User:Jake Choi

Minorities and Immigrants in Canada from 1914 to present

More than one in five Canadians (21.9%) are foreign-born. According to 2016 Census, there are 7,540,830 people who came to Canada through the immigration process, representing over one in five of Canada's total population. For minorities, Statistics Canada defines a visible minority as "persons, other than Aboriginal Peoples, who are non-Caucasian in race or non-white in color." The total population of minorities in Canada is almost 6,264,750 in the present period. From 1914 to present time period, there were lots of events which happen to minorities and immigrants in Canada. The timeline between 1914 to 1945 was mostly related to discrimination, and the timeline between 1945 to present was mostly related to open-mind to immigrants and minorities.

1.The Komagata Maru Incident (1914 - 1929)

There were lots of discrimination against minority groups in Canada. For example, India, China, Japan and black Canadian got opened discrimination while living in Canada. On May 23, 1914, Komagata Maru was the ship which carried lots of passengers from different countries to immigrate to Canada. However, Canadian officials refused to allow the passengers to get off the ship, but the ship had violated the Continuous Passage Act. This event happened because of the discriminated mind in Canadian people. They thought immigrants or minority groups were the people who were alien and stealing jobs or communists who can overthrow the government. When they arrived in India, immigrants in this ship met British police, who treated the immigrants as the criminal. Most of the immigrants went to jail or killed at that spot. In 1914–15, the immediate impact was to encourage a small band of nationalists in an abortive armed uprising against British rule. In the longer term, the Komagata Maru was a factor in turning Indian public opinion against the British.

1.1 Specific about this event

Because of the Continuous Passage Act to Komagata Maru, for two months, this ship sat in the harbor while the Indian community in Vancouver supplied the passengers with food and appealed to the courts for help. General Public in Canada’s opinion was against the entering of immigrants in Komagata Maru. On July 23, which means almost 2 months ago, the ship was escorted out of the harbor and sent back to India.

1.2 Political, social, economic

For the political way, this was the biggest example that Canadian politics were also having some discrimination mind about immigrants who came from another country. Because they had prejudice mind and attitude to immigrants, they wanted to kick out these immigrants who were in the Komagata Maru. Also, the relationship between Canada and India become worse because of this event. For the social way, citizens of Canada also disagreed about the immigration of the immigrants of the Komagata Maru because of the prejudice and discrimination mind and view about immigrants from other countries. The trend in a social way was mostly discrimination and disagreeing about immigrants who wanted to come to Canada. For the economic way, economic migrants who didn’t like the living conditions back in India and their countries had nowhere to go because Canada where they wanted to immigrate denied their entrance and immigration.

1.3 Conflict or Cooperation

This event is characterized by conflict between immigrants in the ship and Canada, because of the discrimination against the immigrants, innocent immigrants had to stay at the ship for 2 months which was completely crowded. This was the major conflict in Canada which made India’s huge disappointment and standing against British. This conflict shows that Canada really had a huge discriminated mind and opinion to immigrants from another country in 1914. It shows that Canada did not like Asian immigrants in the 1910s or else they would not have an Asian Exclusion Act knowing that people from Asia cannot make a continuous journey without stopping. This incident wasn’t only the fault of Canada's, but it was also Britain's. Both countries violated the passengers' rights, even though those rights had not become officially recognized yet by international statutes like the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The Komagata Maru incident was a violation of human rights in 1914.

1.4 Affect Canadian identity

It affects Canadian identity in a negative way by decrease Canadian citizens providing or maintaining their human right. This event is the perfect example to show how Canadian identity in the 1910s and 1920s was violent in a social way by the violation of human right to immigrants in this ship. This also gave the negative image and view to India about Canada and British that their identity is violent to all of the immigrants who are coming to Canada, so this was the cause that India stood against British during the 1910s and 1920s.

1.5 Key interaction

Canadian government strongly disagreed about the immigration from other countries and denied their entrance and immigration to Canada. For the interaction, Canadian government and India started to stand against them. Because for the Canadian government, they had the discrimination against immigrants, and for India, they disappointed about the behavior of Canadian government. This interaction impacts politics by India stand against the British, and impact for society by giving bad images about immigrants in Canada.

