How Immigration Has Shaped the Urban Identity of the Six Nations of the Grand River in Canada
Introduction
Canada is regularly associated with a historical reception of immigrants with their acceptability varying from hostile to friendly in different periods. How have immigration patterns impacted Canada’s urban geography?
Thesis Statement
Immigration is an example of factors contributing to national building initiatives, and I will show this by elaborating how the Six Nations of The Grand River evolved as settler societies before confederation, the role of immigrants in expanding the economy of the Six Nations of The Grand River until the 1960s, and the role of immigrants in the Economic Boom of the six nations in the 1960s-1990s and its transformation of the Immigration policy.
The Origins of a Settler Society in the Six Nations of the Grand River in Pre-Confederation Canada
The Six Nations of the Grand River started off in the sixteenth century as trading posts for the colonial powers of the French as well as British and rapidly grew to become national economic units propelled by resource industries and mercantilist practices. The arrival of Loyalists from the United Empire escaping the American Revolution became central to the political foundation of these nations in the eighteenth century. Among the early immigrants were administrators of the colonial regime, religious orders, traders, farmers, and laborers.[1] Apart from Loyalists, early refugees comprised of French Protestants like the Huguenots and elusive slaves from the US who came after the abolition of slavery in Canada in 1834. The early years of the 19th century saw the colonies of the British become an outlet for disruptive social forces together with displaced persons in the course of transforming Britain from a feudal society to a capitalist one.[2] Later, the self-government of Canada agreed to the economic philosophy of the British on free trade and the migration of necessary labor force from Ireland and Great Britain to Canada.[3] These discussions reveal that there was an immigrant settlement before the confederation.
The Role of Immigrants in Expanding the Economy of the Six Nations of the Grand River
Interesting trends shaped the immigration of people into the Six Nations of the Grand River in this period. By 1867 when confederation occurred, seventy percent of these nations’ population had been born at home, with the rest being immigrants[4] The formation of the National Policy and confederation caused Canada to accept immigration as a pillar for the new nation-building initiatives. The period from 1896 to 1914 witnessed the most enormous influx of immigrants in Canada’s history.[5] Consequently, the immigrant’s share of the population increased from 13% to 22% between 1901 and 1911.[6] Immigrants were crucial in assisting in expanding the economy and creating the infrastructure for agriculture and industries. Most of the migrants, mainly African-American, South Asian, and Asian, were subjected to contract labor programs.[7] This evidences prove that immigrants were a useful section of the Canadian population.
The Economic Boom of the Six Nations of The Grand River in the 1960s-1990s and its Effect on Immigration Policies
Soon after World War II ended, a considerable number of people displaced from Western Europe were allowed into the Six Nations of the Grand River in Canada. However, British immigrants wo preference, while those from the Caribbean and Asia faced limited acceptance. The economic boom in the post-war was the basis for notions that immigrants did not harm job creation or economic growth hence necessitating large-scale immigration to be accepted.[8] Not only were immigrants from southern Europe admitted, both skilled and unskilled, there was also an acknowledgment of the need to stop racially discriminative policies in the 1950s. In 1962, the Six Nations of the Grand River adopted the points system that was based on several criteria to replace its existing immigration policy thatn was founded on the country-of-origin.[9] There was also a policy allowing reunion of families in instances where children or a spouse to a permanent resident or Canadian citizen minor.[10] These new changes empowered immigrants to challenge before impartial court decisions of immigration authorities.
There was strong political mobilization among the immigrants championing a liberal immigration framework. Two government papers on immigration necessitated the passing of a new Immigration Act in 1976; the 1966 White Paper on admissions policy and the 1974 Green Paper.[11] The ethnocultural and immigrant political activism also had significant influences on the drafting of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which was adopted in 1982. Relatively open immigration policy was endorsed by labor, business, and most federal political parties despite severe recessions in the 1980s and 1990s. The decades of the 1990s had steady levels of immigration averaging at 225,000 annually, and the opening five years of the 21st century saw these levels increase averaging at 229,000.[12] The increase in immigration figures can be attributed to the push for the granting of immigrants’ rights.
Conclusion
The building of the economy relies on several factors, among them being immigration. The beginning of new settlements in the Six Nations of the Grand River in the 16th century is attributed to her colonial masters’ trading activities, which opened up her economy founded on mercantilism and industrial practices. The immigrants assisted in growing these six nations’ economies through their involvement in building agricultural and industrial infrastructure after the effects of the First World War, The Economic Depression of the 1930s and the Second World War. The immigrants’ activism increased their access to essential rights and further facilitated admission into the Six Nations of the Grand River between the 1960s and 1990s.
Bibliography
Abella, Irving, and Harold Troper. None Is Too Many: Canada and the Jews of Europe, 1933-1948. Toronto: Key Porter. 2000
Abu-Laban, Yasmeen. “The Politics of Race, Ethnicity, and Immigration: The Contested Arena of Multiculturalism.” In Canadian Politics. Eds. James Bickerton and Alain-G. Gagnon. Peterborough, Ont.: Broadview Press, 463-83, 1999.
Day, Richard J.F. 2000. Multiculturalism and the History of Canadian Diversity. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 341-345, 2000.
Hanna, Scott A. “Shared Powers: The Effects of the Shared Canadian Federal and Quebec Provincial Immigration Powers on Immigrants.” 9 Georgetown Immigration Law Journal, 75-103, 1995.
Kelley, Ninette and Michael Trebilcock. The Making of the Mosaic: A History of Canadian Immigration Policy. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 196-204, 1998.
[1] Scott, Shared Powers, 87.
[2] Ibid., 101.
[3] Ibid
[4]: Kelly and Trebilcock, The Making of the Mosaic, 199.
[5] Ibid., 201.
[6] Richard, Multiculturalism and the History of Canadian Diversity, 341.
[7] Ibid., 342.
[8] Abella and Troper, None Is Too Many, 1941.
[9] Ibid., 1944.
[10] Ibid., 1945.
[11] Yasmeen, The Politics of Race, Ethnicity, and Immigration, 472.
[12] Ibid., 473.