Ever since the existence of mankind, people have found it necessary to migrate in search of better living conditions. Some countries are preferred more than others due to various pull factors. One of the most preferred countries for a long time has been Canada. We've all heard tales of immigrants who came to Canada to see the streets that were ‘paved with gold’. The reasons have changed over the years but the basic reasoning remains the same. People come from all over the world in search of better prospects for their children. Many immigrants have left family, friends, and everything familiar for the opportunity to make a new life and to prosper. Alas, Canada has often been unable to keep the promises it makes.
Canada’s problems with immigrants go back a long way. At the turn of the 20th century, Clifford Sifton knew that in order for Canada to thrive, it needed immigrants and he was not above using a bit of false advertising to attract them. Clifford Sifton realized that the only immigrants they received were from the United States of America and the United Kingdom and they were not enough to fill the vast prairies of Canada. Therefore he started a wide spread advertising campaign across Europe and Asia. The campaign was highly manipulated to show only the superior side of Canada and all the negative information was omitted. Sifton’s widespread campaign was a huge success. More than a million immigrants came to Canada between 1896 and 1905. Unfortunately, many of these immigrants were in for a terrible surprise. The greatest shock to them was the weather that included damp chilly winters. Due to the overflow of immigrants, the good fertile land was given away and the immigrants who arrived late were given poor unproductive land without any forewarning. Asians settled in Canada to escape poverty and war at home but encountered prejudice and eventually violence on this side of the Pacific. They were the under-class in Canadian society with few rights and no power. They were not allowed to become citizens. Many Asians were brought to Canada to build the most dangerous and difficult section of the Canadian Pacific Railway. One worker died for every mile of track lay through the Rocky Mountains between Calgary and Vancouver. Employers found them industrious, sober and cheap. Canadians resented them for the same reasons and were quick to show their hatred by creating riots and troublesome lives for them.
