Using this info Canada's immigration policy changed. after the First World War. King's gov- ernment decided to focus on Britain and the United States as sources of immigrants. Between 1919 and 1931, about 1.2 million immigrants arrived in Canada-substantial numbers but well below those of the first decade of the century. 
Discrimination continued to influ- ence the government's immigration policy. In 1919, two Protestant reli- gious groups, the Mennonites and the Hutterites, were barred from coming to Canada, along with members of a Christian religious sect from Russia, the Doukhobors. Mennonites were not allowed in again until 1922 and Doukhobors until 1926. In 1928, immigrants from Japan were limited. to 150 per year. 
CANADIAN PACIFIC 
КАНАДИЈАН ПАЦИФИК 
3A 
КАНАДУ 
THHEH 
ABE 
TIL HO 
FRANS CANA LOUITEDAT 
Chapter 2: The Boom Years 
67 
CANADIAN PACIFIC 
IA 
DRZAV 
SJ 
KADU 
3DIED 
"Canada welcomes men and women of the right type who come to seek 
their fortune in this broad new land ... [people] of good moral character, and in good health, mentally and physically." 
-Immigration pamphlet, 
circa 1925 
99 
Reading Strategy 
Figure 2.14 
Much of the best land in Western Canada belonged to the Canadian Pacific Railway and the Canadian National Railways. Both companies pressured King to admit Eastern and Southern European immigrants, which he agreed to do in 1925. Why might these companies have wanted immigrants from Eastern and Southern Europe? 
The 1923 Chinese Exclusion Act prevented the immigration of almost anyone from China. Only 15 immigrants from China were allowed into Canada between 1923 and 1947. Passed on Dominion Day, this Act was seen by the Chinese Canadian community as the ultimate form of humiliation. For years, the community refused to cele- brate Dominion Day and referred to it as "Humiliation Day." 
IMMIGRATION TO CANADA, 1920-1929 
Number of Immigrants Year 
1920 
138 800 
1921 
91 700 
1922 
64 200 
1923 
133 700 
1924 
124 200 
1925 
84 900 
1926 
136 000 
1927 
158 900 
1928 
166 800 
1929 
165 000 
When reading a table, examine the headings and determine the rela- tionship between them. 
This will tell you what the table is about. Then examine the figures in each column and look for sequence, patterns, trends, and other details. 
The Ku Klux Klan 
The arrival of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) in the early 1920s revealed the extent of prejudice among many Canadians. In the United States, the Klan targeted people of African-American heritage. In Canada, it targeted Jews in Québec, French Canadians in Saskatchewan, Asians in British Columbia, and all foreigners everywhere else. 
Although there were Klan members in Eastern and Central Canada, the KKK was most successful in the West. 
Source: Valerie Knowles, Strangers at Our Gates: Canadian Immigration and Immigration Policy, 1540-1990 (Toronto: Dundurn Press, 1992). 
Figure 2.15 This table shows total immi- gration figures between 1920 and 1929. Between which two years did immigra- tion increase the most? What might be the reason for this increase? Create a graph using these figures. What does the graph illustrate? 
"Immigrants that came into Canada ... were considered 'foreigners' because of their race, colour, religion, or their customs. 'Foreigner' also meant different and inferior. These 
immigrants were allowed into Canada 
because we needed more people to farm the prairies, work in forests, factories or mines." 
-Rebecca Chowen, Morell Regional High School, 2003 
68 
Unit 1: Forging a Canadian Identity: 1914-1945 
"All Indians were superstitious, having strange ideas about nature. They thought that birds, beasts... were like men. Thus an Indian has been known to make a long speech of apology 
to a wounded bear. Such were the people whom the pioneers of our own race found lording it over the North American continent." 
-An example of racist attitudes as published in 
an Ontario elementary school history text, 1910 
"When I got back to school, because I ran away, they were going to give me punishment 
They said they were going to give me a real short haircut for my punishment. So my hair was cut really short, almost like a boy's." 
-Quoted in Celia Haig-Brown, Resistance and Renewal: Surviving the Indian Residential School 
99 
Reading Strategy 
To help you understand the experiences of residential school students, think about how you would have felt in their place. 
In British Columbia, the KKK insisted that the government forbid the immigra- tion of all people of Chinese, Indian, and Japanese heritage and seize the property of Asians already living in Canada. In the Prairies, large crosses were set on fire on hilltops to protest the use of French and other "foreign" languages. The Klan was most powerful in Saskatchewan, where newspapers and church leaders lent their support and convinced the provincial government to abolish the teaching of French in Grade 1. 
Many Canadians were outraged, however, at the lies and racism of the KKK. They urged other Canadians to reject their racism and prejudice. By 1930, the KKK had disappeared in Canada. 
Aboriginal Peoples 
Throughout the decade, Aboriginal peo- ples struggled to preserve their cultures. Official government policy was to assimilate them. Duncan Campbell Scott, head of Indian Affairs in Canada from 1913 to 1932, wrote, "I want to get rid of the Indian problem. Our object is to continue until there is not a single Indian in Canada that has not been absorbed. They are a weird and waning race... ready to break out at any moment in ... dances." Scott's beliefs were shared by many Canadians. 
Residential Schools 
Residential schools were designed to separate First Nations children from their families so they could be more easily assimilated. Children aged seven to fifteen were removed from their homes and forced to live in dormito- ries far away from their communities. When the children arrived at these schools, they were given new names to replace their given ones, stiff uniforms 
in place of their traditional clothing, and European haircuts. 
Students were severely punished if they were caught speaking their own languages. In class, no references were made to the history or cultures of First Nations. Music, history, and English reflected only the themes of English and French societies. Teachers were usually poorly trained, and few students received a good education. Discipline was often violent. Some children expe- rienced physical, psychological, and sexual abuse. Many residential schools were built on flat land and in remote areas to make escape difficult. By the end of the 1920s, there were 80 residen- tial schools in Canada. 
Answer: 
What evidence is there of racism in Canadian society in the 1920s. Describe the important changes to the role of  Women in Canada.
How did Residential schools fit the government policy of assimilation? What impact did they have?