How Did Chinese Immigration Change Canada

Over the last century, Canada’s stance on immigration has changed drastically, from the Chinese Immigration Act of 1923, to the changes made to Canada’s immigration policy after the Second World War , to the chain of events that have lead to Canada becoming the multicultural country that it is today.

Immigrant's were not always accepted with open arms, during the war years of 1914 - 1945 the implementation of the Chinese Immigration Act displayed the unwelcoming attitude Canadians had towards immigrants. The Chinese Immigration Act of 1923 prevented the immigration of almost anyone from China and Chinese Canadians did not receive full citizenship rights, only 15 immigrants from China were allowed into Canada between 1923 and 1947. The existing Chinese Immigration Act of 1855

had already required Chinese immigrants to pay an entrance duty of $500, but this had not limited chinese immigration as much as desired, neither did it please the racist and nativist opinions of Canadians.

Whenever issues arose in society the blame would simply be put onto the visible minorities such as the poor economic condition of the country. Majority viewed immigrants as outsiders only here to steal the jobs of working men/women and only ruining the integrity of Canadian racial composition. It would take twenty years before Canada would repeal the act, with Canada’s signing of the United Nations’ Charter of Human Rights. Chinese Canadians finally received full citizenship rights but acceptance of chinese immigrants would still be bias until 20 years later in 1967, where they’d be admitted under the same criteria as any other applicant.

As Canada entered the post war period (1946 - 1967), the experiences of the Second World War and its aftermath had dramatically changed the attitudes of Canadians towards foreigners and immigration. Canada began to transform from a nation of closed doors to one that was beginning to open them. For the majority of the war

Europe was the battleground in which the second World War was being fought, by the end of the war the entire continent had been ravaged. Many parts of the continent were no longer liveable and millions sought refuge across europe in search of food and shelter, eventually being put into refugee camps being given the title of “displaced persons.” The anti-immigration mindset of Canadians was not completely gone but Canadians were far more receptive to the idea. As Canadians discovered the extents of the Holocaust, they had to re-evaluate their own values and beliefs and the role they played in the Jewish’ demise by not accepting the Jewish refugees. In 1947, Canada dropped some of its discriminatory immigration policies, including those towards Jewish refugees. Most immigrants came either as sponsored relatives or as a part of a government-backed labour scheme, these workers often faced discrimination from Canadians who still thought of them as outsiders and remained suspicious of them. More than 1.7 million immigrants, war brides and displaced people came into Canada in the 1940’s and 1950’s. Immigrants were welcomed into the working environment, they were no longer viewed with a negative point of view and seen as a source of competition here to steal work instead a helpful contributor towards the technological revolution that was undergoing. Canadians were also beginning to be more accepting of immigrants outside the working environment, with greater education amongst Canadians and more exposure to different cultures through radio, television, and cinema it made Canadians more curious and more open about other cultures.