2. Jewish came to Canada (1929 - 1945)

On August 16, 1933, there was a riot broke out in a Toronto park after someone shouted Heil Hitler following a community baseball game. This highlighted the discrimination felt by many Jewish people in the Toronto. This situation was made worse by the great depression and the ascent to power of Adolf Hitler in Germany. This was the starting point of discrimination in Canada about Jewish. In 1939, Canada turned away the MS St. Louis with 908 Jewish refugees aboard. It went back to Europe where 254 of them died in concentration camps. And overall, Canada only accepted 5,000 Jewish refugees during the 1930s and 1940s in a climate of widespread anti-Semitism. Canada took in proportionately fewer Jews than any western country. At the same time, 17 000 Jewish Canadians responded to the call to arms in WWII and served in the armed forces.

2.1 Specific about this event

While Jewish immigration to Canada had held steady during the 1920s, which means the period of great depression, Canada’s immigration rate reduced dramatically. Anti-Semitism which prejudice against Jews was widespread in Canada. Jews were excluded from social organizations and clubs in Canada. In Canada, hate groups like the Ku Klux Klan sprang up and encouraged by the anti-Semitic activities in Germany, where the Nazis were persecuting Jews and other minorities, this kind of hating groups targeted minorities, Jews, and Catholics. In the face of strong opposition within the Cabinet and the upper levels of the civil service to admitting Jews, the Canadian Jewish Congress was reorganized under the leadership of Samuel Bronfman to work for a safe haven in Canada for some of the increasingly desperate Jews of Europe. Despite mass protests and continuous lobbying by political and communal leaders throughout the Depression and war years, plead on behalf of the trapped Jews of Europe went unheeded.

2.2 Political, social, economic

In a political way, this event didn’t develop that much from 1914-1929, Canadian citizens still had discrimination against immigrants and minorities. For social way, the trend in a social way in Canada was following the same opinion of Adolf Hitler during the great depression because they thought Adolf Hitler is kind of the only person who overcomes the great depression in Germany. The social event which is related to Jewish immigrants was a riot in Toronto Park was an event which someone said Heil Hitler in a community baseball game. This was the starting point of discrimination in Canada about Jewish immigrants.For economic way, because of the great depression, the economy of Canada fall down which was same as other countries in the world. This was one of the causes of impact by a power of Hitler who overcame the great depression in Germany in this period.

2.3 Conflict and Cooperation

This event was the conflict between Jewish immigrants and social immigrants who are standing against Jewish immigrants. Because of the impact of Adolf Hitler in the great depression, some of the Canadian citizens had the same opinion as for the Hitler and started to discriminate Jewish immigrants, the conflict between them emerged in the 1930s and 1940s. In 1930 the Canadian government responded to the unemployment caused by the beginning of the Depression by imposing severe restrictions on immigration. Although the cabinet could, and did, approve certain kinds of immigrants, permission for Jews to enter was almost never given. Religious intolerance was still a common feature of Canadian society. This conflict is also based on the discrimination against immigrants and minorities who were Jews in 1930s to 1940s like the Komagata Maru which was the discrimination of immigrants from other countries in 1910s and 1920s.

2.4 Affect Canadian Identity

This event affects to Canadian as the more discriminating country to Jewish people. This event was caused by the effect of the Nazi party in WW2, so this effect to Canada negatively by Canadian citizens are standing with the brutal Nazi party. This gave more restriction to immigrants who came to Canada and never gave the permission to Jewish to admit them to come to Canada. This made Canada become more not opened the country to immigrants.

2.5 Evolvement of this event from 1914-1929

There was less evolving of my theme between 1914-1929 and 1929-1945, there was still much discrimination against immigrants who were coming to Canada. Citizens in Canada still disagree about immigration to Canada which is exactly same to 1914-1929.

2.6 Key interaction

The interaction between Jewish immigrants and Canadian citizens was bad at that time because there was an impact to Canadian citizens of Hitler’s power during the great depression, Some of the Canadian citizens had the same opinion as Nazi and Hitler had at that time. Therefore, Canadian citizens were having bad images about Jewish people who came to Canada as immigrants. This interaction impacts on society by making some Canadian citizens to follow the brutal opinion and view of Nazi party. For impacts on politics by never given the permission to Jewish to enter Canada.

