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Canada Resurrects Pre-War Immigration Laws
When World War II ended in 1945, Canada changed its immigration laws back to how they were before the war. Though they were still quite strict laws, they were soon to be made lighter. -
The First Wave Of Immigration
The time from 1946-1954 was considered to be the "first wave" of immigration. This was due to Canada's increased acceptance to immigrants; taking in almost 1 million in that 8 year period. These immigrants were mainly European and also war refugees, war brides or general immigrants. -
Polish revolt against Soviets
Polish revolt against Soviets and manage to take back their country. This gives confidence to the Hungarians that they could do the same and take back control of their country from the Soviets. ("The Hungarian Revolution") -
The Second Wave Of Immigration
The time from 1954-1967 was considered to be the "second wave" of immigration. This wave of immigration brought in nearly 2 million refugees and was during the growth of the economy when industries needed more hard working employees. -
Hungarian Revolution
Hungarian Revolution begins when a group of students in Budapest protest in front of the statue of General Jozsef Bern. The students are then joined by almost 200,000 people. Police are sent in to stop the riots, but although shots were fired, the riot could not be controlled. After, soldiers were sent in, but these soldiers were Hungarian and many supported the Hungarian people rather than the Soviet Union. Soviets in Hungary are forced to retreat. ("The Hungarian Revolution") -
Hungarian Revolution (cont.)
Soviets return with thousands of troops and suppress the revolution. 200,000 Hungarians are forced to flee in fear of persecution and punishment for participating in the Revolution. These Hungarians flee to Austria as it is the closest country that was not under the Soviets’ control at the time. Also, the border fences and minefield had already been removed in Austria. (Percival) -
First Hungarian refugees come to Canada
First wave of Hungarian refugees enter Canada aboard the Arosa Sun. This boat came from Switzerland and arrived at Pier 21 in Quebec City. Also, as there were 257 refugees aboard that ship, it made up the largest amount of Hungarians to enter Canada at one time. ("1956: Hungarian refugees") -
Sopron School of Forestry
Students and professors of Sopron forestry school move to the University of British Columbia and are able to continue their studies and teaching at their faculty of forestry that was built in 1951. These students were a part of the Battle of Kophaza, which actually did not end up having any fighting as someone had sabotaged their weapons. So, they were forced to flee to Austria. They then moved to Canada as they were looking to move to a country that had a forestry school already. (Kurucz) -
The Point System
In the late 1960s, Canada introduced the point system for immigration. The point system is a system that was made to give a good idea as to what the ideal immigrant's status is. It works by giving someone who is immigrating to Canada points out of 100 for information about them such as education level, work experience, knowledge of our languages, etc. If they got over a certain amount of points, they would qualify to immigrate to Canada (though they could still be turned down for other reasons). -
Canada signs the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees
Canada signs the convention, 18 years after it had been adopted by the United Nations. The act recognized refugees as a special class of immigrant. There was no formal change to how refugees were accepted into Canada. -
A Large Variety Of Immigrants
In 1971, it was the first time in history when a majority of people immigrating to Canada were non-European. This was a big deal because in the past, Canada had many times when they wouldn't accept non-European immigrants. This was a huge step towards the multicultural and multiracial community Canada has today. -
Robert Andras Proposes New Immigration Policy
One man, minister of manpower and immigration, Robert Andras, decided it was time to change up the immigration policy. He sent out a green paper (a governmental proposal), but it was not taken kindly. The people saw it as looking down on immigration, and as many Canadians are immigrants, it wasn’t appreciated totally. But on the bright side it sparked conversation amongst people about immigration policy and how it might need a change. -
A Special Committee is created to survey Canada, and create suggestions on how Immigration Policy should change
In 1974 a committee was created, and they did public hearings on what changes should be made to immigration policy. In the end, 65 changes were submitted, and in 1976, the Immigration Act started. Dirks, Gerald E. "Immigration Policy in Canada". The Canadian Encyclopedia. 06/29/17. Site. January 8th, 2018. -
First Wa namese Boat People Come to Canada
Around 6,500 Vietnamese boat people were first accepted into Canada as political refugees. There were more than 3000 refugees who did not have relatives in Canada.They came as soon as possible when the Vietnam war ended. -
North Vietnam Wins the Vietnamese War
In a war concerning USA, North Korea, China, South Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, etc. This ended with North Vietnam's win, and soon the Communist Party of Vietnam had changed the Republic of Vietnam into the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. (Joy) -
Vietnam Battles Against Cambodia
Vietnam declared war on Cambodia. Since North Vietnam had taken over South Vietnam, many South Vietnamese soldiers did not want to fight. This lead to a contribution to huge second wave of Vietnamese Boat People at a high of 50,000 per month. (Dimichele 123) -
The Immigration Act is implemented into Canadian law
Canadian Immigration Policy is revolutionized with a new points system, new immigrant classifications, and less discrimination of all minorities, including the colored, disabled, and homosexual. The Act was a move towards a fair Canada. Raska, Jan, et.al. "Immigration Act of 1976". Pier 21. Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21. n.d. Site. January 8, 2018. -
Hai Hong
One event to take notice of is Hai Hong in 1978, which is one of Canada’s first major moves to help the refugees. Around 2500 refugees went to Malaysia, only to be turned away. Canada accepted 604, which was the amount that fit onto the rescue ferry on a first come first serve basis. (The Vietnam War) -
Private Sponsorship of Refugees Program
The Canadian government started a unique program that allowed private organizations to sponsor refugee families. As of 2017, it has resettled over 275,000 refugees. It has been criticized in recent years over issues of cumbersome paperwork and restricting where refugees can be sponsored from. -
A Sign of Decreased Quality of Life in Vietnam
Vietnam had promised its citizens 17 kilograms of rice per month, however by 1979 it had turned into 2 kilograms. This was one a signal of a recession, and many city people are becoming farmers. The decreasing quality of life convinced many to immigrate elsewhere. (Demichele 123) -
Creation of Orderly Departure Program
Due to the vast amounts of refugees, the Orderly Departure Program (ODP) was created in 1979. The Vietnamese were encouraged to return to their countries, although those with good qualifications were often sent to other countries and settled there instead. The countries which took part in receiving refugees were the US, the UK, Australia, France and Canada (Dimichele 124)
