Canada’s Immigration Policy in the 20 th Century

1. Canada’s Immigration Policy in the 20th Century Post confederation immigration (1867-1914) Mid-20th century immigration (1919-1969) Recent patterns (1970-present)

2. 1. Post confederation immigration (1867-1914) • People have been coming to Canada for many years

3. 1. Post confederation immigration (1867-1914) • Canada needed to fill up the West with people they did not have so they opened the doors to immigration • When asked what he thought was a “good quality immigrant, Canada’s minister responsible for immigration said that: • “I think that a stalwart peasant in a sheepskin coat, born to the soil, with a stout wife and a half dozen children, is good quality” Clifford Sifton, Ministry of Interior (1896-1905)

4. 1. Post confederation immigration (1867-1914) Immigration Act of 1906 and 1908 • Immigration Act passed to stop ‘undesirable immigrants’ • Expanded the list of ‘prohibited immigrants’ • Allowed deportation of immigrants for a variety of reasons within 5 years of immigration • Chinese Immigration Act amended to increase those under the head tax and expand list of prohibited persons • New Act allowed Canada to prohibit immigrants belonging to any race deemed unsuitable and expanded deportation grounds to include immorality and political offences

5. 1. Post confederation immigration (1867-1914)

6. 2. Mid-20th century immigration (1919-1969) 1952 Immigration Act • Allowed refusal on grounds of nationality, ethnic group, area of origin, peculiar customs, unsuitability re: climate, rate of assimilation, sexual orientation, etc.

7. 2. Mid-20th century immigration (1919-1969)

8. 2. Mid-20th century immigration (1919-1969) • 1962 • removal of much racial discrimination with new immigration regulations; • 1966 • White paper promoting a balance in immigration policies between economic interest of the country and family relationships • 1967 • Points system introduced

9. 2. Mid-20th century immigration (1919-1969)

10. 3. Recent patterns (1970-present) 1971 Immigration Act • Multiculturalism policy announced • Many immigrants and refugees from new source countries 1978 Immigration Act • New Immigration Act which identified 3 class of immigrants • 1. family class • 2. refugee class • 3. independent class • Immigrants would be awarded points based on education, knowledge of French or English, job experience, occupational needs of Canada

11. Immigration Act of 1978 • First piece of legislation that attempted to comprehensively set out Canada’s rules and objectives for immigration

12. Immigration by source area 1965

13. Immigration by source area 1975

14. Immigration by source area 1992

15. 1971 - Official Multiculturalism • PM Pierre Trudeau introduces the policy after the findings of the Bilingualism Bicultural Commission • The goal of official multiculturalism: • To assist cultural groups in Canada to carry on their own cultural practices and activities • To assist cultural groups to overcome any barriers to their participation in any aspect of Canadian life • To promote relations between all cultural groups • To assist immigrants to learn either French or English so that they may become full-participating members in Canadian life ****As we go through the next section of the PowerPoint, try to remember these goals and think about how they apply to education and curriculum development.

16. 7 Theoretical Conceptualizations of Multicultural Education Authors Gibson, Banks and Banks, Rezai-Rashti, Magismo

17. 1. Multicultural Education as Education for Common Values • Monocultural and targets all students • Gives a sense of national identity • Classroom practices emphasize universal values and methodologies • Values some cultures more than others • Problem: Does not work for diversity in the classroom

18. 2. Multicultural Education as Education of the Culturally Different • Equalizes educational opportunities for culturally different students • The curriculum relates to minority students • Problem: Contains the implicit notion of the superiority of one culture over others which leads to monocultural education • Problem: It also negates the importance of engaging mainstream society

19. 3. Multicultural Education as Education for Cultural Understanding • Recognizes cultural diversity in Canada • Promotes cultural understanding • Promotes an appreciation for cultural similarities and differences • Fosters social cohesion by removing bias for textbooks • Problem: It does not empower students from non-dominant backgrounds

20. 4. ME as Education for Cultural Accommodation • Rejects segregationist ideologies, cultural pluralism is the goal • Awareness of the power and dignity of one’s ethnic group would enhance academic success and lead to equality • The main beneficiaries are students from diverse backgrounds • Problem: Minority groups receive more benefits then the dominant groups

21. 5. Bicultural Education • Seeks to produce a student who is able to operate across group boundaries • It equalizes economic opportunities for mainstream and minority students • Problem: Mainstream culture will not necessarily benefit from competencies in a 2nd culture.

22. 6. ME as Education for Cultural Preservation • Advocates the maintenance of ethnic boundaries • Group interests supersede the interests of the wider society and ethno-cultural groups take control of their own destinies • Problem: It violates the principle of individual freedom, particularly for young people who are kept in ignorance and attain unable to make decisions for themselves

23. 7. ME as Education for Multicultural Adaptation • Aims to teach people competencies that would enable them to operate in two or more cultures within a society • All students can benefit from this and can give up their original cultural affiliation if they wished • Think of immersion classes, courses in different languages, ethnic studies and multicultural extracurricular activities • Problem: It is not necessarily true that associations with a single ethnic or cultural group is essential for establishing a positive self-image.

24. Criticisms of Multicultural Education • Making everything culturally relevant and inclusive will not necessarily reduce failure rates among culturally different students. • May result in the fragmentation of society into cultural and ethnic groups that will prevent the formation of a truly national identity. • Multicultural Education fails to directly address problems of racism, it simply provides minority students with something to identify with in curricula

25. Alternatives to Multicultural Education • Anti-racist education: Seeks to address racism directly. • Alternative schools for minorities: Attempts to give minorities the same advantages as the dominant culture in the mainstream education system.

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