3. Dutch Immigration to Canada after the Second World War (1945 - 1982)

For the cause of this event, tens of thousands of European civilians, war brides, displaced persons, and prisoners of war immigrated to Canada in search of work, asylum and a better life. Moreover, in may 1947, Prime Minister King announced his plan to relax immigration policy in order to foster population growth. This was a perfect period for Dutch immigrants to move to Canada with relaxing policy to them which is beneficial to them to find the better life. One large group of immigrants that came to Canada during this time was from the Netherlands, a country which had been devastated by the war. Approximately 2,000 war brides were among the first Dutch immigrants to arrive in Canada. These were Dutch women who had married Canadians in Europe during the war. Some war brides inevitably experienced culture shock and missed friends and family back home. Others found the transition less difficult and got along well with their new husbands’ family in Canada. Beginning in 1947, approximately 15,000 Dutch farm workers immigrated to Canada under a three-year bilateral agreement between Canada and the Netherlands. In this period, most of the Dutch were treated well to Canadian farmers. Canadian farmers sponsored Dutch immigrants to work on their farms for a few years before they could buy their own land. Although the immigration of Dutch peoples slowed after the 1950s, it would never stop as people continue to arrive in Canada.

3.1 Specific about this event

After World War II a large number of Dutch immigrants moved to Canada, including a number of war brides of the Canadian soldiers who liberated the Netherlands. There were officially 1886 Dutch war brides to Canada, ranking second after British war brides. For the cause of this situation, after the WW2, Many of these migrants came from the agricultural sector, but there were also large numbers of skilled laborers and professionals, as well as war brides. For the announcement that Prime Minister King announced in 1947, he argued that it opposed to “mass immigration” that would “make a basic change in the character of our population.” King supported selective immigration from countries where citizens spoke English or French and could be easily assimilated. The policy of the government in 1947 was to foster the growth of the population of Canada by the encouragement of immigration. They considered the immigrants carefully to absorb the immigrants to the economy of Canada.

3.2 Political, social, economic

In a political way, the Canadian government made the policy of immigrants more relaxed than the previous time. Moreover, the prime minister of Canada announced that this relaxes immigration policy is to encourage the population growth in Canada. For the development and trend in a political way, Canada was getting a more opened country to immigrants. For social way, Canadian farmers helped and sponsored the Dutch immigrants to work on their farm for years. The trend in a social way was supporting the Dutch immigrants in a social way. This was the reason why Dutch immigrant to Canada never stop even the immigration slowed down. For economic way, because of the increase of population growth by the Dutch immigration, there were more farmers and workers in Canada who were the Dutch immigrants. This helped the economy of Canada a lot.

3.3 Conflict or Cooperation

This was the cooperation of the Canada and Dutch immigrants after WW2. When the Dutch immigrants started to come to Canada after WW2, Canadian prime minister King announced that government is going to make the immigration policy of Canada more relax, which means more beneficial to immigrants in Canada. Moreover, during WW2, some of the war brides who were also Dutch immigrants made a new family in Canada and along with them well even Canada was their new home. For the farmers of Dutch immigrants, Canadian farmers helped Dutch immigrants a lot to work in the Canadian land easily. Also, by this action of Canada after WW2, Canada, and the Netherlands have a special relationship. Canada thought Netherland and Dutch people as "one of Canada's most significant trade, investment, and innovation partners."

3.4 Affect Canadian Identity

This effect Canada in a positive way by making Canada into more opened the country to the immigrants who were the victims of the WW2. For the Canadian identity, Canadian people supported immigrants people a lot to make their life into more liveable and better. This gave the good image of Canada to the Netherlands by allowing the immigrants from the Netherlands and made the special relationship with trade and investment partner. This was the great motivation to Canadian identity to become more worldwide and opened the country to other countries and immigrants.

3.5 Evolvement of this event from 1925-1945

By ending of WW2, Canada becomes a more opened country to the immigrants because Canada had the responsibility in Dutch immigrant because Canada was one of the big parts in the independence of Netherlands during WW2. The theme evolved into the more opened country to immigrants.

3.6 Key interaction

The interaction between Dutch immigrants and Canadian citizens was getting better after WW2. The Canadian government made immigration policy relaxed, and Canadian citizens supported immigrants to work as the farmer or worker, and provide good conditions to war bride to live in Canada. This impacts both society and politics by making them into more opened the system to immigrants.

