3.1 British Subject I was Born.

Posted by in 3.1

“I am a British Subject, and British born, and a British subject I hope to die.”

–  Sir John A.Macdonald

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.

 

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.