Labour History of Immigration to Canada

This article explores the labour history of immigration to Canada, specifically focusing on the Indian Sikh community. It discusses their reasons for migrating, the challenges they faced, and the impact they had on Canadian society. The article also highlights the cultural aspects of the Punjabi community and their settlement patterns in Canada.

Labour history of Immigration to
Canada

Table of Contents
Introduction...........................................................................................................................................2
Main context..........................................................................................................................................2
Conclusion.............................................................................................................................................5
References.............................................................................................................................................6
1

Introduction
Indian mostly Sikhs from Punjab had started migrating to Canada during the late 19th century.
Canadians of East India origin had become one of the largest non-European ethnic groups of
Canada. As per the survey, more than 700,000 people of East Indian had shifted to Canada.
The Sikh people in the British army were facing livelihood problem with the small amount of
pension and decided to move to Canada in search of better employment opportunity (Aadnc,
2019). Punjabis had mostly migrated to Canada in search of better employment. The main
factors were job opportunities, religious and political freedom, a better education system,
better medical facilities, security, better opportunities for starting a family and Industries. It
was easier for the Indian Immigrants to get a job in Canada as there were wide sectors of job
opportunity and everyone was able to get a job as per their qualification. India is the second
largest source of immigrants for Canada after the Philippines.
Thesis statement
Indians were migrated to Canada between the year 1950 to 2000 which can be seen in the
organizations and community.
Main context
Indian mostly Sikhs from Punjab had started migrating to Canada during the late 19th century.
In 1897 a rally of Sikh soldier those who participated in Queen Victoria’s diamond jubilee
visited Canada which was least populated. After retirement from the army, they settled there
in Canada and had modest earning. Indians have mostly migrated to Canada in search of
employment.Earlier the Sikh immigrants faced racism in the hands of white Canadians. The
Canadians fear that due to Indian influx they would become jobless as Indians are ready to
work for less pay (Agrawal, 2010). The original Canadian citizens use to discriminate
between Indians and Canadians and often those small differences took violent shape. The
mob used to target mainly the black population of Canada. Under social pressure, most men
returned to India as the Canadian government has prevented Indians from taking their
families to that country. In the year 1906 and 1907, the highest number of Indian Sikhs had
migrated to Canada. Indian Canadians are more likely to have a university degree and
belongs to the affluent middle-class families. Indo-Canadians are mostly found in Ontario
and British Columbia (Punjabispot, 2019).
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Indian people who migrated to Canada are mostly from Punjab. The Sikh population of
Punjab had started migrating to Canada in the late 19th century. The Sikh community in the
British army were facing livelihood problem with the small amount of pension and decided to
move to Canada in search of better employment opportunity. They mainly migrated to
Canada for a better lifestyle but they faced widespread discrimination in the hands of the
white population of Canada. Most of them returned to their homeland but the rest of them
stayed back in Canada (CIC News, 2014). At that time the immigration policy was not as
liberal as it is today. The immigration mainly took place when India was under British rule.
The socio-economic conditions of Indian were pitiable and they were in search of a better
place to live in. Indians have mostly migrated to Canada in search of employment. Indians
have mostly migrated to Canada by water. Indians choose Canada as at that time Canada was
very sparsely populated and the Canadian government wanted people to settle there. There
was a job guarantee in Canada by companies like Hudson Bay Company and Canadian
Pacific railway.
The Sikh people of Punjab region was most likely to immigrate to Canada. The first person
who settled in Canada was working in the British army and while returning from Queen
Victoria’s diamond jubilee celebration settled in Canada. The Punjabis were mostly into
farming and forestry and the male Sikh were seeking job opportunities. Canada was very
sparsely populated at that time and the Canadian government wanted people to settle there to
prevent the United States from taking over the territory of Canada (Dauvergne, 2012).
Moreover, there was a job guarantee in Canada by companies like the Hudson Bay Company
and the Canadian Pacific railway. The early settler there were having modest earning and
living a good life that inspired most of the people of that community to settle down in
Canada. When British India was partitioned most of the people living in Karachi and Kolkata
migrated to Canada. People from Goa and the Anglo-Indian community also moved to
Canada because they were afraid of their future in their homeland.
As Indian men were in search of better employment opportunity they moved to Canada. The
Indians were trying them a fortune in Canada. The Indian migrants in Canada had formed an
Indian diaspora which consists of a member from Burma, the Philippines, China, and the East
Indies. The Indians there in Canada was doing jobs in the police force and some even joined
the army. Some Indians were employed as night-watchman in British firms. Some of them
had started a small business of their own and was earning modestly to support them. There
