1. and
Discrimination

2. Immigration
and
Discrimination

3. During WWI
 Immigration slowed (from 150,000 in 1915 –
less than 50,000 by 1918)
 It was hard to get here
 The Canadian government did not allow
people from enemy countries
 Lives were not easy
 Blamed for social problems – especially high
unemployment

4. Unemployment
 Increased unemployment after WWI caused
some Canadians to pressure employers to
fire foreign-born workers
 International Nickel Company in Sudbury
fired 2,200 immigrant employees to create
jobs for veterans
 The government also limited immigration to
keep unemployment from skyrocketing
 Immigration offices in Europe were closed
during the war and did not reopen until
1924

5. Social Problems
 Many accusations were
made against innocent
immigrants
 Russian and Eastern
Europeans were blamed for
causing the Winnipeg
General Strike because of
their country’s communist
background
 Most strike leaders were
actually British
 This strike became a main
reason that the Immigration
Act was changed

7. Discrimination
 Empire Settlement Act – 1922
 This act smoothed the way for British
subjects (white immigrants from Br or
other countries in the Br empire).
 The government helped pay their travel
costs and offered many supports
 Chinese Exclusion Act – 1923
 Stopped most immigration from China
 Was not lifted until 1947
 There were strict rules against most
Asians, South Asians and Africans

8. The KKK
 The Ku Klux Klan arrived in
Canada in the 1920s
 In Canada, they targeted Jews
in Quebec, French Canadians in
Saskatchewan, Asians in BC
and all foreigners everywhere else
 KKK was most successful in the
West
 Wanted no foreign immigration,
property seizure and did not
support the speaking of other
languages
 Most powerful in Saskatchewan
 Had influential backing in
communities and government
 By 1930, the KKK was no longer in
Canada

9. Immigration Bias
 After the act was changed, 1000’s were forced to
leave
 No two groups were treated the same
 British or other Northern European immigrants
were welcomed
 Others, such as Asians, were discouraged from
coming
 Others, such as Pacifist religious members, were
barred all together
 Strange laws were also made like...
 People coming from India needed to come on a
boat that did not stop along the way

10. Canadian Immigration Patterns
Before WWI During WWI After WWI
Immigrants were allowed Most immigration stopped Immigration limited.
in based on contribution Immigrants were allowed
they could make to in based on culture and
Canada – i.e. Farmers, ideas.
labourers, etc.
Immigrants who were Immigrants who were Immigrants who were
welcomed: British, white welcomed: British, white welcomed: British, white
American farmers, French, American farmers, French, American farmers, French,
other Northern and people of other Northern people of other Northern
Eastern European European countries – European countries –
peoples – i.e. Swedes, Swedes, Finns, Swiss Swedes, Finns, Swiss
Finns, Swiss, Germans,
Ukrainians, Russians,
etc.

12. Discrimination II
 1926 – as the economy improved some
people were allowed in – Central, Eastern,
and Southern Europeans took advantage
 While some people protested Canada’s
discriminatory actions against immigrants,
most remained silent or actively supported
the polices
 They believed the propaganda about
immigrants taking jobs, working for less
money, and supporting communist
movements

14. During the Depression
 Unemployment rose, so the doors closed
again
 Even relatives were not allowed to join their
family members
 Deportations also rose
 Laws were passed that allowed the
government to deport unemployed
immigrants and “trouble makers”
 They deported 150 000 people between
1931 and 1936

15. Jewish Refugees
 1930s – Hitler comes to
power
 Goal is to rid Germany
of people considered
“undesirable” –
including the Jews
 Many people fled this
brutal regime –
becoming refugees –
people who leave their
home country to escape
persecution or ill-
treatment.
 800 000 Jews left

16. Jewish Refugees II
 Very few were allowed into Canada
during the 20s and 30s
 Even those who faced death were
barred
 When asked how many Jewish
refugees Canada should accept,
Frederick Blair, the head of Canada’s
immigration branch said...

17. NONE IS TOO MANY!
Canada only accepted 4000 Jews
during WWII

18. Anti-Semitism in Canada
 Equals prejudice against Jews
 Common in Canada in the 1920’s and
1930’s
 In Quebec there was an organized
campaign to try to stop people from
buying things from Jewish business
men
 Many employers did not hire Jews
 Limited educational opportunities
 Banned from leisure activities – golf
courses, beaches, clubs, and hotels

19. The St. Louis Tragedy
 1939 – more than 900 Jewish refugees fled
Germany on the St. Louis
 Wanted to go to the United States but sailed to
Cuba first to wait for United States permission
 United States said no, so they tried asking
Canada
 We also said no!
 Blair (head of Immigration) said if we let them
in, more will come, and we can’t take 1000s of
Jewish people – “the line must be drawn
somewhere”
 They were forced to go back – few survived...

22.  1920s – assimilation
official government policy
Aboriginal  Residential schools
Peoples  Separate children from
families to make
assimilation easier
 From age 7 to 15,
forced to live in dorms,
given new names,
uniforms, European hair
cuts
 Severely punished for
doing anything from
their native culture
 Teachers were poorly
trained
 Physical, emotional, and
sexual abuse was
rampant

23. Aboriginal Rights
 Meighen’s government in 1920 enfranchised
“deserving” First Nations peoples
 This meant they could vote and have all
the rights of British citizenship =
assimilation
 BUT it also meant that they would no
longer have First Nations status or
share in treaty rights
 First Nations peoples on and off reserves
struggled and faced discrimination
 There were many protests in provinces and
on Ottawa

24. Aboriginals in the 1930s
 During the Great Depression, the
Canadian government encouraged First
Nations to go back to the traditional
ways – they were not prepared to give
them the same relief as other Canadians
 However, this was not really an option
as they had spent several decades
moving away from this way of life
 Malnutrition and diseases like
tuberculosis reached epidemic
proportions

25. The Inuit
 1934 – Government starts a program to relocate the
Inuit of Baffin Island to Devon Island
 Claimed the move was to a place with more game
and resources
 Really it was to populate isolated northern
islands to reinforce Canadian sovereignty
 Surprisingly, after two years, they were allowed to
move back
 The harsh winter weather and hurricane force
winds made that choice easy
 This is only the first of many attempts to relocate
the Inuit