Historical Evolution of Canada’s Immigration Policy- The slow eradication of a system based on race.docxVIP

Historical Evolution of Canada’s Immigration Policy: The slow eradication of a system based on race　　Introduction　　Canada was first and foremost a British colony. It was part of the British Empire, and with that went a long tradition of British superiority. The earliest Canadian immigration policies encouraged British immigration. Britons were ready-made Canadian citizens. Americans, with their experience in the North American plains and similar background to Canadians, also become a favoured immigrant. But the Canadian immigration policy went beyond encouraging Britons and Americans to come to Canada.　　In Canada’s first years as a country, there was a need for labour and for settlement. The Ministry of the Interior tried to recruit from not only the United Kingdom and the United States, but also from central Europe, where experienced farmers could be found. There was some migration from Asia and to a degree it was encouraged. However when the labour need slowed, restrictions were set against people from Asia.　　The twentieth century restricted immigrations even further. The new minister was more conservative and immigrations from continental Europe was not recruited with the same vigour that the previous administration used. Immigration from outside of Europe was severely limited.　　The years in between the World Wars featured a buoyant economy and a severe depression. Immigration suffered when the economy suffered.　　The post World War II years brought in influx of immigrants from countries that were not considered traditional for Canada. The appearance of central and eastern Europeans allowed Canada to expand their immigration policy to be less based on race and nationality.　　Since the 1970s, Canada has reformed the regulations of immigrations. Instead of a policy based on　race and racism, it is a non-discriminatory points based system. However, there elements of racism and old preferences remain.　　Pre-1900　　In the late nineteenth century, immigration