and in the last two centuries the Canadian population has grown because of official government immigration policies. These policies have largely been determined by economic considerations, and while nowadays Canadians celebrate their multicultural heritage, the policies which brought settlers to Canadian shores were always based on practical economic considerations. In short, immigration meant importing labour, and even today immigration policy is based on who the country needs to help it prosper.

Immigration policy has traditionally followed the demands of the changing Canadian labour market. From the 1890s through the 1920s, for example, the governments wanted to settle the prairie provinces and develop the mining industry and so it encouraged immigration from central and eastern Europe, a source of farmers and miners who would bring the skills necessary to develop these two industries in the new country. In the same period, Chinese labourers fled the political upheavals and economic deprivations in their country and came to Canada to help build the railroad. They were denied many rights, but

Chinese Railroad Workers

Vancouver Chinatown

nevertheless decided to stay in Canada and now, for example, the west coast city of Vancouver is home to the second largest Chinese community in North America, after San Francisco. Japanese came to fish, Ukrainians came to farm and Finns came to harvest the forests. Sometimes, Canada had difficulty tempting enough new immigrants: for many, the United States was and remains the first choice.

During the Great Depression of the 1930s, when thousands were thrown out of work, Canada's immigration market was closed to virtually everyone but Britons and Americans. It refused to accept refugees fleeing from Hitler's Germany and banned Asian immigration. But when World War II ended, an economic upturn, demand for raw materials and increased consumer spending meant that Canada opened its doors again and looked abroad for workers. Nevertheless, it was those nationalities Canadian policy—makers thought would fit most easily into Canada that were courted, and restrictions on Asians persisted, while Britons, Americans and Northern Europeans were welcomed. They were offered special low fares, land grants, and other incentives to come, and come they did. Between 1947 and 1991, the Canadian population doubled, rising from 13 million to 27 million—and this was largely due to immigration.

This Notice Was Distributed throughout British Columbia.

Immigration policy is directed by both provincial and federal governments, and at time this has led to particular tensions. When the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbour in 1941, in both Canada and the United States, the Japanese population, which was mainly concentrated on the west coast of North America, suddenly seemed to be a potential security threat to the local population, who feared they would assist in an invasion. In Canada, federal policy—makers were not worried about the small numbers of west coast Japanese, but local governments campaigned hard to have this "threat" dealt with. In the end, the Japanese were removed from the coasts and kept in camps east of the Rocky Mountains.

In more recent years, the federal government has encouraged Asian immigration, offering passports to those with capital and/or entrepreneurial skills. Would—be immigrants with more than $250 000 (Cdn) to invest in businesses that will create jobs and wealth were welcomed to apply to come to Canada, along with their families, in the Immigration Act of 1976. Again, this federal policy, which created a new category of "entrepreneurial immigrants" has had consequences for local populations. In the late 1980s, Vancouver, already the home of a long—established Chinatown, became a magnet for rich business people from Hong Kong. In most cases, immigrants are poor and begin their new life at the lowest rung of society, but wealthy Hong Kong immigrants arrived able to buy up property and businesses, and their presence rapidly changed the way Vancouver looks. Cantonese traffic signs and shopping centres that catered to Chinese customers soon sprang up in areas of the city.

One of the most visible signs of this new presence is the construction of what have become known as "monster houses" because of their huge size. New arrivals bought up small, family homes, with their traditional gardens, had them demolished and in their place erected large, opulent houses that filled the entire lot. Such actions drove up property prices and "destroyed" the traditional character of neighbourhoods, causing some resentment among established residents. And in local Vancouver schools, it is estimated that more than half the students speak Cantonese, rather than English, as their first language. The Canadian commitment to the "mosaic" means that such special needs are catered for and so, to accommodate these new Canadians, a large number of Cantonese speakers have been hired to teach in schools. Cantonese—speaking parents have complained that they brought their kids to Canada in the hope that they would learn to speak English. Instead, they are taught in Cantonese, shop in Cantonese and socialise in Cantonese.

Such frictions are an inevitable part of finding a place and making a "home" in a new society, but Canada continues to encourage new settlers to its shores. The incentive remains largely economic. Canada has an aging population and a falling birthrate. Policy—makers realize that they need to encourage immigration in order to ensure a strong work force and the tax base the government needs to support its expenditures into the next century.

A Poster Showing Discrimination against Chinese

There have long been racist overtones to Canadian attitudes to immigration, in that white Europeans have been favoured because it was felt they would fit most easily into Canadian society. This, along with the purely economic concerns that have informed immigration policy make Canada look hardheaded rather than humanitarian. Canada's refusal to assist refugees in World War II is a particular source of shame, and more recent governments have tried to make amends for such injustices, such as apologizing to loyal Japanese Canadians who were imprisoned and had their property taken away during the war.

Vietnamese Boat People

More positively, Canadian public opinion was moved by the plight of the Vietnamese "boat people" who fled their country in large numbers in 1979. Public opinion persuaded the government to assist the boat people and by the end of 1980, Canada had the highest per capita intake of Vietnamese refugees in the world, topping 60000 Vietnamese, Cambodians, and Laotians.

Due to changes in immigration regulations and practices, the Canadian immigration record is significantly less racist than it used to be. In 1967, less than 15 per cent of immigrants to Canada were black or Asian. By 1975 this figure had doubled and a debate about the number of visible minorities arriving in Canada had been sparked as white Canadians began to worry about what impact the arrival of large numbers of people speaking unfamiliar languages and with alien cultures, would have. However, by 1985, more than 60 per cent of immigrants were non—European. As in Australia, however, immigration remains an explosive political issue.

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