29/2/24

POL101: The Divergence in Opinion of European and Asian Immigration in Canada

- Many European immigrants in the 1900s that went to Canada had a false impression that there

were not any housing shortages, high living costs, unemployment problems, and language

barriers

- Immigration officials believed that the newcomers, despite being white westerners from

democratically run countries, would struggle to adapt to the pace of life in Canada

- The Canadian gatekeepers developed different programs in order to help newcomers adjust to

life in Canada, and above of all else find adequate housing and social services

- In 1921 there were 23k and 15k Chinese and Japanese immigrants respectively, and they

together accounted for less than 1% of the total population, but 7% of British Columbia’s

population

- The Chinese and Japanese were seen as threats to the workforce as they would take up

agricultural jobs traditionally held by the white population

- There was a growing sentiment around British Columbia that Oriental immigrants were

“double-crossers”, meaning that they worked for the ambitions of their mother country and not

of Canada
 29/2/24

- Many believed that the welfare system gave an unfair advantage to newcomers, who they

believed would ride off the benefits that the system provided, and would not contribute or try to

help grow the economy

- The Canadian government used catchwords such as “cultural mosaic” and “unity in diversity”

as a way to try and alter the negative stigma the population had towards newcomers, but more

importantly to slowly shift the political landscape towards one that would be more accepting of

multiculturalism in the land

- The Dunsmuir family who founded a coal mining empire started to employ cheap Oriental

labour which sparked anti-asiatic riots in Vancouver, leading them to fire all their Oriental

employees

- White labourers began to see Oriental people in negative light due to the fact that they were

willing to work longer hours for lower wages, which led them to strike on several occasions

- A union named the Workingman’s Protective Association, was formed as a protective measure

for the white working class to ensure they would be able to find work amidst the influx of

Oriental labourers, this union would continue with limited success until the provincial labour

movement forced them to drop their anti-oriental stance

- In the late 1870s provincial politicians passed legislation (The Chinese Immigration Act of

1885) with the aim to restrict Chinese immigration and employment in British Columbia
 29/2/24

- In the 1890s many of the restrictions placed on the Chinese were imposed on the Japanese who

had arrived in the 1890s

- The Oriental Orders In Council Validation Act was enacted with the aim to prevent Oriental

people from buying land from the government

- The Canadian government used catchwords such as “cultural mosaic” and “unity in diversity”

as a way to try and alter the negative stigma the population had towards newcomers, but more

importantly to slowly shift the political landscape towards one that would be more accepting of

multiculturalism in the land

- After a series of measures to prevent immigration, parliament introduced a $500 dollar head tax

on Chinese entering Canada, which soon deemed to be ineffective, as the economy began to

boom and so did the wages for Chinese immigrants

- In the eyes of the white population, greedy local politicians had sold British Columbia to the

Orientals for glorification, power, and money

- During the first world war, Japanese people were accused of being unscrupulous in their

methods of buying land by using “block-busting” techniques which angered local residents
 29/2/24

- In 1921 statistical data regarding land ownership was collected in British Columbia, the data

stated that 28k acres of land were owned by Oriental people, and though it was not a large area

of land, it was concentrated in a few areas and heavily cultivated