IMMIGRATION POLICIES & PROGRAMS
Recruiting, Restricting and Rejecting
Part One
Strategies and policies to attract and exclude immigrants to Canada from 1867 to the beginning of the First World War in 1914
Research by Elle Andra-Warner
Research by Elle Andra-Warner
- 1867 - Canada at Confederation
- 1869 - Canada's Real Estate Windfall
- 1872 - Finding Settlers to Develop the Land: Passing the Dominion Land Development Act
- 1896 - Selling Canada: The Advertising Blitz for "The Last Best West"
- 1901-1911 - Courting Immigrants (Especially Americans) to "The Last Best West"
- 1885-1914 - Not Everyone is Welcome: Canada's Exclusionary Immigration Policies
1867 - Canada at Confederation
On July 1, 1867, the Dominion of Canada was created under the British North American Act (BNA) comprising of four provinces that had been British North American colonies: Ontario (formerly Upper Canada), Quebec (formerly Lower Canada), Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.
The date of entry for Canada's other provinces and territories were:
July 15, 1870 - Manitoba and Northwest Territories
July 20, 1871 - British Columbia
July 1, 1873 - Prince Edward Island
June 13, 1898 - Yukon Territory
September 1, 1905 - Alberta and Saskatchewan
March 31, 1949 - Newfoundland (now called Newfoundland & Labrador)
April 1, 1999 - Nunavut Territory
The District of Red Lake was located in Northwest Territories, then Manitoba before becoming part of Ontario in 1912.
At the time of Confederation in 1867, Canada was a much smaller country than it is now. The four provinces were all in the east, their boundaries stretching from the Atlantic Ocean to Ontario. The vast lands west from the Ontario border, past the Rocky Mountains to the British colony of British Columbia, belonged to the Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC). Known as Rupert's Land, it covered 40 percent of present-day Canada, most of Minnesota and North Dakota in the United States, and had been given to HBC under Royal Charter in 1670.
Under the charter, HBC was the law, controlling the land and the people. In this vast new territory, the company had absolute power to establish and enforce laws, erect forts, have its own soldiers, maintain a navy, and make peace—or war—with the First Nations people. In effect, HBC could run its vast fur-trading empire any way it wanted.
Fur-trading has a long history in Red Lake with posts set up both by HBC and its rival, the North West Company.
On July 1, 1867, the Dominion of Canada was created under the British North American Act (BNA) comprising of four provinces that had been British North American colonies: Ontario (formerly Upper Canada), Quebec (formerly Lower Canada), Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.
The date of entry for Canada's other provinces and territories were:
July 15, 1870 - Manitoba and Northwest Territories
July 20, 1871 - British Columbia
July 1, 1873 - Prince Edward Island
June 13, 1898 - Yukon Territory
September 1, 1905 - Alberta and Saskatchewan
March 31, 1949 - Newfoundland (now called Newfoundland & Labrador)
April 1, 1999 - Nunavut Territory
The District of Red Lake was located in Northwest Territories, then Manitoba before becoming part of Ontario in 1912.
At the time of Confederation in 1867, Canada was a much smaller country than it is now. The four provinces were all in the east, their boundaries stretching from the Atlantic Ocean to Ontario. The vast lands west from the Ontario border, past the Rocky Mountains to the British colony of British Columbia, belonged to the Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC). Known as Rupert's Land, it covered 40 percent of present-day Canada, most of Minnesota and North Dakota in the United States, and had been given to HBC under Royal Charter in 1670.
Under the charter, HBC was the law, controlling the land and the people. In this vast new territory, the company had absolute power to establish and enforce laws, erect forts, have its own soldiers, maintain a navy, and make peace—or war—with the First Nations people. In effect, HBC could run its vast fur-trading empire any way it wanted.
Fur-trading has a long history in Red Lake with posts set up both by HBC and its rival, the North West Company.
1869 - Canada's Real Estate Windfall
In 1869—two years after Confederation—the HBC sold Rupert's Land to Canada in exchange for 300,000 pounds and generous land grants. It was a real estate windfall for the Dominion— but one that brought major challenges. For example, how could immigrants be attracted from Europe and the United States to populate and farm the vast wilderness and lawless area?
