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Great Migration from Britiain
At this time there was a period of high immigration from Britain to colonies in the New World. This lasted till 1850 and was caused by higher economic success in Europe from the Industrial Revolution making the number of available jobs low. People were forced to look in the New World for success and jobs. -
Founding of Canada
On July 1, 1867, the colonies of Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick united into the dominion of Canada. Then the province of Canada split into Ontario and Quebec. The confederation was accomplished when the Queen gave royal assent to the British North America Act. After this Jonh A. Macdonald became the first Canadian Prime Minister. -
Chinese Head Tax
The Chinese head tax was a tax put on Chinese people entering Canada due to the Chinese Immigration Act (1855). At first, the tax was $50 but was amended, even making the tax $500 in 1904. So people did not have to pay the tax because of their background and occupation. Through this, the Canadian government collected around $33 million. This tax was later abolished by the Chinese Immigration Act of 1923. -
Komagata Maru Incident
A Japanese steamship, Komagate Maru, came from Hong Kong and was on course to British Columbia. Onboard were 376 passengers from Punjab, British India. They were denied entry and forced to go back to where they came from. This is an instance where Canada used immigration control to exclude immgrants. -
Internment of Ukrainian Canadians
The internment of Ukranian-Canadians was the result of when Ukraine fell into enemy territory in World War I. Canada used the War Measures Act to make the arrests. Many of the arrested's homes and possessions were seized by the government. They were forced to labour without wage and continued to work long after the war ended. -
Internment of Italian Canadians
In World War II, Italian-Canadians were arrested as Italy had declared war on Canada. Men were mainly focused for the arrest, but some of the families had to come with them. The government took possession of some of the arrested belongings. A total of about 700 people were affected during this time. -
Internment of Japanese Canadians
During World War II, Japan had attacked Pearl Harbour. This led to the Canadian government's decision to move people of Japanese origin away from the west coast. This decision caused more than 20,000 men, woman, and children to move inland. The Canadian government then sold the Japanese's possessions leaving the Japanese people with nothing. -
Creation of Immigration Catergories
Through the Immigration Act, categories were established of who can come to Canada from other countries. The categories are as following: refugees, families, assisted relatives, and independent immigrants and the objectives of each category are different. Canada wants only the best of the immigrants so the majority of immigrants are skilled workers or business people. -
Refugees being added as an immigration catergory
When the new Immigration Act was tabled it was the first piece of legislation recognizing refugees as a class of immigrants. This Act aimed to “fulfill Canada’s international legal obligations with respect to refugees and to uphold its humanitarian tradition with respect to the displaced and the persecuted.” This Act allowed refugees to be privately sponsored and provided admission on humanitarian grounds of designated classes. This came into effect in 1978. -
Immigration Act
The Immigration Act was Canada's first immigration act to outline its fundamental goals. This Act recognized three different classes of immigrants as well as imposing a mandatory responsibility on the government to plan for the future of immigration. The classes of invalid immigrants were also changed. The Act's key feature was to make the minister work more closely with the provinces and territories regarding immigration planning and management. This came into effect in 1978. -
Singh Decision
The Canadian government denied and rejected Satman Singh of refugee status under the Immigration Act (1976). The case later proceeded to the Supreme Court later ruling in his favor as this decision violated Section 7 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. As a result, this allowed people claiming refugee status to have the right to a hearing, the establishment of the Immigration and Refugee Board, and making the Canadian government provide necessities for the people waiting for a hearing. -
Immigration and Refugee Protection Act
Immigration and Refugee Protection Act was enforced in 2002 creating a framework detailing the goals and guidelines for the Canadian government regarding immigration. This Act aimed to (with respect to immigration) integrate immigrants and protect the well-being of Canadians while gaining the maximum amount of economic, social, and cultural success. This Act also created different categories of immigrants with different goals in each catergory.
