Canadian Immigration Policy towards the Poles in the Years 1896-1939

Abstract

In fact the government of Canada has never shown any favouritism towards Polish immigrants.

In the early period (1896-1905) a vigorous recruiting campaign was started by Clifford Sifton, a government minister, who wanted to immigrate peasants, mostly from the Austro-Hungarian Empire in order to settle vast territories of the Canadian prairies. Yet, as early as 1906-1914 the first legal restrictions on immigration were introduced. They concerned, among others, those persons who had not sufficient financial means, and became a source of trouble for many Polish immigrants leaving their country to seek employment. Although the First World War brought a halt to the influx of Polish immigrants, the immigration was resumed after the war in spite of an unfavourable attitude of the Canadian authorities.

In the post-war period Congress passed so-called Quota Laws restricting the flow of immigrants to the U. S. A. This resulted in an increased number of entries to Canada from the countries which were discriminated against by the American regulations. In turn, it brought about fear of foreing workers at the Canadian labour market which forced the Canadians to seek employment in the U. S. A. (the problem is dealt with in the so-called theory of dislocation by W. B. Hurd and M. C. Mac- Lean).

Thus a new act was passed in Canada in ,1923. It refused entry to immigrants apart from such classes as farmers, domestic servants, British subjects and American citinzens. It proved a useful stratagem permititng arbitrary preferential treatment of various ethnic groups, tie Poles being included in the discriminated group.

In 1925 the so-called railway agreement was signed which granted railway companies the right to recruit and immigrate farmers and domestic servants from central and eastern Europe. As a result tens of thousands Poles arrived in Canada during five years. In the 1980’s a controversy arose between Polish and Canadian immigration authorities. In December 1930 President of Poland issued a decree whereby Poland controlled the entire passanger transport over the Atlantic. In retaliation Canada recalled its immigration officers from Gdynia and Glansk thus practically bringing to a halt emigration from Poland to Canada. Although both countier arrived at a compromise concerning the transport of immigrants in 1935, the outbreak of the Second World War completely stopped Polish immigration to Canada.

The Canadian immigration policy determined not only the quota of Polish immigration but also its social and occupational make-up since during the entire period discussed above it showed greater favouritism to such classes of persons as peasants, farm-hands and domestic servants.