What are Immigration Policies?
- 3,000 Black Loyalists fled the oppression of the American Revolution
- Canada became a safe haven for Blacks
- Promised land, freedom, and rights in exchange for services rendered
- Population policy
- Regulating the selection
- Controlling the number of immigrants that enter the country
- 1776: Black Loyalists
- 1793: Abolish Slavery
- 1969: United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees
Immigration
Policies Today
1793: Slavery is Abolished
1969: United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees
- Upper Canada became the 1st province in the British Empire to abolish slavery
- Thousands of slaves escaped the United States and came to Canada with the aid of the Underground Railroad
- Agreement to not return a person to their country of orgin if that person had grounds to fear persecution
- Policy centered around Economic, Family reunification, and refugee circumstances
- Canada takes in approxiamately 200,000 immigrants per year
- Majority of immigrants were Asians in 2006
- Tightened security in immigration since the events of 9/11
- Canada currently holds 75% of all international migrants
- Canada is more generous towards immigrants now then in the past
- Canada joins the CEDAW Convention in 1981
- Stands for, "Convention on the Eliminaton of All forms of Discrimination against Women'
- Sets new benchmarks for government accountability/international interaction
- The firm legal foundation, along with promotion of the UN and protection of human rights, helped advance the importance of gender equality and women right's internationally
Human Rights Timeline
1921: First Female Federal Election
- Women are eligible to vote and hold office for the first time in Canada.
- Only four women candidates ran at the time; Agnes MacPhail as an independent
- MacPhail was the first woman to sit in the House of Commons
- Mary Ellen Smith is appointed cabinet minister in B.C and 1st female provisional cabinet minister and the British Empire
- Nellie McClung is elected as a Liberal member in the Alberta Legislature
- Women are forced to resigned from Canada Civil Service after marriage
1867-1884: Canadian Confederation Voting Criteria
- Five federal general elections were held
- In all provinces, there are 3 basic conditions into becoming an elector -being male -being 21 or older -being a British subject by birth/naturalization
- 1872: Trade Act Union
- 1919: Winnipeg General Strike
- 1956: Founding of the Canadian Labour Congress
Labour Rights Today
- The Employment Standards Act in BC protects the rights of workers and prevents employees from being used for cheap labour
- Established in the mid 1950's
- The act states employers should provide a minimum pay of $10.45 and that one cannot be forced to work when they are pregnant
- An employer cannot dock a worker's pay while the worker is on a vacation leave
- Women are equal to men in suffrage, rights to property, and in professional fields
- Women suffragists including Nellie McClung, who fought for improvements in the lives of women
What are Aboriginal Rights?
1872: Toronto Printers Rebellion
- Signed on October
- Recognizes aboriginal title
- Land ownership and authority are recognized by the Crown under British sovereignty
- States only the Crown can acquire lands from First Nations by treaties
- Collective rights that flow from Aboriginal peoples' way of life before the arrival of Europeans
- Practices, traditions, and customs that eminent the culture of First Nations such as language and religion
- Rights to original land and resources
- Independent from government
- Worked for nine hours a day with little pay
- Went on strike and many were arrested
- Prime Minister McDonald introduced the Trade Union Act to legalize and protect unions
- Created a worker's movement which convinced more workers to join unions
- 1763: Royal Proclamation
- 1876: Indian Act
- 1884: Anti-potlatch laws and Residential Schools
What are Labour Rights?
- Legal rights that governs the relationship of an employer and employee
- Includes individual employment contracts
1956: Founding Of the Canadian Labour Congress
- Canadian Union of Postal Workers wanted the right to strike, bargain, have higher wages and better management
- Defied the government by causing a country-wide strike
- Resulted in government reluctantly extending collective bargaining rights to the entire public service
1884: Anti-potlatch laws and Residential Schools
- Potlatches ceremonies were banned
- Federal government thought potlatches would slow down assimilation
- Children were forced to go to residential schools
- Government wanted the children to lose their culture/identity and become part of the dominion culture
- The national policy was turning into a cultural extinction
- In 2008, Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced a formal apology to the Aboriginal for the residential Schools; formed the Truth and Reconciliation Commission
- Despite the apologies and improvements for the Aboriganls, many people argue that their relationships could be better with the government
- Federal gov't refused to sign the United Nations Declaration on Rights of Indigenous people in 2007
- Indian Act still active today
- Bill C-31 was passed down in 1985 to bring the Indian Act on par with gender equality under the Charter of Rights and Freedom
- Indian Act is established
- Regulates the lives of the First Nations in Canada
- A way of assimilation
- Only can live on reserves
- Required to register with the government
- Children attended residential schools
- Traditional ways were denied
- Workers of different professions left their jobs and marched on the streets
- Wanted fair wages
- RNWM police and union busters fired at the crowds of thousands of workers
- Largest general strike in Canadian history
- Is commonly referred to as"Bloody Saturday"
- 1758-1866: Women have limited privileges
- 1867-1884: Canadian Confederation voting criteria
- 1921: First Federal Election that includes women
Limited Privileges for Women
- Voting was reserved for only affluent men
- To be qualified, an individual has to own property or assets of a specific value or pay a certain amount of taxes/rent
- Women were excluded because they were considered inferior to men