2] In this lesson I say that it should be clear that the discourse on nationalism is also about ethnicity and ideologies of “race.” If you trace the historical overview of nationalism in Canada in the CanLit guide, you will find many examples of state legislation and policies that excluded and discriminated against certain peoples based on ideas about racial inferiority and capacities to assimilate. – and in turn, state legislation and policies that worked to try to rectify early policies of exclusion and racial discrimination. As the guide points out, the nation is an imagined community, whereas the state is a “governed group of people.” For this blog assignment, I would like you to research and summarize one of the state or governing activities, such as The Royal Proclamation 1763, the Indian Act 1876, Immigration Act 1910, or the Multiculturalism Act 1989 – you choose the legislation or policy or commission you find most interesting. Write a blog about your findings and in your conclusion comment on whether or not your findings support Coleman’s argument about the project of white civility.
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The Immigration Act, 1910 in Canada was an extension of the Immigration Act, 1906 to allow for any governor-in-council to “arbitrarily prohibit the landing of any immigrant deemed unsuited to the climate or requirements of Canada.” (Canadian Museum of Immigration). The new provisions of the act allowed stricter regulation on who was allowed into Canada, and what restrictions were placed upon them once admitted.
The Act established the status of a domicile, or permanent resident, as well. Before being considered for this status, immigrating persons had to wait three years in which they were at risk of being deported if a judge ruled them “undesirable”. Undesirable immigrants included prostitutes, pimps, vagrants and inmates of jails, hospitals and insane asylums. Any persons found guilty of attempting public disorder, or political dissidents advocating an overthrow of the government were also subject to deportation.
In this way David Coleman who wrote White Civility: The Literary Project of English Canada was right in his argument about the project of white civility. Canada did not want to take on any immigrants who would weaken their idea of a proper, contributing member of society. Those who were not of “stable mind” were not allowed through the borders, and a fee of $25 was placed upon both men and women upon arrival in order to ensure financial stability. This fee was raised to $200 for men and women of Asiatic origin. The blatant discrimination was a racial control of the population by the government, further backing up Coleman’s claim that such literary personifications of Canadian Nationality “mediated and gradually reified the privileged, normative status of British whiteness in English Canada” (Coleman 6-7, quoted by Dr. Paterson). When these notions are expressed, especially in the country’s laws, the mentality of descrimination is normalized and considered “natural”, based on the ethnic majority of Causation immigrants. Coleman is justified in his argument that the idea of nation is fictionalized in this sense, and that Canadians need to “be reminded of the brutal histories that our fictive ethnicity would disavow” (Coleman 9, quoted by Dr. Paterson).
Works Cited
Coleman, David. White Civility: The Literary Project of English Canada. University of Toronto Press, 2006. Web. http://site.ebrary.com/lib/ubc/detail.action?docID=10218812
“Immigration Act, 1910.” Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21. Web. 28 Feb, 2105. http://www.pier21.ca/research/immigration-history/immigration-act-1910
Paterson, Erika. “Lesson 3.1”. English 470A Canadian Studies: Canadian Literary Genres. UBC Blogs. Web. 28 Feb, 2015. https://blogs.ubc.ca/courseblogsis_ubc_engl_470a_99c_2014wc_44216-sis_ubc_engl_470a_99c_2014wc_44216_2517104_1/unit-3/lesson-3-1/
Hey Charlotte,
How are you? I was wondering if you might be interested in joining a Research Team with Leana, Jeff and me. You can read our discussion and comment here if you’re interested: https://blogs.ubc.ca/leanacanadianstudies/2015/02/13/lesson-2-3-susanna-moodie-and-her-colonial-story/#comments. Would be great to have you join us!
As for your blog post, I also wrote on this topic and liked your commentary on the required support funds. I mostly just wrote about what was written in the Immigration Act itself, but the supplementary information on the Pier 21 website is quite something! This fee was also required to have been earned by the immigrant and not leant or given to them. Unbelievable! Do you think that the Immigration Act and the Indian Act worked together? They both seem, in their own way, to “keep — or rather, make — Canada white”. Native Canadians were barred from leaving the reserve and few Asians could afford to immigrate. Without either of these acts, European notions of Canada — and Canada today — would be very different. It seems that both were needed to perpetuate the myths of white Canada and white supremacy.
Heather
Hi Heather,
Thank you so much for asking me to join, but I have already joined another group. But I look forward to seeing the project your group produces! 🙂
As for the required support funds, I did not know that they had to earn that fee themselves! Wow. I think you are right in suggesting that the Immigration Act and the Indian Act worked together to “keep – or rather make – Canada white”. While the Immigration Act worked to “keep” it on the intended track, the Indian Act was used to justify calling Canada white. How can you call a country “white” when there were Aboriginal people living there beforehand? You can’t deport them, so you restrict their rights and any political power they may have.
Charlotte
Hey Charlotte,
No worries! I look forward to seeing your project, too 🙂
I think you’re right about the Indian Act! I suppose the “intended track” depends on who you ask, but Britain seemed to want Canada to resemble. It’s so sad to think of all they did in the name of White Canada.
Heather
Hi Charlotte!
Thanks for a great blog post. A very interesting analysis and concise answer!
I wrote about the Immigration Act of 1910 for my own blog as well. Your discussion of the historical bias in Canadian immigration laws is compelling and I also wanted to bring up the relevance of Coleman’s “project of white civility” in today’s immigration laws as well. One of the things I chose to discuss this week was the “points system”. You may already be wary of this but the points system is, essentially, a system wherein points are assigned to immigrants based on certain values that determine their admissibility into Canada. These criteria typically favour certain groups of people (e.g. wealthy business men) and give precedence to western values (such as capitalism and formal westernized academia). Just wondering what your thoughts are on this and whether or not you agree this is relevant to Coleman’s discussion of the project of white civility!
– Shamina
Hi Shamina!
You pose a very interesting question. I am a little ambivalent to answer your question with a solid answer, as I am not well versed in the current immigration system and all of its intricate details, however, I have heard about the points system in place. It does sound a lot like a modern version of the Immigration Act, only more disguised in its discriminatory makeup. The Immigration Act imposed a higher fee to those of Asian descent. While the points system does select those with higher wages, higher degrees, and as you say gives precedence to western values, this is not as blatantly against a particular race, as the Immigration Act was. I do note, however, a shift towards a more sexist discrimination with the points system. In many cultures it is still not considered appropriate for women to hold full-time jobs or obtain a higher education. A woman seeking citizenship in Canada appears to be at a disadvantage than a man seeking citizenship. This is only a remark based on a very limited knowledge of the actual points system in place, so I am unsure if this oversight has been remedied in another way. Thank you for your comment!
– Charlotte