Did Government Policy Contribute to Canadian Racism?

Throughout the 1900’s, Canada was not known for the cultural diversity and equality of today. Many Canadians from different countries around the world faced racial segregation and were not considered as equals to the average white Canadian. Jewish Canadians were limited in the jobs they could have and were sometimes only allowed to live in only certain areas of cities. Although Black Canadians were free from slavery in Canada, they were still considered a lower class of people and publicly discriminated against. Women were restricted in what they could or could not do, and were expected to only take care of the family and home while the husband, being the breadwinner, worked and supported the family. Canadians from Asia were all known as Chinese, and were lured to work on the construction of the western section of the Canadian Pacific Railway. They were given the most dangerous jobs, but when they tried to bring in family or friends, a head tax was introduced, charging up to $500 per immigrant from “China”. The aboriginals of Canada during this time period continued losing their land to European settlers and were forced to live in reserves, being racially profiled and segregated.

Canada’s history is not as bright as many think it is. The general public’s opinion of foreign cultures and ways of life were extremely prejudiced and unacceptable to today’s standards. The majority of Canadian people of the 1900’s were raised and taught to be racist to anyone different from themselves. Was this a result of government policy at the time? Absolutely. Any government that introduces a “head tax” on a specific race or culture of immigrants is to blame for the racism that newcomers faced in this dark period of Canadian history.