Codrul Cosminului (Jul 2017)
The Liberalization of Canadian Immigration Policy (1945-1976)
Abstract
Immigration policy has played a key role in Canadian history since the second half of 19th century. Certainly, immigration legislation was a major element of it. Some of the most important reforms in Canadian immigration policy took place in the first decades after the Second World War. This was a time of multiple legislative reforms conducted by the Canadian government, but in general, the immigration regulations introduced during that period started the process of liberalization in this area. The Immigration Act of 1976 played a key role in building up the new liberal strategy of Canadian immigration. The pre-reform period is also important because it helps to understand the evolution process from discrimi¬native legislation to liberal policy. Therefore, the focus of this study is on the development of Canadian immigration policy from 1945 to 1976. The present research examines the main preconditions for the adoption of the 1976 Immigration Act. It analyses legislation regulations, which paved the ground for post-war Canadian immigration policy, with a particular emphasis on regula-tions enacted from 1945 to 1976. This article provides an overview of Canadian immigration policy in post-war period. It also identifies successive documents that proved particularly influential for Canadian immigration policy at the time. The findings of this research point to a variety of causes for the legislation changes, from foreign and domestic policy to economy policy.
