Japanese Immigration To Canada Research Paper

Canada is a multicultural nation, something in which many Canadians take pride. Unfortunately, the path to multiculturalism has often been marred by prejudice towards newcomers to Canada. In 1886, a Head Tax on Chinese immigrants to Canada was introduced. Initially ten dollars, the tax would increase to $100 dollars by 1900, and to $500 in 1903. When the $500 Head Tax did not adequately limit Chinese immigration, the “In the Pocket” order-in-council was introduced in 1910. This measure required all immigrants of Asian origin prove they $200 in their pocket upon arrival in Canada. In the months after the Vancouver Riot of 1907 the federal government reached an agreement with Japan, whereby the number of Japanese immigrants to Canada was restricted to just 400 people annually. The federal government then turned to Indian immigration, and in 1908 an
The Chinese Immigration Act, 1923 served its intended purpose – between 1924 and 1936 fewer than ten people immigrated to Canada from China. As a result of the “continuous journey regulation” amendment to the Immigration Act in 1908 immigration to Canada from India did not once exceed 100 persons annually prior to 1936. Japanese immigration to Canada also fell sharply after the 1908 amendment to the Immigration Act. The reasons given by the federal government to justify instituting such restrictive measures on Asian immigrants were based largely on self-serving interests, or were used to pacify anti-Asian sentiment in British Columbia. The federal government rationalized the “In the Pocket” measure as a means for immigrants from Asia to support themselves and their families in the event they could not find immediate employment. The amendment to the Immigration Act, 1910, was deemed justifiable because it enabled the federal government to “deport individuals…on the grounds of political and moral