Prompt: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.

Since 1869, Canada has had Immigration Acts and Legislation that governed the admission of immigrants. The laws and regulations have evolved over time according to its political, economic and social change. It is not until the 1971 that Canada has adopted multiculturalism as an official policy. Before this time, several acts and legislations discriminated immigrants based on their race, ethnicity and national origin. Immigration Acts and legislations reflect the Country’s societal beliefs and attitudes at the time.

The Canadian Immigration Act of 1910 gave government more power to regulate the flow of immigrants into Canada, further expanding the exclusionary provisions from the Immigration Act of 1906. The governor in council were given the authority to deny entry to prohibited immigrants and also deport those belonging to the “prohibited classes.” Any immigrant deemed “unsuited to the climate or requirements of Canada” were prohibited from landing. According to the act individuals with physical and mental disabilities were denied entry. Immigrants that were sponsored by charitable organizations were also excluded unless they obtained prior written permission from the superintendent of immigration in Ottawa or the assistant superintendent of emigration in London. There was also the concept of permanent residency where immigrant could only obtain after residing in Canada for three years. Until permanent residency is granted, an immigrant could be deported at any time if they become classified as undesirable. Another feature with the Immigration Act of 1910 had to do with the amount of money immigrants were required to have in their possession to enter Canada. In 1908, an amount of 25$ was required for all immigrants, but for Asiatic immigrants it was raised to 200$ with an exception for those that came from Canada or China. The reason behind this was because “the language and mode of life of immigrants from Asia render them unsuited for settlement in Canada when there are no colonies of their own people to ensure their maintenance in case of their inability to secure employment.”

The Immigration Act of 1910 supports Coleman’s argument about “white civility.” The Canadian government decided to have a white history by inhibiting immigration rather than promoting it. They put tight control over immigration policy and further discriminated non-white immigrants. My family and I immigrated from Korea in 2005 and I remember my parents were filing lots of paper work to get to Canada. At the time, I was too young to understand the whole thing but now that I’ve learned about it, I come to understand how strict the Immigration Acts used to be, why my parents were surprised to have been approved to enter Canada because so many people around us in Korea were getting rejected in the past.

Today, Canada proudly says how it is a multicultural nation, with an open mind and always trying to get rid of discrimination. I do agree that Canada is a great place where multiculturalism exists, and discrimination is minimal. All my relatives have immigrated to Canada within the last 5 years because they loved seeing how my parents were living in Canada. The benefits that Canadian citizens get are incredible including the basic health care, employment insurance and more. There still exists act of Permanent residency where one must stay in Canada for 2 years in any 5-year period to keep the permeant residency status. I’ve seen friends around me that are Korean who have come to Canada on their own and working at a job to get their citizenship. I think the Immigration rules have become less discriminative, but this does not mean we can forget about the history of discrimination Canada had.

Works Cited 

“Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21.” Pier 21 | Pier 21, pier21.ca/research/immigration-history/immigration-act-1906.

“Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21.” Pier 21 | Pier 21, pier21.ca/research/immigration-history/immigration-act-1906.

“Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21.” Pier 21 | Pier 21, pier21.ca/research/immigration-history/immigration-act-1906.