Filling the Promised Land (1896-1905)

Introduction

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Canada welcomed hundreds of thousands of immigrants from around the world. This unprecedented influx was sparked in part by a number of "push" factors, including a changing global economy, and the deteriorating conditions facing many farmers and workers in countries across Europe and Asia. It was also, however, the result of changing realities within Canada. The completion of the Canadian Pacific Railroad, the discovery of more resilient grains, and the growing myth of the "last best west" also served to entice, or "pull," those seeking new opportunities to Canada. While the country's immigration policies were largely aimed at attracting immigrants by hook or by crook, some restrictions were placed on certain types of immigration during this period.

In this section you can assess Canada's ambitious immigration marketing campaign and its results in Sell, Sell, Sell; get an inside view of Canada's clandestine immigration network in Illegal Allurement; learn more about a category of women that was in great demand in Domestics Policy; discover the role the immigrants themselves played in shaping immigration policy and publicity in Enticing Their Own; and explore another group's perspective on the impact of immigration in Alien Labour.