Oppression in Canada Against Minorities

Serena Sluski

CHC2D

Monday, June 17th

Ms. McConachie
 Imagine being a citizen of a country but not feeling safe there. Trying to flee the country

for the safety of your family but being abused, tortured and put in camps because you are a

different skin colour, or ethnic background. This is exactly what immigrants went through and

still continue to go through. Foreigners in Canada have been mistreated for decades, and it is

still a battle we, as a country, are trying to fight. Throughout history we have participated in the

internment of Japanese Canadians, immigration, and multiculturalism.

To begin, one way Canadians have mistreated immigrants/foreigners was by the

internment of Japanese Canadians. The internment was an action in which Japanese Canadians

were stripped of their rights, homes and land, during the second world war. The Canadian

government saw the Japanese as a threat after the bombing of Pearl Harbour. In response to this

the Canadain Government put Japanese Canadians into internment camps where they were then

abused, tortured, and informed that they would be deported after the war. By the summer of

1942, all Japanese Canadians were removed from the West Coast. Over 12,000 people were

barred to British Coulmbia’s Slocan Valley, where they were placed into interior housing

centers. After the war around 4,000 Japanese Canadians returned to Japan. For about 46 years the

Canadian Government did not speak on the topic or own up for what they had done. On June

29th 1984, Prime Minister, Pierre Trudeau, spoke about his opinion on the internment of

Japanese Candaians. Pierre said, “I do not see how I can apologize for some historic event which

we...were not a party, but we can regret that it happened”. It was not until 1988 that someone

finally apologized for the actions the Canadian government participated in. Prime Minister, Brian

Mulroney, rose in the House of Commons and spoke for all members of the house and offered

the formal and sincere apology the Japanese Canadians deserved. For four years all that
Mulroney’s government offered was an apology and a fund for the Japanese community, no

money for individuals. After the American government gave the Japanese interned there

compensation, the Canadian government finally offered 21,000 to each Japanese individual that

survived the camps. To sum up, the Canadian government did not treat the Japanese Canadians

appropriately during this time. The apology and money from Brian Mulroney and the

government was a step in the right direction for owning up for Canada's actions, but it still does

not make up for what the Japanese Canadians were put through.

Over time Canadians tried to be more accepting to foreigners, so the second time they

dealt with them was during the Cold War when immigrants started pouring in. After the second

world war Europe opened its floodgates as many people wanted to leave the devastated

continent. In the wake of Germany being divided and split in four, Germans were pouring out

and seeking a better place to live. Ottawa became committed to accepting significant number of

able-bodied refugees. On May 1st, 1947, Mackenzie King’s government issued the guidelines for

the new immigration policy. The new policy was for immigrants that could be understood in the

French or English communities across the country. Because of the main sources of the new

immigrants being; the U.S., British, and North-western Europeans, it would not upset the balance

across Canada. Germans were welcomed to Canada because of the population’s view of them as

being ethnically close to Canada. Immigraion applicants coming from the Mediterianian, and

Asian areas were usually rejected. The criteria for entrance into Canada was to commit to a one

year contract or to be sponsored by someone who lived there. Single, young men were usually

accepted into Canada to work as labourers on farms, forests, mining or railroads, and females

were accepted if they could be employed as domestic or hospital workers. Before the refugees
got on a ship they had to sign a contract stating that they would work for a year. Canada now

picks out immigrants using a point system. There are six selection factors that influence the

Canada points system. An immigrant needs 67 points out of 100 to be able to immigrate to

Canada under the Federal Skilled Worker Program. The six factors are English and/or French

skills (28 points), education (25 points), experience (15 points), age (12 points), arranged

employment in Canada (10 points), and adaptability(10 points). To sum up, Canada after world

war two began to accept refugees and immigrants. Canada started out by only accepting people

who were physically able to come over and do work, but now they accept people based on the

points system rather than their physical appearance.

Lastly, multiculturalism is a thing Canada has struggled with for centuries but it finally

exists in Canada today. A policy of multiculturalism was officially adopted by the government of

Canada during the 1970’s and 1980’s. This policy ensures that every Canadian citizen receives

equal treatment by the government. A 2016 census showed that there are 250 different ethnic

origins or ancestries across Canada. Some Canadians see this as a big problem because jobs are

limited and wages are dropping. Immigrants are willing to work for less, therefore companies are

beginning to hire more immigrants, so less Canadians (of a European Descent) are getting jobs.

Canada has not seemed to realize there is an issue the immigrants are concerned about, and that

is traditions. There are days to celebrate multiculturalism such as; Canadian Multiculturalism

Day, Black History Month, Asian Heritage Month and many other days. But even though

Canada has days for recognition there is still a major problem regarding holidays. Everyone

living in Canada gets time off for the globally known holidays like christmas and easter, but

other cultures don't get time off for eid, or alternate christmas’, they have to take the time off and
risk missing something at school or work. Canada does not see this as an issue because it does

not affect a majority of the population at the moment. To sum up, Canada has improved

significantly when it comes to multiculturalism but there is still quite a bit of things that need

improvement.

In conclusion, foreigners in Canada have not always been treated right, and it is still a

battle we are fighting today. Over the years Canada has grown to be more accepting of

immigrants but there are still major problems occurring that should be dealt with in the near

future of Canada. Immigrants offer many things to Canada and can help bring many things to the

country. Vincent Massey Once Said, “Canada is not a melting-pot. Canada is an association of

people who have, and cherish, great differences but who work together because they can respect

themselves and each other”. If Canada continues making steps forward with accepting

immigrants, Canada will be a stronger country.

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