Open Door Policy

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“This would appear that immigrants of all races would be welcome to settle in western Canada.” This quote stating that Canada will not discourage any immigrant by their race or culture. That no matter what, Canada accepts you for who you are. Both Sir Wilfred Laurier and Clifford Sifton shared their idea of a perfect country by creating what was known as an “Open Door” policy. This policy was known to allow any immigrant, despite their race and background, to relocate in Western Canada. Many may argue that Laurier and Sifton’s policy was not open door, nor prosperous for all. Even with the “Open-Door Policy”, many different immigrants had a hard time taking up settlement in Western Canada. The blacks for example, were just one of the many immigrants that was rejected during the Laurier era. Blacks started immigrating to Canada in the 1800’s, Via the underground railway. The Blacks were trying to escape slavery and racism, but little did they know that they did not fully escape racism by moving to Canada. After the civil war many city councils aided blacks to move back to the United States. In 1901, less than eighteen thousand blacks remained in Canada.Throughout time there have been many black Canadians that have made tremendous contributions to Canadian society, For example; “Elijah McCoy, a lawyer, invented a cup to help machines stay oiled while running and gave us the expression”The Real McCoy”” (Canada A Nation Unfolding, Black Canadians, Page 39) . For those who remained, created strong communities in British Columbia, Nova Scotia, Southwestern Ontario, and across the prairies. “They put me in jail and made me suffer this misery. I moan until the early dawn, But who will console me here?”(Canada A Nation Unfolding, Chinese Canadians and Japanese Canadians, 39) This is just a short stanza from a poem found on a wall in the piggery. A piggery was a

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