THE IMMIGRATION ACT

HOW DID THE GOVERNMENT RESPOND TO As minister of the interior, Sifton promoted an immigration policy that

INCREASING encouraged diverse groups of people to come to Canada. Not all politicians
shared his goals. When Frank Oliver became the new minister of the interior

IMMIGRATION?
What can in 1905, he wanted to create a more restrictive immigration policy. In 1906,
immigration policies tell
us about the perspective
Oliver introduced the Immigration Act. The act increased the power of the
of the government? government to restrict immigration, deport people, and create regulations to
unfairly target people considered undesirable. For example, Oliver used the
Immigration Act to take the farmland in the Prairies from the Doukhobors in
1908. What does Figure 7.27 reveal about who the government considered to
People often have to meet certain requirements before they can move to be an “undesirable immigrant”?
another country. The government determines who is allowed to immigrate
to Canada by establishing immigration laws. By examining these policies, FIGURE 7.27 Excerpt from the list
of “Immigrants Prohibited from “No immigrant shall be permitted to land in Canada,
you can draw conclusions about what the government values were at a given
Landing” from the Immigration who is:
time. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, the government focused on restricting Act, 1906. Analyze: Who is being
immigration for certain groups of people. Immigrants from some countries excluded from Canadian citizenship • … an idiot, or an epileptic, or who is insane, or has had an attack of
were welcomed, while immigrants from countries considered less desirable by this policy?
insanity within five years; nor shall any immigrant be so landed who is
were excluded. deaf or dumb [unable to speak], or dumb, blind or infirm; …

• afflicted with a loathsome disease or with a disease which is

THE CHINESE HEAD TAX contagious or infectious and which may become dangerous to the
Chinese immigrants were accepted when the government needed labourers head tax a fee Chinese
public health; …
immigrants had to pay to
to work on the Canadian Pacific Railway. However, once the railway was enter Canada from 1885 • a pauper, or destitute, or professional beggar, or vagrant, or who is
completed, the government created policies meant to exclude Chinese to 1923
likely to become a public charge”
immigrants. In 1885, the Canadian government introduced the head tax,
FIGURE 7.26 This is an image of
or amount of money an individual Chinese immigrant would have to pay Lee Shing Dok’s head tax certificate
— Immigration Act, 1906
to enter the country. The head tax was set at $50 in 1885 but increased from April 23, 1913. Analyze: How
steadily. The government introduced policies that continued to raise the do you think a Chinese immigrant,
such as Dok, might feel about the
head tax to prevent more Chinese people from immigrating to Canada. By head tax? What impact The Immigration Act of 1906 gave the government new power. It could
1903, the head tax was $500. might the now deport, or send back to their country of origin, any immigrants who fell
As you learned in Chapter 3, Immigration Act of 1906 into the categories listed in the act at the time of their arrival, or within two
have had on various
Chinese workers were earning groups and communities
years of arrival. The Immigration Act of 1910 adjusted and introduced even
on average $1.00 per day. in Canada? more restrictive policies. What new powers are given to the government in
The high cost of the head tax the 1910 act, outlined in Figure 7.28?
often meant that only one
family member could afford FIGURE 7.28 Excerpt from
to come to Canada, leaving “Prohibition of Specified Classes of “38. The Governor in Council may, by proclamation or
Immigrants” from the Immigration
the rest of the family behind Act, 1910. Analyze: Compared to
order whenever he deems it necessary or expedient, …
in China. Examine the head Figure 7.27, who is further excluded (a) prohibit the landing in Canada … of any immigrant who has come
tax certificate in Figure 7.26. from Canadian citizenship by the
to Canada otherwise than by continuous journey from the country of
government’s power?
What impact could the which he is a native or naturalized citizen, and upon a through ticket
head tax have on Chinese purchased in that country, or prepaid in Canada; …
people who wanted to move
(c) prohibit for a stated period, or permanently, the landing in
to Canada?
Canada … of immigrants belonging to any race deemed unsuited to the
climate or requirements of Canada, or of immigrants of any specified
class, occupation or character.”

