• The Action Test of 1920: Literacy and Selection in Canadian Immigration
    … By Steven Schwinghamer, Historian For over a century, Canadian immigration authorities have used language proficiency as a point of consideration in deciding whether a migrant is admissible to … on similar attitudes in the United States . Historian Patricia Roy, in pointing out the transnational nature of the Asiatic Exclusion League …
  • Mark Sakamoto in Conversation with Jeanne Beker
    … Media Release May 13, 2019 Halifax, NS Forgiveness, Family and Canadian identity: Mark Sakamoto in Conversation with Jeanne Beker … of a human tragedy to offer a unique perspective on the idea of a Canadian family. Released in 2014 to sweepingly glowing reviews, Forgiveness also won 2018 Canada Reads, as defended by Canadian fashion journalist, icon and …
  • Signs of Agency in Refugee Narratives
    … In this blog, I share insights on individual agency , or the power “to change or affect events or to make choices that influence the … people who experience war, violence or trauma – are also agents who can exert control in situations defined mostly by control being taken … about Czeslaw Tomaszewski’s wartime experiences and his decision to come to Canada; the courage of Lynda Dyck, also during the Second World …
  • Movement of War Brides and Their Children through Pier 21
    by Jan Raska, PhD, Historian (Updated June 22, 2022) Introduction: Canadian Immigration before the Arrival of War Brides and Their Children From 1945 to 1947, Canada’s immigration controls remained restrictive. Although a majority of labour organizations opposed the liberalization of immigration …
  • Audrey Pratt
    … that 3/4 of it was underground in the back of the garden, covering the top with earth and sod for further protection. There were steps down so … 13 each. Coupons were used up quickly so new clothes were difficult to come by. Fabric and yarn for knitting were also rationed. Husband: … your first impressions of Canada? When they got to Crowes Mills "we stopped at the Mill, (where Leland worked) and I thought 'O my God! I am …
  • The Colour Bar at the Canadian Border: Black American Farmers
    … considered that they are a class of colonists who will be likely to do well in our country.” - Canadian Superintendent of Immigration W.D. … of the key factors in the exclusion of Black Americans was Canadian domestic pressure. Many Canadian civic organizations wrote to … to be just and accord to all people a justice for their virtues. I do not impeach [African Americans] with any lack of industrious habit …
  • Chilean Exiles, 1973 to Now
    … [3] Some Chilean exiles came to Canada fleeing the regime due to a “constant sense of danger,” while others were exiled from …
  • “The existing Immigration regulations will not offer any solution”: MS St. Louis in Canadian Context
    by Steve Schwinghamer, Historian (Updated December 21, 2023) Anti-Semitic Exclusion and Canada’s Immigration Policies From the inception of Canada’s federal immigration structure at Confederation until the massive resettlement programs following the Second World War, Canadian immigration policy and …
  • Sbarra
    … A BRIEF STORY by Nicholas Sbarra Oh Canada! A pleasant light breeze was sweeping the air in the sunny mid-morning of Tuesday, June 26, 1951. The USNS General Harry Taylor , a U.S. merchant ship which … for the moment when the uncomfortable ocean crossing would finally come to an end. We were taciturn while the sound of the waves striking …
  • Warrant Officer Jack E. Mills
    … have passed and so much has happened. It’s August, 1999, a beautiful day. The sun is shining and the sky looks so huge. That was the first … supposed to be at a dance, but I was! Ed was with a group that had come over to the dance. He had run out of money to get back, so I … army in 1948 and served until 1968 and with his war service completed 26 years active service. Life was always interesting, living in …