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Creation of Immigration Categories
The Canadian legislation recognized the important roles immigrants played in the founding and creation of Canada. Canada's immigration law didn't accept all people. Today, Canada is still selective with immigrants and look for humanitarianism, economic contribution, and family reunification. They look for these characteristics to improve Canada and to make differences for the better. -
Chinese Head Tax
The Chinese head tax was for Chinese immigration to Canada between 1885 and 1923, under the Chinese Immigration Act. With few exceptions, Chinese people had to pay $50 (later raised to $100, and then $500) to come to Canada. This anti-Chinese legislation was the first in Canadian history to exclude immigration on the basis of origin. When the tax was removed from the Chinese Immigration Act in 1923, Chinese immigration was banned until 1947. -
Internment of Ukrainian Canadians
The Ukrainian Canadian internment was in Canada for two years after the end of the First World War, lasting from 1914 to 1920. . Canada was at war with Austria-Hungary and Under the terms of the War Measures Act, a large amount of Ukrainian citizens were sent to concentration camps during this time. Almost all were paroled from camps in 1916–1917 to become paid workers on farms, mines and railways, where labour was common. The people were considered "Enemy Aliens." -
Komagata Maru Incident
The Komagata Maru Incident involved a Japanese ship with a group of citizens of the British Raj who attempted to immigrate to Canada but were denied entry. The ship consisted of 376 passengers but only only 24 of them were accepted into the country. The people on the ship were 340 Sikhs, 24 Muslims, and 12 Hindus. It was one of several incidents in the early 20th century in which exclusion laws in Canada and the United States were used to exclude immigrants of Asian origin. -
Internment of Italian Canadians
Italian-Canadian internment began when Italy declared war on Canada on June 10, 1940. Days later, the minster of justice signed the order that resulted in labeling thousands of Italian-Canadians as "enemy aliens." About 500 men and four women were eventually interned as enemy aliens. In addition, 100 Italian seamen in Canadian waters were also subject to internment. -
Internment of Japanese Canadians
Japanese-Canadian Internment was the detainment of Japanese Canadians following the Japanese invasion of Hong Kong, Malaya, attack on Pearl Harbor, and the Canadian declaration of war on Japan during World War II. This forced relocation of Japanese Canadians to government-enforced curfews and interrogations, in addition to job and property losses. Canadians of Japanese heritage were removed from their homes and businesses and sent to internment camps. -
Refugees being added as an immigration category
On 4 June 1969, Canada signed the Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, In the 40 years since Canada became a party to the Refugee Convention, it has gained the reputation of being a world leader in protecting refugees. There has been good and bad Canadian responses to refugees, both before and after signing the Refugee Convention. -
Immigration Act
The Immigration Act was insured in 1978 by the Parliament of Canada. It focused on who should be allowed into Canada, not on who should be kept out. The act came along with new immigration regulations. It defines refugees as a distinct class of immigrants and imposed a mandatory responsibility on the government to plan for the future of immigration. This act gave more power to the provinces to set their own immigration laws and defined "prohibited classes" in much broader terms. -
The Singh Decision
The Singh Decision on April 4th, is also known as refugee rights day. The Singh Decision was made when a man named Satnam Singh came to Canada from India seeking refugee status but was rejected by Canada's government. The immigration act of 1976 didn't allow Mr.Singh to state his case or appeal the governments decision on his case. This violated section 7 of the charter and later the immigrants gained more rights and more positive impacts. -
Immigration and Refugee Protection Act
The Immigration and Refugee Protection Act is one of the most recent laws Canada has had involving immigration. It established categories of who can come to Canada from other countries to make permanent homes here. Objectives of the act include, to pursue economic benefits for all Canadians, to respect bilingual and multicultural identities of people in Canada, to share benefits of immigration, to support the development of minority language groups in Canada, and many more.
