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History of Canadian Immigration
Canada is a prosperous country, boasting rich natural resources, excellent infrastructure, a robust education system, ample employment opportunities, good retirement schemes and a sound healthcare system. Plus, it is a very safe country to settle in. In fact, for five consecutive years, Canada was ranked by the United Nations as the best place to live in. Having a sparse population, Canada has a shortage of skilled workers, entrepreneurs and investors. This is the reason the Canadian government encourages immigration.
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Immigration to Canada has had a long history. There have been major waves of immigration interspersed between periods of tight restrictions. If we talk about the 20th century, it has been equally eventful. Soon after the Second World War began, stringent restrictions were imposed on immigration as thousands of refugees were trying to enter the country. During the First World War, Jewish refugees were also prohibited from coming in as well. The British and the Americans continued to immigrate throughout the first part of the century. There was a significant spurt in British immigrants during the Battle of Britain in the 1940s.
In 1976, the Canadian government passed the Immigration Act, according to which immigrants were categorized into six classes; Business Class, Family Class, Immigration Class, International Adoption Class, Provincial Nomination Class, Quebec-Selected Immigration Class and Skilled Worker Class.
In 2002, new act the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act came into force. It replaces the 1976 legislation. For more information on this, please visit http://www.cisr-irb.gc.ca/en/references/act/index_e.htm.
A significant proportion of immigrants living in Canada are school-going children aged 5 to 16. In 2001, 1.8 million people who had immigrated in the 1990s were residing in Canada. Almost 17% of these were immigrant children belonging to diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds. This segment of the immigrant population includes both children who had come with their parents and children who were born to immigrant parents in Canada.
Famous Immigrants
Immigrants have played a vital role in building Canada. There are many famous immigrants who wrote their success story after they moved to Canada. Two among the highly respected are Thomas Bata, of the Bata Shoe Company and Ed Mirvish of Honest Ed’s.
Thomas Bata was born in 1914 in the Czech Republic and succeeded his father to inherit the world-famous Bata Shoe Company. In 1938 he moved to Ontario, Canada, with 82 of his trusted workers believed he believed that Canada was a progressive and dynamic country. By 1940, Bata had over 700 employees and was soon being cited as an international success. Today Bata is a leading footwear company with presence in fifty countries across five continents and more than forty thousand employees. Thomas Bata remains one of the most illustrious of Canadian immigrants.
Ed Mirvish was born 1914 in Virginia. After moving to Canada he established a new business called Honest Ed’s, a bargain emporium carrying stocks of various merchandise. The business model was an instant success. In time, it became the “world’s biggest discount department store”. Ed is also very well known for his live theatre performances. |
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