An exploration of how immigration has shaped Canadian identity, and how modern debates are reshaping our national character. In this history of immigration to Canada, Valerie Knowles explores the kinds of immigrants who have settled in Canada as well as the immigration policies, policymakers, and public figures who have played a part in the story.

In this new and revised edition, Knowles explores new materials relating to multiculturalism and immigration.

Immigrants and immigration have always been central to Canadians’ perception of themselves as a country and a society. In this crisply written history, Valerie Knowles describes the different kinds of immigrants who have settled in Canada, and the immigration policies that have helped define the character of Canadian immigrants over the centuries. Key policymakers and shapers of public opinion figure prominently in this colourful story, as does the role played by racism.

This new and revised edition features a chapter on the Conservative government’s handling of immigration between 2006 and 2014. Special attention is paid to the role played by the activist minister Jason Kenney and his attempts to develop a faster, more flexible immigration regime. The Temporary Foreign Worker Program and the Interim Federal Health Program are also discussed. The book’s final chapter, “Issues in the Twenty-First Century,” introduces new material relating to multiculturalism and outlines arguments supporting population growth, increased immigration, and decreased immigration.

Preface
Introduction
1. The Beginnings
2. Canada’s First Large Influx of Refugees
3. British Immigration Transforms the Colonies
4. Immigration in the Macdonald Era
5. The Sifton Years
6. Forging a New Immigration Policy
7. Immigration Doldrums
8 Immigration’s Post War Boom (1947–1957)
9. Major New Initiatives
10. A New Era in Immigration
11. The Turbulent 1980s and Beyond
12. Immigration Grabs Attention 1996–2006
13. The Conservative Era
14. Issues in the Twenty-First Century
Notes
Bibliography
Index