For the first question, I chose to research and summarize the Immigration Act of 1910. I found this act to be the most interesting for me personally because both my parents immigrated to Canada when they were younger, and I’ve always been curious about the details that encompass that process. My Dad, his younger brother, and his parents immigrated to Canada in 1975 from Hong Kong, Macau, and my Mom immigrated in 1977 from Turkey with her parents. 

The Immigration Act of 1910 was not so much a way of bringing immigrants into Canada, but as a method to turn away “undesirable” people and races. The act “allowed the Canadian government to prohibit the entry of ‘immigrants belonging to any race deemed unsuited to the climate or requirements of Canada'” (CanLit Guides qtd. in section 38). The Immigration Act of 1910 also gave the governor-in-council more authority in admission and deportation decisions, which included the ability to turn away any landed immigrants if they were deemed as not fitting the requirements of Canada. Another branch that was given more power was the boards of inquiry. They could also make decisions concerning admission and deportation based upon acquired knowledge used as evidence to hold against an immigrant. The act also ensured that courts and judges were unable to impose and interfere with the decisions made by the minister that was in charge of immigration. Another new addition to the act was permanent residency referred to as domicile:

the concept of domicile, or permanent residency, which an immigrant could obtain after residing in Canada for three years. Until domicile was granted, an immigrant could be deported if they became classified as undesirable. Undesirable immigrants included prostitutes, pimps, vagrants and inmates of jails, hospitals and insane asylums. Under the new act, political dissidents advocating for the forceful overthrow of government and those attempting to create public disorder were also subject to deportation (“Immigration Act, 1910”).      

There was surprisingly little information on the immigration act of 1910, but after reading other sources, I learnt that the immigration act experienced many changes over the years, and this specific act was a small factor amongst a vast amount of immigration acts. From the research I found, it appears that this particular immigration act of 1910 was not so much of a target on race, but instead on the desirable and undesirable traits of a person. As mentioned above, undesirable traits ranged from a person’s criminal and medical background, job standing, and financial standing. Of course, previous immigration acts were biased to certain races which fall under Coleman’s argument of the project of white civility, but the act of 1910 had more to do with a person’s personal life and also expanded the authority of the executive branches of government that were responsible for immigration. Yet, if focusing on Coleman’s argument concerning the project of civility specifically, then the immigration act of 1910 could support his argument in terms of Canada judging people based on how well they fit into the British model of civility. It seems as though the act was set in place to uphold the Canadian identity as civil and aligned with “English Canadianness as [not only] white… [but also] civil” (Doctor Erika Paterson Unit 3:1).

Works Cited

CanLit Guides. “Reading and Writing in Canada, A Classroom Guide to Nationalism.” Canadian Literature. April 4th, 2013.

“Federal Apologies.” The Globe and Mail, May 1st, 2007, https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/federal-apologies/article20396225/

“Immigration Act, 1910.” Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21, https://pier21.ca/research/immigration-history/immigration-act-1910.

Munroe, Susan. “Chinese Head Tax and the Chinese Exclusion Act in Canada.” ThoughtCo, Feb. 11, 2020,  https://www.thoughtco.com/chinese-head-tax-in-canada-510472