Post Ww2 Immigration

2197 Words9 Pages
Looking into Canada’s history, post-World War 2 immigration had a big impact on what this country is today. The years leading up to the war, the economy was struggling. Unemployment rates were increasing which lead to the Great Depression. World War 2 was very beneficiary to Canada since it generated many jobs and a high demand for supplies which lead to a stronger economy being implemented during the war. Such supplies ranged from ammunition to clothes and so forth. To sustain the growing economy, the immigration policies had to be reviewed in order to increase the human capita. Canada found itself with a more open immigration policy in the decades after WW2 due to an increase economic output and need of skilled workers. The immigration policy saw many reviews due to the constant economy changes and needs. The influx of immigrants accepted had many positive effects on the Canadian economy and society but as any positive effect, there were some negative effects associated with accepting the large number of immigrants. The decade before the war, the Canadian economy was slowing down with unemployment rates rising and exports slowing down. With the outbreak of World War 2, more than 40,000 Canadians sacrificed their lives by joining the military. While the men went overseas to help with the war, more than 1 million women that stayed at home moved into workplaces to take over the men’s jobs. With a high demand of supplied for the war, many more jobs were created and the Canadian economy had a very strong recovery. To aid the need of man power during the aftermath of the war, immigration numbers needed to be increased to keep up with the increased demand of goods. The immigration policy put in place by Prime Minister MacKenzie King in May 1, 1947, created a selection process in which preferred certain ethnic groups; such as British, American and northwestern
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