• Immigration Act, 1869
    Canada’s first immigration act following Confederation contained few restrictions on immigration. The government of Prime Minister John A. Macdonald developed an open immigration policy to encourage the settlement of the West, seeking to enhance access to the region’s natural resources and create a …
  • Royal Commission on Chinese Immigration, 1885
    The Royal Commission on Chinese Immigration was appointed to obtain proof that restricting Chinese immigration to Canada was in the best interest of the country. Approximately 15,000 Chinese labourers came to Canada in the 1880s to work on the western section of the Canadian Pacific Railway in …
  • The Chinese Immigration Act, 1885
    (plus amendments: 1887, 1892, 1900, 1903) Following the recommendations published in the Royal Commission on Chinese Immigration in 1885, the federal government passed a bill to restrict Chinese immigration to Canada. The Chinese Immigration Act imposed a duty of $50 on every Chinese person seeking …
  • Royal Commission on Italian Immigration, 1904-1905
    The Royal Commission Appointed to Inquire into the Immigration of Italian Labourers to Montreal and the Alleged Fraudulent Practices of Employment Agencies was called in 1904 to investigate the recent influx of Italian labourers to Montreal and their exploitation by immigration agents. There were …
  • White Paper on Immigration, 1966
    The White Paper on Immigration was a policy document commissioned by the Liberal government of Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson to review immigration legislation and make recommendations on its restructuring. A major review of policy was deemed necessary in response to the changing Canadian …
  • Immigration Regulations, Order-in Council PC 1967-1616, 1967
    The immigration regulations introduced in 1967 established new standards for assessing potential immigrants and determining admissibility. According to the new provisions, independent immigrants were assigned points in specific categories relating to their ability to successfully settle in Canada. …
  • Canadian Multiculturalism Policy, 1971
    In a statement to the House of Commons on 8 October 1971, Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau announced multiculturalism as an official government policy. Multiculturalism was intended to preserve the cultural freedom of all individuals and provide recognition of the cultural contributions of diverse …
  • Immigration Act, 1976
    The Immigration Act of 1976 represented a significant shift in Canadian immigration legislation. It was the first immigration act to clearly outline the fundamental objectives of Canadian immigration policy, define refugees as a distinct class of immigrants and impose a mandatory responsibility on …
  • Canadian Multiculturalism Act, 1988
    The Canadian Multiculturalism Act of 1988 provided a legislative framework for the official policy of multiculturalism adopted by the government in 1971. The act sought to protect the cultural heritage of Canadians, reduce discrimination and encourage the implementation of multicultural programs …
  • AIR image testing
    Tamara Abdul Hadi has an MFA from Emily Carr University of Art and Design in Vancouver and has taught photography for multimedia at Concordia and photography intervention courses in Cairo and Beirut. Tamara co-founded Rawiya Collective, which was a collective of 6 women photographers from and …