Canadian Immigration Policy

If you might, you could say that in this day in age Canada has a fairly diverse portfolio of cultures and in fact has the most diverse culture base in the entire world. But, there were three other forthcoming events that would create and shape the Canadian immigration and discrimination fiasco. The Chinese were the main race to fall at the hands of the racially discriminant Canadian immigration policy. "To the white diggers and to a growing section of public opinion in these pioneering communities in North America, the Chinese were not only alien, they were often seen as evil and dangerous as well. " This is solid proof that Canada is of great value in the international spectrum and that immigrants are willing to sacrifice and endure a lot of things to build a life for themselves as Canadian citizens.

It would be expected that after all the racial discrimination that one would have to endure to immigrate to Canada and become a citizen in that time period there would be no immigration at all. This was because if Canada had the opportunity the federal government "would have liked to have imposed the same head tax on the Japanese, but was prevented from doing so for diplomatic reasons". One local paper went as far as to say, "No one know when the hour will strike, which will give the signal for an oriental advance nor can anyone tell in what direction that will be". But, in fact "there were nearly three million immigrants that came to settle in Canada during the period between 1896-1914. This country has come along way in protecting the human rights of all of the people residing within its borders, not just the white race. The White Canada policy and the ignorant racial discrimination of Chinese immigrants were the heart and soul of racial discrimination in regards to Canada's immigration policy. There was an increasing fear of the "yellow peril" amongst Canadians in around the 1900's, and thus "British Columbia was still concerned about the number of Chinese entering the province and the result was a doubling of the head tax to $100 in 1900, and a further increase to $500 three years later". These events were the birth of racial discrimination within the context of Canada's immigration policy and the immigrant fiasco it fueled from 1896 to 1914. The reputation of these stalwart peasants with stout wives was a bad one, and journalists went as far as to describe the Ukrainian immigrants as, "ignorant … creatures of the mud who must be made over in the superior British pattern. " But, despite the harsh negative perception of the Ukrainians their Canadian settlement consequences were nowhere near what the Orientals were forced to endure.