Migrants and Urban Centers in Canada
Despite government action, not all immigrants work in
agriculture or resource development. As the Irish did before them, many
"foreign" immigrants, who do not speak English and are not, for the
most part, Protestant, choose to work in the cities rather than live in
isolated rural areas. In addition, many of them intend to stay in Canada or
North America only temporarily, until they have earned enough money to buy land
in their home country, put together a dowry for a sister or repay a family
debt. However, those who adopt the North American definition of success or who
can not return to their country because of the political climate, settle in
Canada and persuade women and children to join them.
If these immigrants (Jews, Italians, Macedonians , Russians,
Finns, Chinese , etc.) were satisfied with the role they had been left with
regret, if they had accepted the isolation of a life in the countryside as the
price of their entry into Canada, hostility to them would probably have been
very low. But by settling in Montreal , Winnipeg , Toronto , Hamilton ,
Vancouver and other cities, they revived the racial and religious preoccupations
and fears that the Irish had been victims of before. They have been allowed to
come to Canada to fill the needs of cheap labor or skilled workers who can work
in factories or in the construction industry.
They are ready to take up seasonal jobs as miners or loggers
(which forced them to return to the cities in the off season). For many
Canadians, however, the sudden influx of foreigners who, until recently, were
subjected to unknown tsars, kaisers, and gods, seems to threaten the very
fabric of Protestant society in the country. Some Canadians respond with
dignity and tolerance. They recognize that these people will settle here
permanently, that their work and skills are needed, that their living
conditions will probably improve and, most importantly, that their children
will be assimilated over time and through education.
Despite the vital economic
role these immigrants play in cities by laying tram rails, working in spinning
mills and expanding sewers, many Canadians are calling
for strict enforcement of regulations of immigration and the limitation of
admission according to ethnic and racial criteria.
Immigration and racism
During the First World War , everything connected with
Germany aroused strong resentment in Canada. It targets in particular
immigrants from countries that have become enemies or those who have entered
Canada as subjects of enemy rulers, but also foreigners born in countries that
have become allies, or admitted to Canada as subjects of sovereign allies.
Although Canada is in dire need of soldiers, the British and Canadian
authorities believe that, where possible, foreigners must serve in the army of
their country of origin. Groups (Italians, Serbs , Poles and some Jews) are
encouraged to fight in the forces of their motherland or recruit them for
British military units reserved for foreigners of all origins. Unable to join a
national army, many Jews, Macedonians and Ukrainians commit themselves as
volunteers in the Canadian army.
Certificate of Chinese Immigration
In 1914, nearly 400 East Indian immigrants aboard the
Komagata Maru wait in the port of Vancouver while Canadian authorities
deliberate on their fate. Finally, the new Navy, which is on its first operation,
escorts the ship out of Canadian waters to the applause of the people of
Vancouver, massed on the shore. In 1910 and 1911 rumors spread that a group of
blacks was preparing to emigrate to central Alberta. Descendants of freed
slaves, they are pushed back from Oklahoma where they received land and hoped
to lead a new life.
In Alberta, the reactions of the public and the political
community are immediate and predictable. The federal authorities are developing
an ingenious plan. Nothing in the Immigration Act excludes black Americans, but
you can refuse any immigrant for health reasons in accordance with the legal
provisions. The government is simply ordering immigration inspectors and
medical assistants working at the US border to accept no blacks and to invoke
medical reasons. There will be no call. Black people now know that they must
not waste their time or spend their money on going to Canada.To find a trusted consultant contact Canadian Skilled Immigration Consultant
Due to the collapse of the economy caused by the Great
Depression , the government no longer has to encourage selective immigration:
the immigration authorities are seeking to prevent the arrival of new
immigrants. In 1933, Hitler took power in Germany. Millions of political
opponents and Jews could have survived if Canada or other countries had
received these innocent victims. While many Canadians sympathize with the
plight of refugees and feel some discomfort with the inertia of the government,
others, including members of the federal cabinet, the diplomatic corps and
immigration legislators, react with concern to any pressure to accommodate Jews
or political refugees fleeing Germany. As a result, few refugees will be able
to override restrictions in Canada's immigration law.
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