3.1 British Subject I was Born.
“I am a British Subject, and British born, and a British subject I hope to die.”
Much of Coleman’s words and critiques reminded me of my history textbooks from high school; where the period between Confederation and the Second World War was taught as the Golden age of Canadian development – where the nation had a perfect balance between colony and country. We were taught that this period was a time of growth and maturity for Canada, a coming of age of sorts. But of course, that story wouldn’t be true unless you were of British descent.
All that ethnocultural pride of the Anglo-Saxon flavour which pervaded through the entirety of Canadian society came at a cost, which was the marginalization and assimilation of other cultures. As described in the “Nationalism” section of the CanLit Guide, there are many examples of state enacted legislation that enforced this idea of British white civility. As described by Coleman, white civility can be summed up as the action in which the majority conducts to “formulate and elaborate a specific form of [Canadian] whiteness based on the British model of civility” (Coleman, 5).The remainder of the post will focus on specifically the Immigration Act of 1910, and to explore the evidence of Coleman’s claim.
The Immigration Act of 1910 was actually an additional piece of legislation that expanded upon the already stringent rules set by the Immigration Act of 1906. Generally speaking, both pieces of legislation were put in place to give the government the ability to deport any immigrants they deemed not fitting with Canadian qualities. This sentiment was expressed by William Scott, the Superintendent of Immigration from 1908 to 1924, when he stated that:
“The discussion which took place upon the bill showed that Canada, in common with other young countries, whose natural resources attract the residents of the overcrowded communities of Europe, is fully aware of sifting ’the wheat from the chaff’ in the multitudes who seek her shores.”
Clearly, the government felt protective of the purity of Canadian society. That language of exclusion can also be found in the writing of the Act itself. A brief reading of the Act states that deportation can be applied to any “…immigrants belonging to any race deemed unsuited to the climate or requirements of Canada” (section 38). The usage of the word “climate” is particularly striking because it conveys the message that the Anglo-dominance over Canadian society was as fundamental to the country as its geography; you must either adapt, or perish in its harsh winters.
While far from a comprehensive analysis of Canadian immigration or assimilation policy, or even ethnocentrism during the turn of the 20th century, but I think that even a very brief look at the Immigration Act of 1910 shows that Coleman’s claims have merit within Canadian history.
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Canada, Immigration act, Acts of the Parliament of the Dominion of Canada, An act respecting immigration. 1910, Web. March 2014 <http://eco.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.9_07184>
Canada Channel, “John A. Macdonald Quotations” Web. March 2014. <http://www.canadachannel.ca/macdonald/index.php/John_A._Macdonald_Quotations>
CanLit Guides. “Reading and Writing in Canada, A Classroom Guide to Nationalism.” Canadian Literature. Web. April 4th 2013.
Coleman, Daniel. White Civility: The Literary Project of English Canada. University of Toronto Press. 2006. Print.
I found it interesting that you focussed on the topic of “climate”. If you look at The Immigration Act of 1952, the idea of “climate” still prevails. However, the wording has changed to rule out “race” and ethnicity. This is probably in response to WWII; Canada probably wanted to seem non-racist in light of Germany and the Nazis.
I’m glad you pointed out the idea of climate and how it is the deciding point on whether immigrants are allowed to gain access to Canada or not. Northrop Frye talks about how early colonizers were both awed and afraid of the wilderness of Canada – yet here we see the colonizers making the Immigrant Act and acting as experienced masters of the climate of Canada. I’m curious to know what you think of this in relation to the Indigenous population whom have lived on the “climate” of Canada way before the colonizers took over.
Anyway, thank you for the thought-provoking post! 🙂
Hi @Cristakoo, thanks for the comment.
One of the most curious things I found about the history of European first contact was that the early explorers did not immediately nor universally claim racial superiority over the Indigenous population that they met. Compared to Britain and Continental Europe demographics at the time, the Indigenous tribes in North America had a much higher quality diet, were not exposed to the deforming diseases widespread during the era, and was generally in much better physical shape and health. So back to the point, I really think that colonization, as a broad intrusion, picks and chooses what it believes as its superiority motive and that definition is also flexible for interpretation as time goes on.
Hi Edward,
Great post! I especially liked how you described certain parts of the wording in the Immigration Act of 1910 as being written in a “language of exclusion”.
I think that the Immigration Act of 1910 represents an indirect example of an assimilationist piece of legislation. Though it did not directly postulate the suppression of culture and heritage, it did impose, as you argued, limitations on the types of people deemed suitable for entry into Canada as immigrants. However, these “Undesirable Immigrants” expanded to include “prostitutes, pimps, vagrants and inmates of jails, hospitals and insane asylums” (Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21). So I wonder if you would agree with my argument that, in addition to “racial inferiority” (Paterson), limitations to immigration extended to class and status as well?
Thanks for a thought–provoking read!
Zara
“Immigration Act, 1910 | CMIP 21.” Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Apr. 2014.
Paterson, Erika. “Lesson 3.1 | ENGL 470A Canadian Studies: Canadian Literary Genres.” UBC Blogs. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Apr. 2014.
Hi @zarad, thank you for your comment!
Regarding your question, I would absolutely agree that limits on Canadian immigration extends beyond just racial lines but also across class and status lines as well. Although, I also feel the latter was imperative for Canadian society to move beyond an immigration policy focused solely on race.
In reference directly to the Immigration Act of 1910, I think that the economic lines it draws in the sand was meant more for the European immigrants rather than the “undesirables” of specific races. The elites at the time were clearly looking enforce white-European homogeneity in Canadian society, at it just so happens their view of that society didn’t include poor or disabled Europeans either. However, as we see in all modern Western-Industrialized states during the post-war era, the balance (rather, imbalance) between race and capital in the immigration discussion is always zero-sum, and Canada, while praised for its racial-blindness in its selection, has also some of the most stringent economic immigration criteria in the world. It has definitely been a give-and-take.
The current “objective points-system” of immigration was introduced by the Liberal Pearson government in 1967 as a means to remove race from the equation. However, through many speeches and interviews, PM Pearson emphasized that any new immigrants must be “economically viable”. Given the context at the time, where the expensive modern welfare state was just being built, I don’t think Pearson could have sold the idea to Canadian voters if there was any at all hints that such immigrants may become a financial burden on the tax base. Much of that same sentiment exists in Canadian political discourse to this day.
(unfortunately, it seems that the hyper-link function is not cooperating today, so here is the URL to a news piece I was going to attach to the end of the last paragraph: <http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2013/10/28/ottawas_2014_immigration_plan_focuses_on_economic_class.html>)
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Works cited:
Keung, Nicholas, “Ottawa’s 2014 immigration plan focuses on economic class” The Star, Web, October 28 2013, April 2014 <http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2013/10/28/ottawas_2014_immigration_plan_focuses_on_economic_class.html>
Editorial Board, “Racist immigration policy must change”, The McGill Daily Web, November 3rd 2009, April 2014 <http://www.mcgilldaily.com/2009/11/racist_immigration_policy_must_change/>