Canadian Immigration Policy

Paper Summary:

This paper looks at Canada's immigration policy in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and argues that Canada's racist immigration policies towards the Chinese were also instrumentalist in the sense that certain types of Chinese were allowed into the country if it was felt they could benefit business interests. The paper explores some of the controversies which compelled politicians at both levels of government to act as they did.

From the Paper:

"The simple reality is that Canadian immigration policy during the early years of the twentieth century was driven as much by economic and practical considerations as it was driven by racial and/or cultural considerations - albeit, at least in the case of the Chinese, these items still played a role in the determination of who entered Canada and who did not. For example, Clifford Sifton pursued an immigration policy that sought out farmers from Eastern Europe on the grounds that a) they would be good farmers and diligent labourers; and b) their experiences on the rugged Canadian farmland - experiences shared by most other Canadians - would gradually allow for their assimilation into the larger English-Canadian community (Knowles, para.4)."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Avery, Donald H. Reluctant Host: Canada's Response to Immigrant Workers, 1896-1944. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 1995.
• Bangarth, Stephanie D. "We Are not Asking You to Open Wide the Gates for Chinese Immigration: The Committee for the Repeal of the Chinese Immigration Act and Early Human Rights Activism in Canada." Canadian Historical Review, 84.3 (2003): 395-422.
• Government of Canada. Royal Commission on Chinese and Japanese Immigration: Report. Ottawa: King's Printer, 1902.
• Halli, Shiva S. "Destination Canada: Immigration Debates and Issues (book review)." Canadian Ethnic Studies Journal. Mar. 2003. Findarticles.com. 7 Mar. 2007 <http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_go1963/is_200303/ai_n6525375>
• Knowles, Valerie. "An Excerpt from, Strangers at Our Gates: Canadian Immigration and Immigration Policy, 1540-1990." Valerie Knowles Books. N.d. Valerieknowles.com. 7 Mar. 2007 <http://www.valerieknowles.com/strangers_excerpt.html>

More papers on Canadian Immigration Policy:

• Analytical Essay # 132210 : "Anti-Chinese Sentiment and Canadian Immigration Policy"
• Analytical Essay # 132432 : "The Evolution of Canadian Immigration Policy"
• Term Paper # 102558 : "Canadian Immigration Policy"
• Persuasive Essay # 88760 : "Canadian Immigration Policy"

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