The Making of the Mosaic: A History of Canadian Immigration Policy

Description

Immigration policy has always been and continues to be a subject of intense political and public debate. This book examines the ideas, interests, institutions, and rhetoric that have shaped Canada's immigration history. Beginning their study in the pre-Confederation period, the authors tell of the dramatic transformations that have characterized our attitudes towards immigrants. While, at first, few obstacles were placed in the way of newcomers to Canada, the turn of the century brought policies of increasing selectivity. The massive deportations of the First World War and Depression eras were exceeded in harshness only by the tactics implemented during the Second World War, when nearly all of the Japanese-Canadian population was incarcerated and when Jewish refugees fleeing from mass extermination abroad were turned away from our shores. Bringing us up to date with an analysis of the more expansionary policies of the 1990s, the authors clarify the central issues and attitudes underlying each phase and juncture of policy decision-making. Their thoughtful study reveals a set of core normative and ethical values that have been fundamental in the making of the Canadian mosaic. Contents Acknowledgments 1 Introduction: Ideas, Interests, Institutions, and Issues Shaping Canadian Immigration Policy 2 From Wilderness to Nationhood, 1497–1867: 'The Land God Gave to Cain' 3 Immigration and the Consolidation of the Dominion, 1867–1896: Fulfilling the Destiny 4 Industrialization, Immigration, and the Foundation of Twentieth-Century Immigration Policy, 1896–1914 5 The War and the Recovery, 1914–1929: The Dominance of Economic Interests 6 The Depression Years, 1930–1937: Exclusion and Expulsion 7 The Recovery and the Second World War, 1938–1945: Closure and Internment 8 The Postwar Boom, 1946–1962: Reopening the Doors Selectively 9 Immigration Policy, 1963–1976: Democracy and Due Process 10 Regulating the Refugee Influx, 1977–1995: The Fraying of the Consensus 11 Conclusions Notes Select Bibliography Index