The first group of Indian immigrants to Canada came in 1904 – mostly Sikh men from the Punjab state. This small group settled first in Vancouver. Most of these men were Punjabi soldiers who had visited British Columbia in 1902, prior to their migration – to participate in the coronation of King Edward V11 (Joy, 1989; Jagpal, 1994; Toma, 1997).
Within a few years Canada grew in popularity, gaining a reputation as “a land of opportunity,” and the number of Indian migrants increased significantly (Israel, 1999).
But these new residents, on their arrival to Canada, experienced racism and discrimination from local Canadians who were threatened by the new influx of available labourers.
Anti-South Asian campaigns were successful at eliminating basic civil rights for Indian immigrants in 1907, and actually prevented new immigrants from entering Canada in 1919.
Not until the 1950’s, in response to the post-World War II economy, and the elimination of racist Canadian immigration policies in 1967, did immigration open up again for this group. Between 1978-1991, Indian immigrants entered Canada directly from India, other Asian countries, the Caribbean, Latin America, and even Europe. Canada became the “destination of choice” for numerous groups seeking refuge, or simply a new home (Israel, 1999).
References:
Israel, M. (1999). South Asians. Encyclopedia of Canada’s Peoples. Toronto: Multicultural History Society of Ontario. Available: http://multiculturalcanada.ca
Jagpal, S. (1994). Becoming Sikh. Vancouver: Habour.
Joy, A. (1989). Ethnicity in Canada: Social accommodation and cultural persistence among the Sikhs and Portuguese. NY:AMS.
Toma, P. (1997). The Indo-Canadian Community. Report on the Quality of Life in Prince George. Available from: http://web.unbc.ca/isre/1997/26.pdf
