Topic: Refugees

Canadian immigration officials consider many factors in determining whether an individual is admissible and can be granted entry to Canada. The arrival of Tamil asylum seekers in Newfoundland in August 1986 is one case that illustrates how legislation and the processing of newcomers to Canada is influenced by several factors, including the Immigration Act, regulations and procedures, local discretion of immigration officials, public opinion, and an individual’s desire to immigrate.

The War of 1812 saw approximately 2,000 escaped slaves arrive in Nova Scotia, where they experienced hardships and were marginalized from society. The Black Refugees struggled during an economic depression and difficult farming conditions, and endured inequitable treatment by, white Nova Scotians including the government. Colonial authorities attempted to resettle the Black Refugees, but most refused and established sustainable communities. Black Nova Scotian communities have continued their growth over time.

In the summer of 1955, the Canadian government took the “bold step” of admitting displaced Palestinian refugees from the Arab-Israeli war of 1948. The government approved the resettlement of 100 skilled workers and their families. Canadian officials believed that alleviating the refugee problem in the Middle East would help in furthering regional stability. Although the resettlement scheme was politically sensitive, it served as an important “experiment” for the future selection and resettlement of non-European refugees.

In 1966, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) lobbied Canadian officials to accept a small number of Tibetan refugees for permanent resettlement. Initially, Canadian immigration officials disagreed over the resettlement of “self-described nomads.” Ultimately, Canadian officials resettled an experimental group of 228 Tibetan refugees in an effort to meet their international humanitarian obligations and to find a permanent solution to the plight of Tibetan refugees in northern India.

In 1939, MS St. Louis carried Jewish German passengers fleeing the Nazi State to Cuba, where most were de-nied entry. The Canadian government under Prime Minister William Lyon MacKenzie King chose not to admit the passengers in Canada, and they returned to Europe. The Canadian government’s exclusion of the pas-sengers of MS St. Louis was rationalized based on sharp immigration restrictions during the Great Depression, but was rooted in the persistent climate of anti-Semitic exclusion. The event has been marked as such a dire failure that it has spurred more compassionate approaches to humanitarian admission since.

In August 1968, Soviet-led forces invaded Czechoslovakia to suppress a period of reform known as the Prague Spring. Thousands of Czechs and Slovaks already travelling outside of their country were joined by compatriots fleeing the invasion. The Canadian government implemented a special program that relaxed immigration criteria and helped with travel to Canada. Within four months, close to 12,000 Czech and Slovak refugees arrived to various ports of entry in Canada, including Pier 21.

In 1973, the Canadian government established its first formal administrative structure to process refugee claimants at Canada’s borders and in-land claims for refugee status. By the 1980s, the rising number of refugee claims ignited a national conversation about how Canada processed refugee claimants and whether the country’s refugee determination system was fair, balanced, and efficient. In 1989, the Canadian government established the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada to modernize the refugee determination process.

In September 1973, Chile’s military staged a coup d’état leading to the removal of Salvador Allende, the country’s first socialist to be democratically elected as president. The military regime’s subsequent campaign of repression forced some 200,000 Chileans to seek safe haven elsewhere. Heightened public awareness and lobbying pressured the Canadian federal government to loosen existing exclusionary immigration criteria. This permitted nearly 7,000 refugees from Chile to enter Canada.

In February 1998, widespread ethnic tensions led to an outbreak of armed conflict between the forces of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) and the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA). Some 350,000 Kosovars fled to neighbouring countries in search of safe haven. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) appealed to the international community to provide these refugees with temporary protection until they could return home. In 1999, over 7,000 Kosovar refugees arrived in Canada.

Following the 1968 Soviet-led invasion of Czechoslovakia, 11,200 Prague Spring refugees were resettled in Canada. This movement included many experienced professionals and skilled tradespeople. This article examines how these refugees navigated language training and barriers to employment, including professional accreditation, and examines how this experience shaped bureaucratic and public views of refugee integration. This article focuses on resettlement and integration efforts in Ontario, since roughly half of the refugees were permanently resettled in the province.

The Supreme Court of Canada’s 1985 Singh decision had far-reaching implications for refugee rights in Canada. The Court ruled that the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms applied to every person who is physically present in Canada and that this entitled them to fundamental justice under the law. Therefore, refugee claimants had the right to a full oral hearing of their claims during the refugee determination process.

Over the last several decades, Canada has become increasingly dependent on foreign workers to meet its growing labour shortage. Canadian officials implemented programs to meet economic needs and support diplomatic interests, often using foreign labour that did not meet official notions of a ‘desirable’ immigrant. In some of the movements noted below, domestic workers/caregivers were admitted into Canada but excluded from a path to permanent residency, while others were able to acquire Canadian citizenship.

This oral history essay examines the experiences of Chilean exiles who left their country after the overthrow of the Popular Unity government of Salvador Allende. The first section examines trajectories from Chile to Canada, and includes memories of the 1970 election and 1973 coup d’état. In the second section, we hear from the same Chileans as they reflect upon adjusting and remembering, as well as the legacy and lessons of the coup in Chile.

World Refugee Year (1959-1960) raised global awareness of the desperate plight of refugees and the need to mobilize financial and material resources on their behalf by national governments, organizations, and ordinary citizens. With the support of the federal and provincial authorities, Canadians raised $3.4 million in financial and in-kind contributions on behalf of this international initiative. In addition, Canada admitted 3,508 refugees specifically as a result of WRY endeavours.