How did Canada’s multicultural policy affect minority groups?

2. How did Canada’s multicultural policy affect minority groups?

3. British North America Act (1867)

4. The British North America Act recognized certain rights for religious groups and for linguistic groups, but nothing for equality of gender, race or colour.

5. Slavery was legal and common practice in Canada until the British Empire banned it in 1834.

6. Chinese Head Tax

7. 17,000 Chinese workers came to Canada to build the Canadian Pacific Railway through the Rockies to the Pacific ocean, 1,500 of which died in the process. • Chinese who wanted to immigrate to Canada were forced to pay a head tax of $50 in 1885 after the completion of the CPR. From 1886 to 1894, 12,197 Chinese people immigrated to Canada and paid the tax. • In 1901, responding to public pressure about a continuing influx of Chinese, Ottawa doubled the head tax to $100. • The head tax was then increased to $500 in 1903, which was approximately the same as two years wages.

8. From 1886 to 1923, the Canadian government collected more than $22 million in head tax payments. • Ethnocentric: a belief that one’s own race or culture is superior to others.

9. September 8th, 1907 – The Vancouver Trades and Labour Council formed the Asiatic Exclusion League, which organized a giant anti-immigration rally at city hall to protest against giving jobs to Asian immigrants. • After anti-Asian speeches about the "yellow peril," a riot took place where a mob of 7,000 people marched through the streets of downtown Vancouver, smashing windows and destroying signs on Oriental businesses. • In Chinatown, they looted and burned thousands of dollars worth of Chinese property.

10. L. D. Taylor • Elected seven times as mayor of Vancouver between 1910 and 1934 • Born in Michigan, USA • briefly participated in the Klondike Gold Rush before beginning his political career. • he railed against Chinese immigration, big business, and other issues of the day that helped establish his reputation as a populist leader.

11. Vice crimes • 1928 inquiry into allegations of corruption in the police department and city hall revealed that L. D. Taylor had associations with known vice operators in the city. Although he was cleared of any criminal wrongdoing, the inquiry blamed his "open town" policy on the proliferation of vice and crime in Vancouver. 

12. Anti-Asian Riot in Vancouver (1907)

13. Chinese Exclusion Act (1923) The Canadian Federal government replaced the Chinese head tax with Chinese Immigration Act or Canadian Chinese Exclusion Act, which had the effect of barring Chinese immigrants from the country altogether. The Chinese Immigration Act wasn’t repealed until 1947, and it wasn't until 1967 that the final elements of the Canadian Chinese Exclusion Act were completely eliminated. > July 1, 1923, is known as "humiliation day" in the Chinese Canadian community.

14. Komagata Maru (1914)

15. In 1908, the Canadian government imposed a "continuous passage rule" which forbid immigrants from making a direct journey to Canada. This measure was directly aimed at India immigrants, since there was no direct voyage from India at that time. • In 1914, a group of 376 Sikh’s from India challenged this restriction, arriving in Vancouver on board the Komagatu Maru. After two months in the harbour and an unsuccessful court challenge, they were forced to return to India. • The boat sailed back to Calcutta where it was met by police, and 20 people were killed as they disembarked while others were jailed.

17. Canada’s response to the Holocaust • Canada’s record for accepting Jews fleeing the Holocaust was among the worst in the Western world. • Canadian policy towards Jewish refugees was summed up in the words of one official: "None is too many." • As Nazi-inspired hatred spread through Europe, many Jews tried to head to safety in North America. However, Prime Minister MacKenzie King and Immigration Director F.C. Blair kept the number of Jewish refugees small. > Between the years 1933 and 1945, less than 5,000 Jews were accepted into Canada.

18. S.S. St. Louis (1939) • In May 1939, 907 German Jews left Hamburg aboard the SS St. Louis with visas allowing them to enter Cuba. But when they arrived in Havana harbour, Cuba denied the refugees entrance. The St. Louis was then turned away from Panama, Argentina, Colombia, Chile and Paraguay. • Canada was the last hope for the refugees aboard that ship, but the Canadian government refused them entry. The St. Louis sailed back to Europe. Very few of the refugees survived the Holocaust.

19. The Japanese Canadian Internment (1942)

20. During the Second World War, 22,000 Japanese Canadians were expelled from within a hundred miles of the Pacific. • Thousands were detained, and at the end of the war, "repatriation" to Japan was encouraged. • 4,000 people left, two thirds of them Canadian citizens.

21. Japanese internment camp in British Columbia during WWII

22. A change for the better...

23. Immigration to Canada • Canada adopted a “merit system” in 1967 and removed all references to race and ethnicity, which had limited admission of people from Asian, African and Caribbean countries.

24. Multiculturalism in Canada Today • Change in immigrants because restrictive policies were lifted after 1960 • More open attitudes post war • Immigrants chosen on point system based on education and job skills instead of ethnicity

25. PM Trudeau introduced idea of multiculturalism as a good thing • 1976- policy changed again to allow immigrant families to bring their families • More refugee status allowed Eg. 7000 people flee Uganda after the dictator, Idi Amim kicked them out

26. Multiculturalism Act • 1980’s Canada becoming much more multicultural • Immigrants moving to the cities more than the country as in the past • Challenges: traditional Christian holidays • How deal with the changing needs of immigration?

27. Multiculturalism Act C-93 • In 1988, Act passed in Parliament to provide a legal framework for multicultural policies across Canada • Purpose was to reinforce racial and cultural equality with legal authority

28. Multiculturalism? Pros and Cons Arguments for Arguments against Promoting differences diminishes national unity No financial support should be given Better to have “melting pot” like the USA Take on Canadian ideals and values if choose to move here. • Plays a positive role in our identity and development • National unity • Makes people feel welcome • Awareness of other cultures • Promotes values such as tolerance, equality and support of diversity

29. Constitution Act(1982)

30. The Constitution Act of 1982 included the Charter of Rights and Freedoms that guaranteed fundamental freedoms of conscience, thought, speech and peaceful assembly, official language rights and equality rights without discrimination on the grounds of race, ethnic origins, religion, sex, age or disability and official language rights.

32. On September 22nd, 1988, Prime Minister Brian Mulroney made a speech in the House of Commons to acknowledge the past injustices suffered by Canadians of Japanese ancestry. • A $21,000 per person settlement was reached with the National Association of Japanese Canadians for the internments and abuses of World War Two.

33. Prime Minister Harper made a full apology to the Chinese-Canadian community in 2006 for the head tax imposed on Chinese immigrants who came to Canada between 1885 and 1923.

34. Questions • Why did the Chinese population in Vancouver increase and decline? • What drove the people to immigrate to Canada? • How was the treatment of Chinese immigrants different than that of European?

35. Discussion • What difficulties would someone who immigrated (think beyond Chinese Exclusion Act, and more about daily life struggles…)? • How about a Chinese-Canadian born in Vancouver? What difficulties…? • Compare and contrast this to an immigrant who arrived recently (past 20 years or so) or a first-generation Canadian born recently? ***For each question consider the language barrier, employment and education opportunities, social life, identity crisis, etc.

36. Video Discussion • why is Chinatown a significant place for the history of Vancouver? • how is it different than before? Why is it not considered as vibrant as it used to be? • there have been attempts to tear down many of the dilapidated buildings in Chinatown due to safety concerns and skyrocketing property value and build modern high rises instead… Should we keep the area intact or modernize it? Discuss both sides as well as what is the best way to go about either solution…

37. Homework • Reflection • Hand in • Read Chapter 1-3 • Make a family tree • Cite a description of each character using a quote you found in the text