Humanitarianism In Canada

Has Canada Proven Themselves to be a Humanitarian Nation? Throughout the past few decades Canada has taken pride in the fact that it is a humanitarian nation. In national and global news Canada is seen as friendly, helpful and compassionate. Peacekeeping missions with the UN, assisting developing countries, or accepting a new round of refugees and immigrants; Canada is everyone’s best friend. Canada took its first step to becoming a humanitarian nation around the 20th century… despite displaying unjustifiable actions in the past. This is shown in how Canada has regarded its First Nations groups, created its own immigration policies, and treated women in the workplace. Ever since Europeans have set foot on the Americas, they have conquered

In terms of immigration, Canada knew what it wanted, Europeans and Americans who were Christian were quite readily accepted, especially if they knew English, and others who were still European were at least still “tolerated”. It was thought that these people would easily assimilate into Canadian society. Even in terms of religion, Canada was a very anti-semitism nation. When the St. Louis sailed from Germany with Jewish refugees on board in 1939, Canada refused to let them in. They were then forced to return to Europe. One article states, “During WWII, the MS St. Louis was a ship that carried over 900 Jewish refugees from Germany. The passengers were unable to find refuge in North America and, after returning to Europe, many perished in the Holocaust.” (Jewish-Canadian Community Projects). While at the time, no one knew the mass scale of destruction and slaughter the Nazis had planned for the Jews, Canada still played a hand in their deaths by refusing them to admit them into Canada. By forcing them to return to Europe, they ultimately forced the Jews to face impending doom. All because they didn’t fit the description of what a “Canadian” looked or acted like. Nonetheless, over time these radical and racist policies decreased and in 1967 and a points system was introduced. This allowed the elimination of racial discrimination and was more focused towards the economic interest of Canada. One reference states,

Canada’s point system was in the 1967 Immigration Act which gave people with higher education or certain skills a better chance into getting into Canada… This made immigration for skilled workers easier and encouraged them to come to Canada from anyplace in the world. it was the first immigration act in Canada which allowed immigration due to skills and expertise rather than skin colour or place of origin.