were many agents in Canada who were providing modest jobs to Indians (Dawson, 2016).
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The Indians were earning enough to support them in a foreign country. The white population
of Canada fearing that they can become jobless soon started committing violence against
Indians as Indians were doing the same job as the white population but in a lesser pay scale.
Many Indians left the foreign country after facing violence in the hands of the white
population but many stayed back in that country and continued their job. Many Canadian
companies were giving guaranteed jobs to Indian youths like the Hudson Bay Company and
Canadian Pacific railway. Many Indians were also working in sawmills in Canada. The
immigration rate to British Columbia was 90% alone in the 1950s.
The Punjabi culture is extremely diverse depending on one's caste, community, village, and
religion. Punjabi culture is mainly influenced by Indo-Aryan dominance. Their religious
belief is identical to those of Hindus. The Punjabis has a cultural identity with the jat and
Gujjar. Due to the migration of Punjabis to other parts of the world the Punjabi culture gets
influenced by western culture. Punjabi culture can be witnessed by having a look at Punjabi
philosophy, poetry, spirituality, education, artistry, music, cuisine, and architecture (Dawson,
2016).Bhangra is a popular musical art form of Punjab that that is growing extremely popular
in the west. The classical music of Punjab is also gaining extremely popular in the west.
Punjabi people do celebrate their harvest season or any merry-making by performing rituals,
dancing, singing and preparing delicious foods. The Punjabi literature is quite rich with
compositions by various poets. The main cultural festivals of Punjab are Lohri, Holi, and
Guru Nanak Jayanti.
The Punjabi people have settled mainly in British Columbia and Ontario region of Canada.
The main reason behind settling in those places was better job opportunities being available
to them. The Punjabi people have settled together and had formed an Indian diaspora which
consists of a member from Burma, the Philippines, China, and the East Indies. The main
reason for settling together was to get better job opportunities (Hunter, 2012). By settling
together they can even retaliate any discrimination against them by the white Canadian
population. British Columbia and Ontario region of Canada was the best place to settle down
for the Punjabis as both these places are very sparsely populated and the Punjabis could
easily find out some job with modest earning to support them.
The Punjabis had faced very harshly racial discrimination in the hands of the white Canadian
population as they had fear of losing their job because the Indian population in Canada was
doing the same job as that of the white population but in a lesser pay scale (Latif, 2015). The
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small differences at times use to take a very violent form. The climate and environment of
Canada were quite different from India and it was difficult for Indian citizens to adjust in
such a climatic condition. Most of them returned to India after facing extreme social pressure.
The Indians were also facing a lack of job opportunity during the period of great depression
and as a result of that many Indians had returned to their home country.
The Punjabi community mainly faced racial discrimination in the hands of the white
Canadian population as they had fear of losing their job because the Indian population in
Canada was doing the same job as that of the white population but in a lesser pay scale. The
small differences at times use to take a very violent form (Naujoks, 2009). The Punjabi
people have settled together and had formed an Indian diaspora which consists of a member
from Burma, the Philippines, China, and the East Indies. The main reason for settling
together was to get better job opportunities. By settling together they can even retaliate any
discrimination against them by the white Canadian population.
Conclusion
The socio-economic and political condition of Canada was not quite impressive and that is
the driving reason for Indian to migrate to Canada, unemployment was at its highest level in
India. As Canada was not highly populated so the Canadian government wanted the Indian
population to settle down in Canada. There was lots of jobs opportunity for Indian peoples in
Canada and that is the main reason why Indians settled down in Canada.
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References
Aadnc.(2019). Indigenous history in Canada. Retrieved from https://www.aadnc-
aandc.gc.ca/eng/1100100013778/1100100013779
Agrawal, S. (2010). Indian Immigrants in Canada: The Shades of Economic Integration.
Retrieved from https://www.poafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/indo-
cdn_economic_integration_report.pdf
CIC News. (2014). The Story of Indian Immigration to Canada | Canada Immigration News.
Retrieved from https://www.cicnews.com/2014/04/story-indian-immigration-canada-
043365.html#gs.4bd4rs
Dauvergne. (2012). International Human Rights in Canadian Immigration Law—The Case of
the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada. Indiana Journal Of Global Legal
Studies, 19(1), 305. doi: 10.2979/indjglolegstu.19.1.305
Dawson, C. (2016). In Plain Sight: Documenting Immigration Detention in
Canada. Migration, Mobility, & Displacement, 2(2), 126.doi:
10.18357/mmd22201615451
Haugen, D., Musser, S., & Lovelace, K. (2009). Immigration (4th ed.). Detroit: Greenhaven
Press.
Hunter, N. (2012). Immigration (3rd ed.). Chicago, Ill.: Heinemann Library.
Latif, E. (2015). The relationship between immigration and unemployment: Panel data
evidence from Canada. Economic Modelling, 50, 162-167. doi:
10.1016/j.econmod.2015.06.013
Naujoks, D. (2009). Emigration, Immigration, and Diaspora Relations in India. Retrieved
from https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/emigration-immigration-and-diaspora-
relations-india
Punjabispot.(2019). Punjabi Culture. Retrieved from
http://www.punjabispot.com/punjab/culture-of-punjab.html
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