Major Immigration Events in Canada

By Sadman Hossain

  • The Chinese Head Tax

    The Chinese Head Tax was created in 1885 after the Canadian government passed the Chinese Immigration Act of 1885. This tax was a fixed fee for any Chinese immigrant entering Canada. This tax was meant to repress Chinese people after the successful creation of the Canadian Pacific Railway. The tax was put out of use by the Chinese Immigration Act of 1923 which stopped all Chinese immigration except for business people, clergy, educators, students, and other categories.

  • The Komagata Maru Incident

    The Komagata Maru Incident took place on May 23, 1914 when the Japanese steamship arrived in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The steamship originally came from Hong Kong, China. The steamship carried 376 passengers from Punjab, India, 20 passengers were allowed to stay in Canada, but the others were forced to go back to India.

  • Italian-Canadian Internment

    On June 10, 1940 Prime Minister William King declared war on Benito Mussolini’s government . Days later after this event, Minister of Justice Ernest Lapointe signed an order that resulted in labelling thousands of Italian-Canadians as the enemy. At this time, Habeas Corpus was suspended for the Italian-Canadians.

  • Internment of Japanese Canadians

    The internment of Japanese-Canadians began in January 1942 during World War 2. The Canadian federal government gave the order based on speculation of sabotage and espionage, although the RCMP and defence department lacked proof on this speculation. The Canadian government promised the Japanese Canadians that their property and finances would be returned upon release. Although the Canadian government promised, these possessions/properties were sold off at auctions for cheap prices.