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The colinization of New France
On july 3rd 1608, Samuel de Champlain, set foot at the point of Quebec, formerly known as New France. He, having the desire to have french culture in Canada, set up the first french settlement. This being the beginning of Quebec city. With the news of such a settlement, the people of France began to immigrate to Canada. -
Creation of The Hudsons Bay Company
During a voyage to the west, Henry Hudson and his crew ended up stranded inthe Hudsons Bay, a result of heavy winds and large amounts of sea ice. This unfortunate event led to the first ever trade between the europeans and the native americans. Furthermore leading to the creation of The Hudsons Bay Company. This idea of trades between two cultures attracted many people, adding to the amount of immigration to Canada. -
The Break up of the Scottish clans
During the Jacobite rising of 1745, the Scottish clan system was destroyed. After the rising, the Scotts were striped of their sense of clan identity as the government banned the wearing of highland dresses and tartans. This drove many clansmen leaving to the Americas, later leading towards what was known as the Highland clearances. -
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Great migration of Canada
The great migration of Canada involved over 800,000 immigrants from all across Europe making it one of the highest periods of immigration to Canada. As the industrial revolution was sweeping Europe, the number of jobs was at an all time low due to population growth. This led to many of the European natives to search elsewhere for employment, Canada being the perfect place. -
Slavery abolished in Canada
In 1833, the British parliament abolished slavery across the British Empire. This act became affective the following year on August 1st of 1834. The abolishment of slavery gave African American people a sense of relief, as well as a safe place to live. Many travelled to Canada via the underground railway, causing a peak of immigration. -
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The great potato famine
The great potato famine was a period of mass starvation and disease all throughout Ireland. The famine was caused due to a disease killing all potato crops across the country. As the potato being about 2/5ths of the population’s necessity to live, during the famine more than 1 million people emigrated, 100,000 of them to Canada. -
The Dominion lands act
The Domimion Lands act was a Canadian Law encouraging immigrants to come to Canada, creating settlement in the prairies. Canada offered ownership of 160 acres of free land to any man or woman over 18 years of age, thus attracting many European and American pioneers. Settlers from eastern Canada came as well, creating a wide spread of cultures. This act populated a large part of Canada as well as advanced the immigration process. -
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Great Western Migration
Large availibility of farming land as well as the rising price of grain were the commencment of the great western migration. Immigrants of Great Britain, Continental Europe as well as East Asia were the primary people coming to Canada.During this period the Chinese also immigrated to Canada,brought in to work on the raillways.Once all construction was completed, Canada became even more intruiging as transportation was easy via the railway.Canada attracted many at this time,populating our nation. -
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The Canadian pacific railway
The Canadian pacific railway, originally built in 1881 between Eastern Canada and British Columbia fulfilled its purpose of being Canada’s first transcontinental railway. The construction of the railway was lengthy and required many workers. This led to the immigration of many Chinese persons coming to Canada as well as later on the Chinese head tax. -
Chinese headtax
Due to an overpopulation of Chinese immigrants coming to Canada as workers of the railway, the federal parliment passed The Chinese Immigration Act. The act stated that each Chinese immigrant entering Canada was to pay a fee of 50$ which later turned to 500$. This fee, later reffered to as a head tax, halted and greatly minimized all imigration from China to Canada. -
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Ukrainian immigration wave
During the 19th century, famine was a reoccurring situation in Ukrainian territory in Europe. Being one of the most overpopulated and poorest regions, Austrian Galicia’s population began to quickly decrease, as many of its inhabitants immigrated to Canada. While promoting new agricultural immigrants to the prairies, Clifford Sifton; Canada’s minister of the interior at the time, highly encouraged the immigration of Ukrainians to Canada. -
Open Door policy
In the late 1800`s, the Canadian government was anxious to fill the western territories with settlers. With this in mind, Prime minister Wilfred Laurier`s liberal government intoduced an open door policy to Canada,developed by his Federal Minister of the Interior, Clifford Sifton. Siftons policy was not open to just anyone, he wanted ``good farmers``preferably Americans, British and select Europeans. Even with this restrictive selction, he quickly populated the praries,increasing immigration. -
The migration of Doukhobors
The Doukhobors people were an extremely controversial religious group of Russian origin. With their opposing beliefs, disagreeing with their current government, a larger amount of pressure was enforced, implementing that they obey the government’s laws and opinions. This caused them to retaliate, gaining the attention of many. The Russian government eventually decided to allow the doukhobors people to leave Russia, leading many of them (approx. 6,000) to Canada. -
The Continuous Journey Regulation
In an attempt to restrict immigration to from India, the Canadian government passed an order-in-council prohibiting the immigration of anyone who ``did not come from the country of their birth or citizenship by a continuous journey``. This particularly concerning ships coming from India as they would have to stop off in either Japan or Hawaii during the trip. This act halted most of all immigration from India to Canada, creating an immigrational gap between the two cultures. -
Komagata Maru
The Komagata Maru was a Japanese steamship travelling from Hong Kong to Vancouve BC in 1914. The ship was carrying 376 passengers of from Punjab, British India, all hoping to start a new life in America. However the ship was halted upon arrival in Canada and denied enterence as a result of government laws, forcing all but 24 passengers to return to India. This incident closed many doors surrounding the idea of immigration to Canada from India for decades.