In the 1870s, Canada had an open door for immigrants (except for those arriving with major diseases) and began to recruit for settlers.
During the same time that Canada was tweaking its immigration policies and strategies, Britain and its charity organizations had their own ideas on how to send settlers and workers to Canada. Seemingly altruistic in intent, it was also a way to lessen Britain's own expanding population by sending to Canada some of its poor and unwanted.
One of those direct programs, dubbed the Home Children, was launched in 1869. By the time it was annulled 70 years later in 1939 (around the same time as Red Lake's gold mines were booming), the program had brought over 100,000 Home children—poor and/or orphaned children—to work in Canadian households, though some have called it "indentured servitude".
In 1869—two years after Confederation—the HBC sold Rupert's Land to Canada in exchange for 300,000 pounds and generous land grants. It was a real estate windfall for the Dominion— but one that brought major challenges. For example, how could immigrants be attracted from Europe and the United States to populate and farm the vast wilderness and lawless area?
In the 1870s, Canada had an open door for immigrants (except for those arriving with major diseases) and began to recruit for settlers.
During the same time that Canada was tweaking its immigration policies and strategies, Britain and its charity organizations had their own ideas on how to send settlers and workers to Canada. Seemingly altruistic in intent, it was also a way to lessen Britain's own expanding population by sending to Canada some of its poor and unwanted.
One of those direct programs, dubbed the Home Children, was launched in 1869. By the time it was annulled 70 years later in 1939 (around the same time as Red Lake's gold mines were booming), the program had brought over 100,000 Home children—poor and/or orphaned children—to work in Canadian households, though some have called it "indentured servitude".
1872 - Finding Settlers to Develop the Land: Passing the Dominion Land Development Act
To attract agriculturalists to homestead on the newly acquired prairie lands, Canada passed the Dominion Land Development Act (DLA) in 1872 which offered free and cheap land to those who would work the land. It was not the first time that free land was used to entice settlers. Back in the 1780s, Upper Canada had offered 200 acres free to white immigrants who would promise to cultivate the land plus give an oath of loyalty to the King of England.
For more than 100 years, the DLA of 1872 was called the "heart and soul of Canada's national policy". Why? Because it set out “the parameters within which western lands could be settled and its natural resources developed”.
To attract agriculturalists to homestead on the newly acquired prairie lands, Canada passed the Dominion Land Development Act (DLA) in 1872 which offered free and cheap land to those who would work the land. It was not the first time that free land was used to entice settlers. Back in the 1780s, Upper Canada had offered 200 acres free to white immigrants who would promise to cultivate the land plus give an oath of loyalty to the King of England.
For more than 100 years, the DLA of 1872 was called the "heart and soul of Canada's national policy". Why? Because it set out “the parameters within which western lands could be settled and its natural resources developed”.
"With such a framework in place, Canada was free to solicit European and American immigrants on a massive scale. Through the sweat and toil of these newcomers, the underdeveloped prairie landscape would be converted into an agricultural paradise to allow the industrialized East to compete with the economic might of its American neighbours."
Source: Jeffrey S. Murray, Library & Archives Canada. About Moving Here: Staying Here: The Canadian Immigrant Experience.
By definition, a land grant refers to the transfer of public lands by the Crown to a corporation, individual or another level of government. The DLA grants were available to colonization companies, the HBC, railways, municipalities, religious organizations and individual farmer-settlers.
The DLA opened up 198 million acres of western land for settlement. The Dominion Land Surveyors travelled out west before the settlers arrived and divided the land into 1.25 million homesteads, each a quarter section (160 acres).
Red Lake Immigrant: Leo Kostynuk, came to Canada between 1907 to 1910, was offered land but instead went to work for the CPR.
Initially, the program fizzled. Many recruited immigrants arrived in Canada with no intention of staying—they used Canada as the doorway to settle in the United States, their preferred destination.
However, a more successful component of the DLA was the granting of land for Bloc Settlements where language, religious or ethnic groups from one country homesteaded together in settlements. Not only were they true prairie pioneers, they also added colourful history to Canada's early years.