4. Responding to a World War 2 injustice - Japan (1982 - present)

After Japan bombed Pearl Harbor and attacked Hong Kong in 1942, Canada confiscated Canadian-Japanese people’s property and deprived them of rights. In 1942, all male Canadians of Japanese descent between the ages of 18 and 45 were rounded up and shipped to camps in the interior of British Columbia. When the war ended, many Canadians of Japanese descent were encouraged to leave Canada. Many did, but those who stayed not allowed to return to Vancouver where they were living originally until 1949. In 1988, Prime minister Brian Mulroney formally apologized to the Japanese Canadian survivors and their families on behavior that past Canadian government did to them. The apology of Canadian government was part of a landmark settlement that included acknowledgement of what happened in the past, and payment to all surviving Japanese Canadians who were in this experience during the war. For the well0being of the Japanese Community in Canada, government gave 12 million dollar of payment. To set up the Canadian Race Relations Foundation which combats racism, government also paid almost 24 million dollars. Moreover, for the most important thing, government gave back the Canadian citizenship for all Japanese who had their citizenship taken from during the war.

4.1 Specific about this event

For years, members of the Japanese Canadian community campaigned so that the injustice to Japanese Canadian during WW2 would be recognized. They convinced many Canadians that acknowledgment and recompense was the right way to go. Second World War was a struggle for democracy and liberty worldwide, yet liberty for Canadians was not extended. Japanese Canadians were treated negatively and were kept inside internment camps. In addition, their right to “Habeas Corpus” had been dismissed. “Habeas Corpus” was the right to be brought before a judge and received a trial only after physical evidence had been presented. The Japanese Canadians were perceived as spies even though no evidence had supported that biased judgment. During wartime, this coil right of a fair trial was denied because of the War Measures Act.

4.2 Political, social, economic

In a political way, Canadian government becomes more honest about the past injustice which was about injustice behavior that past Canadian government did to Japanese Canadian people during WW2. Because of responding to the injustice of past time, the Canadian government could apologize for the bad behavior in the past time and become more open to the country to minorities in Canada. For social way, Japanese Canadian community could get apologizing and payment from the Canadian government. Because of this apologize and payment from the Canadian government, they could improve their community more to help Japanese Canadian, and the most important thing was that they got back the citizenship which taken by the past government during WW2. For economic way, Canadian government paid the payment for Japanese survivors and for the community and for setting up the Canadian race relations foundation to fight against racism. These events showed the trends which Canadian government paid the payment as the apologies of past injustice, and improvement of the past government and make sure this event won’t happen again in Canada to minorities people.

4.3 Conflict or Cooperation

This was the conflict in the past time. However, it changed into cooperation between Canada and Canadian Japanese in 1988. Because of the apology of the Prime Minister of Canada in 1988, Japanese Canadian finally get the apology from the behavior of the past Canadian government did to Japanese Canadian during the WW2. Also, they got lots of payment from the government as both victim and community in Canada and received the Canadian citizenship again which they have taken over by the government during WW2.

4.4 Affect Canadian identity

This event affect to Canadian identity to become honest to the injustice of Canada in the past. Because the Canadian government agreed and apologized about the wrong behavior that they did to Japanese Canadian people, they can revise about the injustice in the past time, and become more polite and honest to the victims of their behavior in the past time during WW2.

4.5 Evolvement of this event from 1945-1982

This theme evolved into apologizing to the past discrimination that Canadian government did. Canada became a more honest country with the discrimination that they did in the past time, and apologize for the behavior that they did in the past time.

4.6 Key interaction

Interaction between Canadian government and Japanese Canadian minorities was bad at past time because of the injustice behavior of past Canadian government during WW2 to Japanese Canadian, but after 1988, prime minister apologized about that injustice behavior, interaction developed by apology of prime minister and payment to Japanese Canadian community and survivors who experienced that injustice behavior. This interaction impacts to politics of Canada become honest about the past injustice and discrimination to minorities and immigrants, and for society, Japanese Canadian minorities finally received back their Canadian citizenship.

5. Prediction for the future (future prediction)

A massive demographic change is taking place that could alter Canada's economic, political and education systems and exacerbate the divide between rural and urban communities. Demographer David Foot argues the change is gradual, slow and largely inconsequential. Concerns about a clash of cultures are largely displaced, he added. "We come to Canada to become Canadians and that's what the new immigrants will do," he said. Canada will become equal to all of the people in Canada. In the past time, there were lots of discrimination against the immigrants and Canadian in the past time, but when the time is getting to present, Canadian government became honest about the behavior that they did in the past time, and apologize to the minority or immigrants who got damage from the Canadian government at that time. Considering the behavior of Canadian government which they are going to solve and apologize about all the discrimination that they did to minorities and immigrants, the Canadian government will become equal to all of the citizens in Canada.

