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10,000 BCE
Indigenous Peoples
The first immigrants to what is Now North America is believed to be about 12,000 during the last major ice age. People immigrated from Asia across the ice/land bridge that was created when the sea levels were lower due to all the ice on the land. -
1000
Vikings
The first Vikings are believed to have reached modern day Newfoundland. There is evidence of small communities along the Eastern shore of North America -
1497
European Arrival
John Cabot explores the North Atlantic, commissioned by the English King. Over the next few decades, the French, Portuguese, Spanish, and Dutch also arrive. The French were likely the first to build or attempt to build permanent settlements. -
1500
Racism Part I
Obviously the Indigenous Peoples of Canada never asked the Europeans to come. The Europeans never asked the Indigenous people how they felt. For the most part treated them poorly and unfairly, and for the next 600 years did what they could to either take advantage of them, ignore them, or outright destroy their cultural identity. -
Period: 1500 to
First European Immigrants
Over the next 350 years, European immigrants continue to arrive to work in the fur trade, as well as beginning to create larger and larger settlements. primarily agriculture at first, by the mid to late 1800's cities and industry were a reality.
European immigrants primarily started stayed close to modern Ontario and Quebec initial, but as the fur trade expanded so did the spread of Europeans. -
Empire Loyalists
The American Revolution (1775-1783) drove immigrants to Canada who wished to remain British citizens. -
Racism Part 2
When Canada became a country in 1867, the organizers were originally primarily from the UK. The second most numerous group were Francophones. As more and more Europeans immigrated to Canada, there was a distinct bias towards Anglophones from the UK or America. Other Northern and Central Europeans were tolerated but not encouraged (Scandinavia, Germany, Poland, Austria,...) Mediterranean Europeans were frowned upon (Slavic peoples and Italians), as were Jews, Asians, Romas and Muslims. -
Period: to
Expansion West
Predominantly European immigrants continued to come to Canada after it gained independence. Some stayed in Ontario and Quebec and the Maritime Provinces, but with little good farmland left and agriculture still the most important economic activity most moved onto the Prairies and BC. The type of Europeans also began to change a little bit - still mainly from the UK, central Europeans (Germany, Poland, Ukraine,...) also began to arrive to farm. -
Period: to
Asian Immigration
Asian Immigration, and especially Chinese Immigration, boomed during the 1850's when gold was discovered in BC. Immigrants came from China and from the US (after the California Gold Rush dried up). Chinese immigrants also came to work on the Trans Canada Railway. After 1885 when the railway was completed the government took strict measures to limit immigration from Asia. -
Racism Part 3
The Chinese Immigration Act (1885) placed an immigration tax on all Chinese people entering Canada. Starting at $50.00 and eventually rising to $500.00 it was cancelled in 1923 - only to be replaced by an absolute ban of Chinese immigrants until 1947.
Other Asian Immigrants also suffered during this time period, including immigrants from India (Komagata Maru Incident), Japan, and South East Asia. -
Period: to
Racism Part 4
During the Great Depression (1930's) Hitler came to power in Germany and began to imprison, deport, exile, and exterminate people of the Jewish faith. Many sought refuge in Canada and were turned away (racists attitudes towards Jews, and a misunderstanding of economic pressures around unemployment).
Americans of African decent who were no longer slaves, but were still the target of racism in the US also tried to flee to Canada and were not welcomed. -
Post World War II and Racism Part 5
After WWII, the economy boomed and workers were needed for all sectors of the economy. Immigrants were still preferred from the UK, and then gradually other European countries as well, but there was still much distrust and racism directed at other ethnic groups. Russians were also targeted during the Cold War because of their political beliefs. -
Points System
By 1970, Canada had introduced a point system to evaluate if new immigrants would be welcomed to Canada. Although appearing to be less prejudiced, there were inherent problems - like getting more points of you could speak English (so likely from the UK or America).
You scored more points if you were educated, had a job, had wealth, so the system did discriminate against people who were often coming to Canada looking for a better life. -
A Change in Policy
1971 marks an important year in Canadian immigration history. It marks the first year (and every year since) that immigrants from outside Europe have outnumbered immigrants from Europe. The 1960's and early 1970's a dramatic shift in attitudes towards equality, not just for immigrants, but gender and other areas as well. Since then, Canada has attempted to make the immigration less predjudiced. -
Refugees
The Immigration Act of 1978 reaffirmed Canada's commitment to help resettle refugees. Although they had accepted some Refugees prior, it was not always a goal, and many had been denied. By now, all immigrants were entitled to all the same rights as other Canadians, except the right to vote.
Through the 1980's and 1990's refugee status claims grew markedly, and many Canadians feared the system was being abused. Despite this, Canada continued to accept immigrants at an increasing rate. -
Immigration Today - Post 9/11
Immigration has tightened since the terrorist attacks on 9/11. Immigration and Refugee Protection Act was passed in 2002 to help facilitate this, but despite the tighter restrictions, Canada is still seen as one of the most open and accepting of refugees and immigrants in the world. over 300,000 people immigrated to Canada last year alone, and the number has trended up (steady increase) since the 1870's.