Some of the biggest bloc immigration settlements included the Ukrainian and Polish, known as Galicians (by 1914, over 150,000 had arrived); Icelandic (established "Republic of Iceland" in Manitoba); Mennonites (7,000 arrived from Russia between 1874 to 1880); Hungarians and Doukhobors.
By definition, a land grant refers to the transfer of public lands by the Crown to a corporation, individual or another level of government. The DLA grants were available to colonization companies, the HBC, railways, municipalities, religious organizations and individual farmer-settlers.
The DLA opened up 198 million acres of western land for settlement. The Dominion Land Surveyors travelled out west before the settlers arrived and divided the land into 1.25 million homesteads, each a quarter section (160 acres).
Red Lake Immigrant: Leo Kostynuk, came to Canada between 1907 to 1910, was offered land but instead went to work for the CPR.
Initially, the program fizzled. Many recruited immigrants arrived in Canada with no intention of staying—they used Canada as the doorway to settle in the United States, their preferred destination.
However, a more successful component of the DLA was the granting of land for Bloc Settlements where language, religious or ethnic groups from one country homesteaded together in settlements. Not only were they true prairie pioneers, they also added colourful history to Canada's early years.
Some of the biggest bloc immigration settlements included the Ukrainian and Polish, known as Galicians (by 1914, over 150,000 had arrived); Icelandic (established "Republic of Iceland" in Manitoba); Mennonites (7,000 arrived from Russia between 1874 to 1880); Hungarians and Doukhobors.
1896 - Selling Canada: The Advertising Blitz for "The Last Best West"
Dramatic changes to immigration strategies began to appear in the closing years of the 19th century. In 1896, the Liberals and Wilfred Laurier came into power and for the next nine years, Canada became aggressive in advertising Canada to the world with one goal—to bring in the immigrants.
It was in 1896 that the new Minister of the Interior, Clifford Sifton, took over the responsibility for immigration and settlement in Canada. His focus was to populate the North West with farmers. How? By advertising Canada in a vigorous Great Canadian Travelling Road Show recruiting campaign aimed at bringing in potential agriculturalists, farm labourers and domestic servants from the United States (his main target group), Great Britain and rural peasants from Central and Eastern Europe (Galicians, Polish, Hungarian, etc.).
Sifton told his deputy, "We don't want anything but agricultural labourers and farmers or people who are coming for the purpose of engaging in agriculture, whether as farmers or farm labourers". He believed certain people—especially "northerners"—were better suited than others for farming. He liked Scots, Scandinavians, Germans and British (particularly northern English), welcomed "northern Slavs" and didn't want Jewish or southern Italian immigrants. Sifton is reported to have said, "I don't want anything done to facilitate Italian immigration."
Sifton saw Canada's West as a "product" to be sold. With the simple slogan that Canada's West was "The Last Best West", he set about to change the negative international image of Canada's prairies.
The "cold" of Canada was out, changed to "bracing" and "invigorating" and snow was never mentioned. Even the chair of Canadian Pacific Railway, William Van Horne, got boisterous while visiting Europe. After lamenting how cold it was in Rome and Florence, he said in a public statement,
Dramatic changes to immigration strategies began to appear in the closing years of the 19th century. In 1896, the Liberals and Wilfred Laurier came into power and for the next nine years, Canada became aggressive in advertising Canada to the world with one goal—to bring in the immigrants.
It was in 1896 that the new Minister of the Interior, Clifford Sifton, took over the responsibility for immigration and settlement in Canada. His focus was to populate the North West with farmers. How? By advertising Canada in a vigorous Great Canadian Travelling Road Show recruiting campaign aimed at bringing in potential agriculturalists, farm labourers and domestic servants from the United States (his main target group), Great Britain and rural peasants from Central and Eastern Europe (Galicians, Polish, Hungarian, etc.).