— Immigration Act, 1910

210 UNIT 2: Canada’s Changing Society: 1890–1914 NEL NEL CHAPTER 7: The New Canadians: 1896–1914 211
 THE CONTINUOUS JOURNEY REGULATION As politicians debated whether to let the passengers off the ship, the
Canadian government initially denied food and water to the passengers
The Immigration Act did not outright prohibit specific What other
forced to stay on board. A shore committee of South Asian citizens sources might you
nationalities or ethnic groups from entering Canada.
supporting the passengers organized protests on their behalf. They also consult for different
But parts of the act, such as the “continuous journey”
managed to get some supplies on board the ship. Read Figure 7.31 to learn perspectives on the
regulation, could be used to bar people the government “Immigrants are required Komagata Maru
how some passengers on the ship responded to Canada’s immigration policy.
did not want immigrating to Canada. The regulation was to come from country of birth or incident?
What does the Komagata Maru incident tell you about the government’s
added to the Immigration Act in 1908 and stated that all citizenship by continuous journey on
power at the time?
immigrants coming to Canada had to travel by continuous through tickets purchased in their own
journey from their country of origin to Canada. In the country. You being a native or citizen
early 1900s, Black farmers in Oklahoma were tired of the of British Guiana, and not a citizen of FIGURE 7.31 Five passengers
the United States where you are now “We are now in great disappointed [and] miserable on board the Komagata Maru
racism and discrimination they experienced in the United wrote this letter to the editor of
residing, cannot be admitted.” conditions.... For this the Immigration dep[artmen]t is held responsible
States. A Black man wrote a letter to the superintendent Vancouver’s Daily News Advertiser
[and] we are quite blameless [and] have come here by all rights to land. paper in June 1914. Analyze: How
of immigration to request entry to Canada in 1911. The — Office of the Superintendent
Immigration dep[artmen]t held us prisoners.” did these passengers view the
superintendent of immigration wrote a letter to explain why of Immigration Immigration Department?
the man’s request was being denied. Read Figure 7.29 and — Komagata Maru passengers
then review the policies from the Immigration Act of 1910 in FIGURE 7.29 This excerpt is from
Figure 7.28. Why was this man’s entry to Canada denied? a letter from the Office of the
Superintendent of Immigration, The government forced the ship to leave Vancouver on July 23, 1914.
THE KOMAGATA MARU March 3, 1911, responding to a
man who had requested entry to
When the ship arrived in India two months later, the British tried to
The continuous journey regulation also made it nearly impossible for Asian Canada. Analyze: What does this arrest about 20 of the passengers that they identified as leaders. When
immigrants to gain entry to Canada. On May 23, 1914, a Japanese steamship letter reveal about government the passengers resisted arrest, a riot broke out and 20 of them were shot.
called the Komagata Maru arrived in Vancouver, British Columbia. The attitudes toward Black immigrants
The 100th anniversary of the incident was commemorated in 2014. Read
to Canada at the time?
ship had made the long journey from Hong Kong carrying 376 passengers Figure 7.32, a statement from the premier of British Columbia. How might
from India. The passengers, who were mostly male and Sikh, were seeking the Komagata Maru incident be seen as historically significant today?
admission to Canada. The Sikh passengers had planned their journey
carefully to meet the restrictive conditions from the regulation. However, FIGURE 7.32 This is an excerpt
they were still denied entry upon their arrival. The passengers refused to FIGURE 7.30 (A) This photo shows “Because of their ethnicity, the government of the day from British Columbia Premier
return to India. They remained on board the ship in the Vancouver harbour the crowded deck of the Komagata Christy Clark’s statement on the
decided to deny the passengers entry … we must value, respect and
Maru in June 1914. (B) This photo 100th anniversary of the Komagata
for more than two months in a standoff with Canadian officials. Examine shows onlookers watching the welcome all immigrants who seek to build their lives here in B.C. They Maru incident. Analyze: How have
Figure 7.30A and Figure 7.30B. Why do you think so many people gathered Komagata Maru from the dock enrich our communities and culture, and strengthen our economy. They government policies and attitudes
on the wharf to watch the ship in harbour and people on board? in July 1914. Analyze: What make our province better.” changed since 1914?
differences and similarities do you
see in these two groups of people? — Christy Clark, premier of British Columbia

A B

CHECK-IN
1. CAUSE AND CONSEQUENCE In what ways did the 3. EVALUATE AND DRAW CONCLUSIONS What were
Canadian government attempt to restrict the the goals of the Canadian government’s
immigration of certain ethnic groups to Canada? immigration policies? How effective were they
What do you think were the short- and long-term in accomplishing those goals?
consequences of the restrictions?
2. HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE Which groups were
viewed as undesirable by the Canadian
government? Why do you think that was?

212 UNIT 2: Canada’s Changing Society: 1890–1914 NEL NEL CHAPTER 7: The New Canadians: 1896–1914 213