Abstract This paper reviews the defining characteristics of the Canadian government's public policies regarding immigration and settlement in recent years, and the emphasis upon the economic value to Canada of immigrants and immigration. This essay argues, that if one examines Canadianimmigration and settlement policy in a larger historical context, one can recognize how both racism and sexism have been played important roles as primary factors in shaping these policies.
Abstract This paper looks at the evolution of the Canadianimmigrationpolicy since the Second World War. Specifically, it discusses the dramatic shift which took place in the 1960s as Canada began to move away from its old preferential immigrationpolicy under the Pearson government. Further, the paper analyzes how political, economic and demographic factors created a remarkable amount of momentum for policies which opened the doors (and kept them open) for non-European arrivals from the latter 1960s onward.
From the Paper "Lastly, Canada has moved substantially towards an immigration policy that permits family reunification for all immigrants - especially global south immigrants - with very few restrictions. In light of the fact that so many of today's immigrants are non-European (and, as noted previously, this has been the case since at least the middle-1970s), the end result is that this bit of Canadian policy-making has bolstered the already-high numbers of non-European groups within Canada. In the end, it would seem evident that successive Canadian governments - whether Conservative or Liberal - have embraced multicultural immigration because the swiftly-changing demographics of the land (and a new political landscape) leaves them no choice but to indulge non-Caucasian and non-European citizens."
Abstract This paper explains how Canadianimmigrationpolicy does not address matters of gender, for immigrants still tend to be looked at in generic ways. At different points, it is stressed too that studies of immigrant and refugee conditions have sometimes tended to lump refugee women into categories that have already been in place that have more to do with a general concern for inequality at large, racism and sexism. Resettlement in Canada can be a challenging and troubling experience for women and it is stressed that women need not be asylum-seekers in order to find immigration to Canada a project that exceeds what they have expected.
Abstract The paper presents a book review of the book "Reluctant Host" by David B. Avery. Avery's major argument is that Canadianimmigrationpolicy has and currently is based on self-interest. The paper explains how Canada's immigrationpolicies have never been constant. Different ethnic and racial groups have been accepted, rejected or exploited depending on a range of social, economic and political factors.
Abstract This paper looks at Canada's immigrationpolicy in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and argues that Canada's racist immigrationpolicies 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)."
Tags: racism, instrumentalism, workers, farmers, government
Abstract This essay critically examines the issue of immigration and Canadian nation-building within a sociological perspective. A particular focus of the paper is on the contradiction between the ideal of immigration, as reflected in the changes to immigrationpolicy in the 1960s and the introduction of official multiculturalism in the 1970s, and the realities of immigration in regard to its being embedded in the social class and power distribution structures of Canada. In this context, the paper argues that in our capitalist society immigrationpolicy has primarily served the interests of capital in the form of labor force reproduction. This being said, it is then argued that the existence of a multicultural and multiracial society represents a clear challenge to the existing power distribution in Canadian society; a challenge that has been met by policies such as official multiculturalism which are instruments by which the capitalist state seeks to control and channel dissent and thereby ensure the perpetuation of the Canadian status quo.
From the Paper "Thus, the labour force of Canada was not biologically reproducing itself on a generational basis by the later decades of the twentieth century. In order to meet this shortfall, the Government of Canada resorted to immigration to supply a labour force to meet the demands of the Canadian economy. These demands are complex, for the Labour Force Reproduction model indicates that the economy needs a labour supply not only in terms of production but also to consume the goods produced. As a result, in the years in which the Canadian fertility rates were declining (after 1956) the Canadian immigration levels were increasing. From 1954 to 1992 Canada accepted 5.7 million immigrants. These immigrants fulfilled a wide number of economic roles in Canadian society, from contributing as business class immigrants and supplying entrepreneurial investment funds, to those who work in the commercial and corporate sectors. In addition, we must not forget the significant numbers of immigrants who worked as unpaid labour - often women - and so subsidized the paid labour force in Canada."