Sifton told his deputy, "We don't want anything but agricultural labourers and farmers or people who are coming for the purpose of engaging in agriculture, whether as farmers or farm labourers". He believed certain people—especially "northerners"—were better suited than others for farming. He liked Scots, Scandinavians, Germans and British (particularly northern English), welcomed "northern Slavs" and didn't want Jewish or southern Italian immigrants. Sifton is reported to have said, "I don't want anything done to facilitate Italian immigration."
Sifton saw Canada's West as a "product" to be sold. With the simple slogan that Canada's West was "The Last Best West", he set about to change the negative international image of Canada's prairies.
The "cold" of Canada was out, changed to "bracing" and "invigorating" and snow was never mentioned. Even the chair of Canadian Pacific Railway, William Van Horne, got boisterous while visiting Europe. After lamenting how cold it was in Rome and Florence, he said in a public statement,
"I pine for Winnipeg to thaw me...The atmosphere in the far west intoxicates you, it is so very invigorating."
Though Britain was still the top source for immigrants to populate the vast Canada West, Sifton's preferred group was the American farmers because they brought capital, equipment and assets with them. He also aggressively sought farmers from Central and Eastern Europe. According to Sifton, he was looking for "stalwart peasants in a sheepskin coat, born on the soil, whose forefathers have been farmers for ten generations, with a stout wife and a half dozen children."
And they came by the hundreds of thousands. How did Sifton convince them to come?
And they came by the hundreds of thousands. How did Sifton convince them to come?
"People were lured to the Prairie West by one of the largest and most extensive advertising campaigns the world had ever witnessed."
Or as Pierre Berton wrote in his book, The Promised Land, Sifton saturated the world with "propaganda about the Canadian West". By 1896, over 65,000 pamphlets had been sent out by the Immigration Department; four years later in 1900, the number had risen to 1 million.
1901-1911 - Courting Immigrants (Especially Americans) to "The Last Best West"
Between 1901 and 1911, Canada's economy was booming and its population increased from 5.3 million to 7.2 million, mainly due to immigration from the United Kingdom (its traditional source of immigrants) and the United States (a reversal after many years of America draining settlers from Canada).
As an example, in one year alone—fiscal year of 1910-1911—Canada welcomed 311,084 immigrants of which 128,043 were British and 121,432 were American.
The increased American wave of immigration to Canada West was big news in the United States, crediting Canada's aggressive advertising strategies in luring American farmers north across the border. On September 24, 1911, The New York Times published an article outlining Canada's immigration policy:
Between 1901 and 1911, Canada's economy was booming and its population increased from 5.3 million to 7.2 million, mainly due to immigration from the United Kingdom (its traditional source of immigrants) and the United States (a reversal after many years of America draining settlers from Canada).
As an example, in one year alone—fiscal year of 1910-1911—Canada welcomed 311,084 immigrants of which 128,043 were British and 121,432 were American.
The increased American wave of immigration to Canada West was big news in the United States, crediting Canada's aggressive advertising strategies in luring American farmers north across the border. On September 24, 1911, The New York Times published an article outlining Canada's immigration policy:
"There is in operation across our northern boundary what is probably the most carefully considered, elaborately planned and scientifically executed immigration system ever adopted by any new country...In the last three years it has been taking our farmers across the boundary line into Canada at the rate of some 100,000 population annually...skimming the cream top of our own farming population."
The article noted that Canada wanted "only selected class of immigration". Even the Canadian government agreed it discriminated about who it would accept as an immigrant. In a New York Times article published October 15, 1911 titled "Bruce Walker, Autocrat of Canada’s Immigrants: The One Despot Recognized by the Dominion’s Laws – He Tells Why His Country Gets the Cream of Immigration and We Get the Skim Milk", Walker told the reporter:
"We seek our settlers only in the northern half of the continent of Europe and in the United States. We want first of all the British, second, Americans, then the people of a few other nations of Northern Europe. On the other hand, we deliberately discourage any attempts to bring in emigrants from Southern Europe and we carry on no propaganda there. They are unsuited to our climatic conditions and are out of harmony with the traditions."
