Canada Migration

Well before World War II, Canada was already home to people from a wide range of cultural backgrounds. But not everyone was equally welcome in Canada. Canada and North America in general were populated mainly by people of western European culture and tradition. As a result, others who came were often considered “foreigners” because their race, colour, religion, or customs were different from those of the majority of Canadians.

To many Canadians of an earlier day, “foreign” meant different and, perhaps, inferior. Why, then, were so many of these immigrants allowed into Canada? The reason is simple. Canada needed more people to farm the Prairies, work in forests, factories and mines, and to build the country. Gradually, however, racial fears came more and more to dominate the public agenda. Many doubted that an influx of strange peoples speaking strange languages could be good for Canada. Could these “foreigners” ever assimilate and fit into Canadian society? Many Canadians answered “No.” Some English-Canadians believed immigrants took jobs away from the native-born and created serious social problems. Certain French-Canadians feared immigrants whose growing numbers might tip Quebec’s delicate French-English political and social balance in favour of non-French speakers.

As anti-immigrant sentiment spread, the public demanded that the government restrict immigration. The government responded with new regulations. Existing rules prohibiting Asian immigration were further tightened. The admission of eastern Europeans was made more difficult, and Canada’s immigration door was closed to most southern Europeans and Jews. With the onset of the Great Depression in the l930s, immigrants seeking jobs were understandably not welcome. Even British immigrants were excluded. Like other countries, Canada locked its doors to the world, a policy which continued through World War II.

Following the war, those who believed that immigrants and their children represented a cultural problem saw assimilation as the answer. Public policy pressured immigrants and, more particularly, their children to put aside ethnic traditions and integrate themselves into the ways of English Canada. Government, schools, churches, the media and social service agencies rallied behind the Canadianization effort. In some ways this effort was successful. The vast majority of immigrants and their children learned English or French. Most eased into the social and economic system of the surrounding community. Their children went to public schools, and, while racism and discrimination did exist, most carved out a place for themselves in the Canadian community. But, all the while, many retained ties to family, ethnic group, religious tradition and the culture of parents and grandparents.