Abstract This paper explains that Canadianimmigrationpolicy is defined by a range of public and private actors, but is implemented and regulated by state institutions. The paper then argues, with reference to a comparative analysis of three recent articles on immigration and diversity from the Toronto Star, the Globe and Mail, and the Ottawa Citizen, conflicting ideologies and representations of the objects of regulations in these publications reveal the economic and class basis of immigrationpolicy and its legal regulation in Canada today.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
Media Actors and Representations
Critical Background: Immigration and the Concept of Diversity
Contemporary Representations of Immigration
From the Paper "Some critics have argued that the history of the discourse on Canadian diversity has shifted over the course of the twentieth century - from the early years as described above to the present day - over which time the focus shifted from the "problem of immigration" and preventing more diversity from arriving, to the "naturalization problem" of coping with the existing diversity within Canadian borders. However, a critical analysis of the media representations of immigration and diversity within a short span of time - in three different publications in two Canadian metropolises - suggest that this argument may be flawed. From this perspective, the regulatory aspect of the "problem of immigration" remains a core element in the representation of this issue in Canadian media today."
Abstract This paper discusses the subjects of immigration, race and gender found in the Canadianimmigrationpolicy. The major argument of this paper is that neo-liberal policies are combining with the already existent sexist and racist immigrationpolicies of Canada.
From the Paper "The fact that Canada is an immigrant receiving country has been an important part of Canada's history from the very beginning. However, Canadian immigration policy has traditionally been very sexist and racist. For example, in 'Sponsoring Immigrant Women's Inequalities' Sunera Thobani states, 'The nation was founded through the colonization of Aboriginal Peoples, the subjugation of their sovereignty, and the erosion of traditional and customary Rights'. Aboriginal Women were subjected to white, male domination, as well as to a strengthening of patriarchal relations within Aboriginal communities by the Indian Act. Canadians were originally very overt with their sexist and racist policies."
Abstract Canada is, according to the last census, a country with a population of 32,078,819 people (Statistics Canada). This number has been increasing over the past 60 years thank to Canada's immigrationpolicy. This paper examines the history of its immigration system and looks at two relevant case studies.
Outline
Knowledge and Understanding
Application
Two Canadian Cases: Leuce vs. Canada and Sanxhaku vs. Canada
Proposed Changes/Controversial Issues
From the Paper "The next class is the Independent Class immigrants. These people usually apply at a Canadian Embassy in their country's capital in order to get an interview with a Canadian consul, and upon successful completion of that interview they may be eligible in getting a VISA for entering Canada. These applicant must be 19 years or older. Also they can choose their "destination" for Canada as there are different waiting periods (Quebec or Federal). (Department of Justice Canada). These applicants can be subdivided in another four classes: workers, entrepreneurs, self-employed and investors. They are accepted/rejected based on the point system. The last but not least class is the Refugee Class"
Abstract This paper examines the history of American immigrationpolicy in an effort to shed some light on the current immigrationpolicy reform asked for by President Bush. The paper also takes a position against a policy that would limit immigration into the country, suggesting that those in favor of immigration reform are xenophobic conservative individuals.
From the Paper "Since the birth of the United States, immigration has played a vital role in shaping the country and its culture. Immigrants have literally built much of the country. Throughout early American history, immigration was for the most part unregulated and free up until 1882. Individuals and their families immigrated to America looking for a new life, land, and freedom from war, poverty, famine, or religious persecution."
Tags: groups, immigrants, discriminated, sentiment, majority, federal, government, population
Abstract This paper examines the U.S. government's focus on immigration since September 11th. It explains how the U.S government attempts to discover the most effective approach to continue to allow immigrants into the nation, while at the same time prevent another terrorist attack on American soil. The writer discusses the two forms of immigration into the United States - permanent and temporary. The writer further discusses the 'Patriot Act' and its implications. In addition, the writer looks at how technology would be added to bolster the strength of screening techniques at American borders and allow for legal immigrants to enter the country, while at the same time prevent illegals and terrorists from using the borders as their gateway to the country.