Read Full Article
With so many Americans settling in Canada's West, talk began to circulate about Canada eventually becoming part of the United States. One of America's most popular authors, James Oliver Curwood, noted that "A new nation will be born in the West formed from the flesh and blood of United States." (The Canadian government had paid his expenses to travel and write books about Canada). The Saturday Evening Post called Alberta, the "Yankee province" and a Minnesota politician said he thought a "union" would happen as a result of Canadians assimilating with Americans. But it didn't—the Americans became proud Canadians, independent, risk-taking wealthy entrepreneurs with no bonds to the British Empire.
The boom years of immigration met its "bust" beginning in 1913 when Canada started to slip into a depression due to a declining economy and rising unemployment. The following year, Canada entered the First World War and immigration fell substantially during the war years 1914-1918.
Between 1891 and 1921, Canada received approximately 3.8 million immigrants, the majority arriving during 1900 to 1914. Besides Canada’s massive advertising campaigns, immigration benefited from chain migration and the lack of available homestead land in the United States (which had previously been the preferred destination of immigrants to Canada).
Red Lake Immigrant: Ronald Meadowcroft, came to Canada with his family in 1912.
With so many Americans settling in Canada's West, talk began to circulate about Canada eventually becoming part of the United States. One of America's most popular authors, James Oliver Curwood, noted that "A new nation will be born in the West formed from the flesh and blood of United States." (The Canadian government had paid his expenses to travel and write books about Canada). The Saturday Evening Post called Alberta, the "Yankee province" and a Minnesota politician said he thought a "union" would happen as a result of Canadians assimilating with Americans. But it didn't—the Americans became proud Canadians, independent, risk-taking wealthy entrepreneurs with no bonds to the British Empire.
The boom years of immigration met its "bust" beginning in 1913 when Canada started to slip into a depression due to a declining economy and rising unemployment. The following year, Canada entered the First World War and immigration fell substantially during the war years 1914-1918.
Between 1891 and 1921, Canada received approximately 3.8 million immigrants, the majority arriving during 1900 to 1914. Besides Canada’s massive advertising campaigns, immigration benefited from chain migration and the lack of available homestead land in the United States (which had previously been the preferred destination of immigrants to Canada).
Red Lake Immigrant: Ronald Meadowcroft, came to Canada with his family in 1912.
1885-1914 - Not Everyone is Welcome: Canada's Exclusionary Immigration Policies
"A country's history is made up of glorious episodes that enrich the collective memory and are related in the history books. It also includes sombre, disturbing periods not mentioned in these books, events that give rise to a sort of collective amnesia. Canada is no exception. Some chapters of Canadian history summon forth our national pride; others, however, make us uncomfortable—we would prefer to simply ignore them."
Source: From a letter written in June 1999 by former Canadian Governor-General, Roméo LeBlanc.
While aggressively advertising for immigrants from certain "preferred groups", Canada at the same time began to enact immigration policies and strategies to exclude people based on national or racial origin, specifically targeting the Chinese, Japanese and South Asians.
Canada's First Restrictive Immigration Policy: The Chinese Immigration Act (known as the Chinese Head Tax) (1885)
The Chinese first began to settle in North America during the California Gold Rush in 1848, and then migrated up the west coast to the 1858 Fraser Canyon Gold Rush in British Columbia. A year later, direct immigration began from China to Vancouver Island; by 1860, the Chinese population in Victoria numbered about 6,000.
This first wave of Chinese immigrants left their homeland because of a number of conditions that had brought widespread famine, disease, political unrest and social upheavals – they wanted a better life. Most of the Chinese were from the Guangdong province.
In 1879, the government of Canada commissioned a New York contractor, Andrew Onderdonk, to complete the western portion of the transcontinental Canadian Pacific Railway. He had been involved in the building of the San Francisco Railway and knew the excellent (and cheap) work done by Chinese railway builders.
Even though the British Columbia Legislature had passed a motion to prevent Chinese from working on government jobs (they feared they would take jobs away from "white" workers), Onderdonk convinced the government to let him recruit 15,700 Chinese workers over the next 5 years. Because he could pay Chinese workers 40-50 percent less than white workers, Onderdonk estimated he saved $3.5 million by hiring Chinese.