5.1 Conflict or Cooperation

This can be characterized as the cooperation between Canada and immigrants in the future because Canada is getting the more opened country to immigrants and minorities. In the future, Canada will become a more opened country, and reduce the discrimination to all of the minorities in Canada.

5.2 Affect Canadian identity

This event will affect Canadian ident a ty in a positive way by becoming a more wide-opened country to all of the immigrants and minorities in Canada. Also, Canadian identity will change in a more honest way by revising the past discrimination because Canadian government was trying to apologize about the past discrimination to minority such as Japanese Canadian.

5.3 Formulate conclusions and/or make informed judgments or predictions

Comparing the past events, in 1914 to 1945, Canadian citizens were having discrimination about immigrants and minorities such as discrimination to immigrants from Asia or Jewish immigrants which made Komagata Maru incident, and no permission to Jewish immigrants to come to Canada. However, after 1945, Canadian citizens and government become opened to immigrants and minorities, they support the Dutch immigrants by making immigration a policy into a more relaxed way. Moreover, Canadian government becomes more honest about past injustice behavior by apologies to Japanese-Canadian people by giving back the citizenship that past government taken over by force, and give payment to community and survivors who experienced the injustice of past Canadian government. By the development of the mind of Canadian citizens and government, Canada will become opened the country to immigrants and minorities, and there will be less discrimination compare to the past period.

Citation

The Komagata Maru

• Creating Canada “The Komagata Maru Incident” pg. 235
• Johnston, Hugh. “Komagata Maru.” The Canadian Encyclopedia, www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/komagata-maru/.
• “The Komagata Maru Incident as a Violation of Human Rights.” Ontario Human Rights Commission, www.ohrc.on.ca/en/komagata-maru-incident-violation-human-rights.
• “Komagata Maru Incident.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 13 Jan. 2018, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Komagata_Maru_incident.

Jewish came to Canada

• Schoenfeld, Stuart. “Jewish Canadians.” The Canadian Encyclopedia, www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/jewish-canadians/.
• “History of the Jews in Canada.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 25 Dec. 2017, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Jews_in_Canada#World_War_II_(1939%E2%80%931945).
• Creating Canada “Did intolerance grow in Canada?” pg.274

Dutch Immigration to Canada after the Second World War

• “Canada–Netherlands Relations.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 11 Jan. 2018, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada%E2%80%93Netherlands_relations.
• Filice, Michelle. “Creating a New Life: Dutch Immigration to Canada after the Second World War.” Historica Canada Blog, 17 Feb. 2015, www.historicacanada.ca/blog/creating-new-life-dutch-immigration-canada-second-world-war/.
• Canada, library, and Archives. “Dutch.” Library and Archives Canada, 19 Sept. 2017, www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/immigration/history-ethnic-cultural/Pages/dutch.aspx.
• “Dutch Canadians.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 10 Dec. 2017, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_Canadians.

Responding to a World War 2 injustice - Japan

• Sunahara, Ann. “Japanese Canadians.” The Canadian Encyclopedia, www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/japanese-canadians/.
• “History Of Japanese Canadians.” NAJC, najc.ca/history-of-japanese-canadians/.
• News, CBC. “Apology to Japanese Canadians Leaves 'Great Legacy'.” CBCnews, CBC/Radio Canada, 24 Sept. 2013, www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/apology-to-japanese-canadians-leaves-great-legacy-1.1865829.

Prediction for the future

• “The Changing Face of Canada: Booming Minority Populations by 2031.” The Globe and Mail, 26 Mar. 2017, www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/the-changing-face-of-canada-booming-minority-populations-by-2031/article569072/.
• “What Will Be the Future of Canada Immigration (Express Entry) for the next 2 Years?” 6 Answers - What Will Be the Future of Canada Immigration (Express Entry) for the next 2 Years?, www.quora.com/What-will-be-the-future-of-Canada-Immigration-Express-Entry-for-the-next-2-years.