From the Paper "The United States has traditionally been known as a country that accepts immigrants and values their diversity within society. The events of September 11th, however, made lawmakers, political entities and the public reconsider their view of immigration. This is because 12 of the 19 high-jackers in the September 11th attacks were all in the country legally with either tourist or student visas (Ruiz sec. 1). Three of those terrorists had held legal visas which had expired, but no action was ever taken to force them to leave the United States at that time. Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz contends that because the status of these individuals through immigration is public knowledge, now there are millions of Americans that believe that if the immigration policies had been different, there would have been no 9-11 attacks (sec. 1)."
Abstract The paper looks at the purposes of provincial immigrationpolicies and at the mechanisms in place to make those objectives a reality. The paper discusses the disconnection between Canada's objectives and results and explores what can be done to resolve these shortcomings. The paper also shows how Canada and its provinces may have no choice but to liberalize its immigrationpolicy if it hopes to meet the challenges of the twenty-first century.
From the Paper "More than anything else, it appears as though the chief purpose of federal and provincial immigration policy is to expedite the influx of the most talented and industrious immigrants possible. For example, the federal Foreign Credential Referral Office will "ease" the "assessment and recognition" of foreign credentials. As it stands, when the office is wholly operational, it will operate out of the Department of Citizenship and Immigration (Woods, para.1-5). To elaborate upon the initial sentence in this paragraph, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) seeks - among other things - to admit "immigrants, foreign students, visitors and temporary workers who enhance Canada's social and economic growth" (Citizenship and Immigration Canada, para.3)."
Abstract This paper compares Mexican and Central American migration patterns since 1960 with an emphasis on the role of United States immigrationpolicy and its expanding globalization efforts. The writer argues that Mexican and Central American migration patterns share similar motivating elements and consequences due to both the forces intended to curb immigration and those intended to expand American capital interests.
From the Paper "Economic analyst Saskia Sassen writes that migration should not solely be examined on levels of internal factors such as the sending country's political and economic problems, but rather on a level of international processes that might encourage such out-migration (Sassen 213). If this is true, for our purposes it is important to note that historically, and most importantly since 1960, U.S. foreign policy catering to globalization interests have indeed been at play in the sending countries of Mexico and Central America. As the largest employer and exporter in Guatemala by the 1930s, the United Fruit Company (UFC) serves as an early example of foreign policy benefiting these globalization efforts. United Fruit did this by securing beneficial tax agreements through shrewd manipulation of the favorable political climate and privatization of Guatemalan land. The reading by Kinzer and Schlesinger points out that the UFC enjoyed a stronghold on the export-oriented Guatemalan economy, allowing them to dictate the politics on their terms. Guatemala had grown to become an economic appendage of the U.S. as a vast portion its economy was spear-headed by la fruitera."
Abstract In this article the writer discusses that the patterns of immigration by blacks, and especially black women, over this century demonstrate discriminatory and preventive measures by the Canadian government. The paper relates that this pattern is best understood through the structural functional perspective because immigrationpolicy is designed to ensure that Canadian society is of a certain type. The writer explains that the Canadian government permits certain quotas of immigrants into the country at specific times for labor needs. However, it also carefully controls immigration and prevents family formation. This paper argues that the intention of the Canadian government is and always has been to ensure that blacks and people of color would never be a dominant group and have access to power in the country.
From the Paper "Immigration policy provided a means to cope with labour shortages while it also defined what is meant by a suitable permanent citizen. That definition was determined by race, ethnicity, class, and also by gender. Black women from the Caribbean were in the worst position. Black workers received half the pay for performing the same work as whites. For domestic workers, conditions went beyond discrimination since they had to endure intolerable conditions of no free time, unpaid overtime, and had to live in. The live-in requirement guaranteed that the women could not form families."
Abstract This paper discusses how, during much of the 20th century, the Canadian leadership and general population placed immigrant groups into a hierarchy of social acceptability. This hierarchy was based on commonly accepted ethnic stereotypes connected to physical features and the capacity to conform to the norms of British culture. Overall, Canadian elites welcomed immigration for the sake of economic objectives, but their immigrationpolicies were modified by those who argued that immigrants must be assimilable into Canadian society.
