Canada: Early 20th Century Immigration & Intolerance Social Studies 11

Wave of Immigration Early 20th century – Canada experienced a significant increase in immigration People came to Canada for opportunities to own their own land and to have a better life Canadian government promoted and offered inducements to people from the United States and northern and eastern Europe to settle on the prairies

Not All Immigrants Were Welcomed Many Canadians did not like the arrival of the newcomers At this time in our history, many Canadians were ethnocentric They believed that their race, ethnic group, or culture was superior to all others Many groups of Canadians began to resent the government’s “open door” immigration policy.

Some labour organizations felt that immigrants threatened their members’ livelihoods Some British-Canadians feared that immigrants from eastern, central, and southern Europe would change the British character of the country French-speaking Canadians were afraid that their culture and language were threatened by the immigrants

Business Supported Immigration Business people supported immigration in the boom times Immigrants were a cheap pool of labour Employers in mines, forests, and canneries encouraged the arrival of hard-working Asian immigrants, who accepted lower pay than other workers

Immigrants from Asia Chinese immigrants were the largest single group of Asians living in British Columbia in the early 1900s Many lived in isolated “Chinatowns” in Vancouver, Victoria, Nanaimo, and New Westminster

Many Chinese men were attracted to Canada by the Cariboo Gold Rush and the building of the CPR – many hoped to return to China when they had made enough money

“White” (British, European, American heritage) Canadians tolerated Asian immigrants if they did work that others did not like or found too unpleasant – e.g., coalmining, fish packing, dish washing Asian immigrants were denounced/attacked if non-Asians thought they were taking “other people’s jobs” (“white peoples’ jobs”)

Racism & Discrimination Many in British Columbia began to call for restrictions to the number of Chinese entering Canada Asiatic Exclusion League formed in BC

1907 Anti-Asian feelings erupted in riots in Vancouver – businesses and homes in Chinatown and Japanese section of city were destroyed

Limiting Asian Immigration Public pressure on government to restrict Asian immigration grew Canadian government took a number of steps to limit non-white immigration to Canada The 1885 Chinese Immigration Act already existed

Head Tax & Chinese Exclusion Act Under the Chinese Immigration Act, every Chinese person immigrating to Canada had to pay a $50 head tax

1900 – head tax raised to $100 1903 – head tax increased to $500 1923 – Chinese Exclusion Act replaced Chinese Immigration Act – it banned Chinese immigration altogether

By “Continuous Passage” Only Many Sikhs from India had also been encouraged to come to Canada It was difficult to restrict East-Indian immigration because as British subjects they could not be denied entry to Canada To prevent the entry of East Indians into Canada, government changed the Immigration Act in 1906

Immigrants were now required to come to Canada via a non-stop, direct route from their country of origin A direct or “continuous passage” from India was impossible Canadian government thought it had solved the problem of Asian immigration

Komagata Maru In 1914, Gurdit Singh, a Sikh businessman, challenged the continuous passage amendment He chartered a steamer called the Komagata Maru to transport 354 Sikh immigrants to Vancouver Ship left Hong Kong on April 4, 1914, stopped in China and Japan, and arrived in Vancouver on May 23, 1914

Canadian authorities quarantined the ship, so its passengers could not land Almost 200 police and immigration officers tried to board the ship, but they were pelted with bottles and sticks After two months of being moored in Vancouver harbour, the Komagata Maru was forced to return to India – all of its passengers had been refused entry into Canada