After the railway was completed in 1885, the federal government took legal action to restrict—yet profit from Chinese immigration. In 1885 Canada legislated its first restrictive immigration policy with the Chinese Head Tax, which levied a $50 tax on all Chinese entering Canada. In 1900 it was raised to $100 and in 1904 increased to $500. Between 1885 to 1923, the government collected an estimated $2.3 million in head tax.
On July 1, 1923, the Canadian government brought into effect the Chinese Immigration Exclusion Act, a day which the Chinese called the "Humiliation Day". Why? It would be 24 years until 1947 before the detested Exclusion Act was repealed.
Changes to the Immigration Act (1906)
Changes to the Immigration Act in 1906 provided for deportation of immigrants who might become public charges or infirm. A year later, landing fees between $25 to $50 were introduced for everyone except agricultural workers, domestic servants and reunification family members.
Canadian-Japanese "gentlemen's agreement" (1907)
Canada negotiated with Japan for a Canadian-Japanese "gentlemen's agreement" which limited Japanese immigration to only 400 a year.
"Continuous Journey" Exclusion Regulation (1908)
To keep immigrants of Asian origin out of Canada – in this case targeting those from India, the Canadian government passed an Order-in-Council on January 8, 1908, that prohibited immigration of persons who did not "come from the country of their birth or citizenship by a continuous journey". It was directly aimed at passengers from India on ships that began their voyage in Asia.
Landing fees for Indians were increased to $200. The same year, the addition of the infamous "Continuous Journey" clause to the Immigration Policy effectively barred immigration from South Asia because it required immigrants to travel to Canada in an uninterrupted journey—a "continuous journey"—straight from country of origin to Canada. At the time, ocean steamers crossing the Pacific Ocean from Asia stopped at Hawaii.
The "continuous journey" policy received worldwide attention and was dramatically challenged in January 1914 when Canada refused admittance to the Japanese steamship Komagatu Maru which sailed from Hong Kong to Shanghai, China; Yokohama, Japan; and then arrived in Vancouver. The ship carried 376 passengers, all British subjects from the British colony of India wishing to immigrate to Canada. After two months in Vancouver harbour, the Komagatu Maru with her passengers, was forced to return to India escorted by a Canadian warship.
Legislative Act of 1910
The new immigration Act of 1910 continued the government's exclusionary immigrant policies. One such example in Section 38 allowed the government to bar immigrants (like African-Americans) that "belong to any race deemed unsuitable to the climate or requirements of Canada, or of immigrants of any specified class, occupation or character."
The new Act gave discretionary power to regulate immigration through Orders-in-Council. A particularly exclusionary Order-in-Council was drafted in 1911, but not proclaimed, which prohibited the landing of "any immigrant belonging to the Negro race, which race is deemed unsuitable to the climate and requirements of Canada."
Read related article, "Canada May Bar Negroes", published in April 1911 in The New York Times.
There had been keen interest shown by Black Oklahoma farmers to immigrant to Canada, however, agents hired by the Canadian government stopped the immigration. These agents held public meetings in Oklahoma to discourage the immigration. And many of those who did try to immigrate were turned back after failing "strict interpretations" of sometimes fraudulent medical and character examinations.
Of the approximately one million Americans that settled in Canada between 1896 and 1911, less than 1,000 were African-Americans.
In the Red Lake area, only one Black person can be found in the pioneer records of 1900s and he operated for many years Sam's Portage.
While aggressively advertising for immigrants from certain "preferred groups", Canada at the same time began to enact immigration policies and strategies to exclude people based on national or racial origin, specifically targeting the Chinese, Japanese and South Asians.
Canada's First Restrictive Immigration Policy: The Chinese Immigration Act (known as the Chinese Head Tax) (1885)
The Chinese first began to settle in North America during the California Gold Rush in 1848, and then migrated up the west coast to the 1858 Fraser Canyon Gold Rush in British Columbia. A year later, direct immigration began from China to Vancouver Island; by 1860, the Chinese population in Victoria numbered about 6,000.
This first wave of Chinese immigrants left their homeland because of a number of conditions that had brought widespread famine, disease, political unrest and social upheavals – they wanted a better life. Most of the Chinese were from the Guangdong province.
