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Refugees are people who must leave their country for safety. Refugees need to leave for many reasons. They might have to leave because of war. Or, they may have to leave because of famine. Or, they may have to leave because of persecution. That means being unfairly treated because of who they are or their beliefs.
Early Refugees
The first refugees to Canada came from the United States. They came because of the American Revolution (1775–83). These refugees remained loyal to the King of England. (See Loyalists in Canada (Plain-Language Summary).) Other early refugees to Canada included Black people who had been enslaved. About 30,000 came to Canada.
Other refugees came from Russia. Most were Mennonites and Doukhobors. Their religious beliefs were different from most Russians. (See also Russian Canadians.) They were persecuted as a result.
Migration and Refugee Policy in the 1900s
Canada restricted many groups of people from coming to Canada. The restrictions were based a lot on race. For example, Chinese people faced much discrimination. Many wanted to leave China because of poverty. Politics in China was also unstable. They had to pay a special tax to come to Canada. (See Chinese Head Tax in Canada (Plain-Language Summary).) Then, in 1924, Canada banned most Chinese people from coming in. The same was true for Indian and Japanese people. Jewish people also faced discrimination. They continued to be discriminated against in the 1930s and 1940s. In 1939, hundreds of Jewish refugees aboard the MS St. Louis were not allowed into Canada. They were fleeing from Nazi Germany which hated them. Later, over 200 of these passengers were killed in the Holocaust.
More refugees came to Canada after the Second World War. One reason for the change was that Canada needed more immigrants. The economy was strong. So, Canada needed more workers. Another big reason is that Canada’s immigration policy changed. Canada moved away from racist restrictions against non-white migrants.
In 1969, Canada signed an agreement to help protect refugees. The document is called the 1951 Refugee Convention.
A lot of refugee migration happened during the Cold War. The first big group of refugees came from Hungary in 1956. (See Hungarian Canadians.) About 37,500 came. In 1968–69, refugees came from Czechoslovakia. (See: Czech Canadians; Slovak Canadians.) In the 1960s and 1970s, Canada let in many American refugees. These Americans did not want to fight in the Vietnam War. In 1972, 7,000 refugees came from Uganda. Conflicts in Southeast Asia led to many people leaving. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, around 200,000 came to Canada from there. Many left using unsafe boats. They were known as “boat people.” However, Canada did not accept too many refugees from Chile. It did not want to upset the US or the government of Chile. The US was Chile’s ally.
Refugees in the 2000s
Refugee policies changed with the 1990s and later. Fewer refugees were allowed. In 2001, the 9/11 terrorist attack happened. There were fears of terrorism. Many linked refugees to terrorism. In 2009–10, Tamil asylum seekers arrived in Canada. They wanted refugee status. Some were detained. Some families were put in prison. In time though, many were allowed to stay. The government decided that if they went back to Sri Lanka they might suffer. They received refugee status.
By 2015, Canada welcomed more refugees again. They came from Syria. Syria was going through a civil war. Many died. And millions had to leave their homes. Ottawa decided to help. Many organizations and regular citizens decided to help too. From 2015 until 2017, about 54,000 refugees from Syria had come to Canada. (See Canadian Response to the Syrian Refugee Crisis.) This is a record-high number since the late 1970s.
Recently, many asylum seekers have come from the United States. They are not Americans though. They came because the US was not as welcoming as before. This is largely because of President Donald Trump’s policies. Some crossed the border into Canada without permission. They then claim asylum to become refugees. This is called irregular migration. Usually, a regular border crossing turns them away. This is because Canada has an agreement with the US. Canada considers the US a safe country for refugees. Some activists disagree. In 2023, the agreement was modified. Most irregular migrants cannot claim asylum now. (See Canada-United States Safe Third Country Agreement.)