In 1879, the government of Canada commissioned a New York contractor, Andrew Onderdonk, to complete the western portion of the transcontinental Canadian Pacific Railway. He had been involved in the building of the San Francisco Railway and knew the excellent (and cheap) work done by Chinese railway builders.
Even though the British Columbia Legislature had passed a motion to prevent Chinese from working on government jobs (they feared they would take jobs away from "white" workers), Onderdonk convinced the government to let him recruit 15,700 Chinese workers over the next 5 years. Because he could pay Chinese workers 40-50 percent less than white workers, Onderdonk estimated he saved $3.5 million by hiring Chinese.
After the railway was completed in 1885, the federal government took legal action to restrict—yet profit from Chinese immigration. In 1885 Canada legislated its first restrictive immigration policy with the Chinese Head Tax, which levied a $50 tax on all Chinese entering Canada. In 1900 it was raised to $100 and in 1904 increased to $500. Between 1885 to 1923, the government collected an estimated $2.3 million in head tax.
On July 1, 1923, the Canadian government brought into effect the Chinese Immigration Exclusion Act, a day which the Chinese called the "Humiliation Day". Why? It would be 24 years until 1947 before the detested Exclusion Act was repealed.
Changes to the Immigration Act (1906)
Changes to the Immigration Act in 1906 provided for deportation of immigrants who might become public charges or infirm. A year later, landing fees between $25 to $50 were introduced for everyone except agricultural workers, domestic servants and reunification family members.
Canadian-Japanese "gentlemen's agreement" (1907)
Canada negotiated with Japan for a Canadian-Japanese "gentlemen's agreement" which limited Japanese immigration to only 400 a year.
"Continuous Journey" Exclusion Regulation (1908)
To keep immigrants of Asian origin out of Canada – in this case targeting those from India, the Canadian government passed an Order-in-Council on January 8, 1908, that prohibited immigration of persons who did not "come from the country of their birth or citizenship by a continuous journey". It was directly aimed at passengers from India on ships that began their voyage in Asia.
Landing fees for Indians were increased to $200. The same year, the addition of the infamous "Continuous Journey" clause to the Immigration Policy effectively barred immigration from South Asia because it required immigrants to travel to Canada in an uninterrupted journey—a "continuous journey"—straight from country of origin to Canada. At the time, ocean steamers crossing the Pacific Ocean from Asia stopped at Hawaii.
The "continuous journey" policy received worldwide attention and was dramatically challenged in January 1914 when Canada refused admittance to the Japanese steamship Komagatu Maru which sailed from Hong Kong to Shanghai, China; Yokohama, Japan; and then arrived in Vancouver. The ship carried 376 passengers, all British subjects from the British colony of India wishing to immigrate to Canada. After two months in Vancouver harbour, the Komagatu Maru with her passengers, was forced to return to India escorted by a Canadian warship.
Legislative Act of 1910
The new immigration Act of 1910 continued the government's exclusionary immigrant policies. One such example in Section 38 allowed the government to bar immigrants (like African-Americans) that "belong to any race deemed unsuitable to the climate or requirements of Canada, or of immigrants of any specified class, occupation or character."
The new Act gave discretionary power to regulate immigration through Orders-in-Council. A particularly exclusionary Order-in-Council was drafted in 1911, but not proclaimed, which prohibited the landing of "any immigrant belonging to the Negro race, which race is deemed unsuitable to the climate and requirements of Canada."
Read related article, "Canada May Bar Negroes", published in April 1911 in The New York Times.
There had been keen interest shown by Black Oklahoma farmers to immigrant to Canada, however, agents hired by the Canadian government stopped the immigration. These agents held public meetings in Oklahoma to discourage the immigration. And many of those who did try to immigrate were turned back after failing "strict interpretations" of sometimes fraudulent medical and character examinations.
Of the approximately one million Americans that settled in Canada between 1896 and 1911, less than 1,000 were African-Americans.
In the Red Lake area, only one Black person can be found in the pioneer records of 1900s and he operated for many years Sam's Portage.
