The Significance of the Vietnamese Boat People in Canadian Immigration History - Research Paper Example

Introduction People all over the world want to enter countries that provide better opportunities to earn a living. Poor countries are not able to give their inhabitants security, health benefits and employment so in order to find all these things people from the poorer countries try to come to developed countries. Canada is one of the countries which welcome many immigrants from all over the world. Because of its economic stability and employment opportunities people are attracted towards Canada. The immigration history of Canada is very rich with different kinds of people entering the country at different times. These people have impacted Canadian culture and its economy greatly. This paper will focus on the migration of Vietnamese people to Canada during the Vietnam War. The paper will discuss the importance of the event and the role of government in the immigration of Vietnamese people. Vietnam War started in 1955 between the communist North Vietnam and the non communist South Vietnam. United States of America was also supporting South Vietnam. The Vietnam’s People army (Northern Vietnam military) was getting help from communist countries like Soviet Union. The war was actually a cold war battle between the then two super powers of the world. They were fighting; the difference was that the battle was not fought directly. The war ended after 20 years of bloodshed and many lives were lost in the process. It is very important to understand the plight of the Vietnamese people in order to understand their reasons of migration to other countries. They were left with no option but to find shelter in foreign countries due to the conflict. They were desperate to leave their homeland. It was not for a better future only that these people were migrating to other countries. They were migrating to save their lives! Canada was not militarily involved in the conflict but its role was very important. It was always with the western capitalist countries but it was not directly aiding United States in war. But Canada was heavily affected by the influx of thousands of Vietnamese settlers from the war region.1 Over all the role of Canadian government in the war was fairly balanced and it was no supporting any party of the war (Ross, D. 1984). The role of Canada in welcoming the suffering people of Vietnam is substantial and it must be analyzed because Canada was not directly involved in the war and even then a large number of people found refugee in the country. Importance of the ‘Boat People’ in history of Canadian Immigration Canada was one of those countries which tried to stay away from the cold war conflict between the two super powers. But this does not mean that it had no role to play. Many people on Vietnam were affected by the war and they were forced to leave the country. Many of these people came to Canada and the country accepted them whole heartedly. It was a time when countries were debating about the legal status of these immigrants (Hathaway, J. 1993). At this point of time Canada accepted large number of Vietnamese people. There are many aspects to the importance of this migration in the migration history of Canada. This event is politically and economically important to Canada. Also the human side of Canada was exposed as a result of this wide scale migration of Vietnamese people to the country. This was one largest migration of a group of people ever into Canada. So this shows that immigration wise this event is of significant importance. The political importance of this event is also significant. Canada was not directly involved in the war but everyone knew that Canada was a part of the western block so it was important at that point to behave in politically correct manner. The acceptance of the Vietnamese people projected a better image of Canada in the eyes of the world. The human aspect of the issue cannot be ignored. It was a humanitarian crisis and at that point the country could not refuse the war trodden people of Vietnam. This will be discussed later in the text. The economic importance of these ‘boat people’ to Canada is great. Canada has the highest per capita immigration rate in the world (Becklumb, P. 2008) so the policy of the country is to welcome immigrants from all over the world. Economic interest is in main reason for this policy as immigration increases the labor force of Canada. 2These boat people were initially thought off as illiterate farmers who had no useful skill but the same people were found to grow at a great pace in the next ten years (Beiser, M. 1999). These people had lower unemployment rates than the native Canadians. This shows the economic contribution of these people to Canada. There can be many explanations for this rapid growth of these immigrants. One plausible explanation is that they were actually given a new life when they were accepted by Canadian Government. This saw this as an opportunity to turn their lives around and they worked hard and earned a better living for themselves. Another explanation of the growth of the boat people may be that they had nothing when they came to the country and after that they started doing jobs in the country. So because they had nothing initially everything they earned was attributed to their growth. Whatever the explanation may be one thing is certain and that is the Vietnamese boat people contributed greatly to the economy of Canada. The Role of Canadian Government Canadian government played a huge role in the acceptance of thousands of Vietnamese people. It was because of their immigration friendly policies that allowed this wide scale migration to take place. This migration was very beneficial for Canada as discussed earlier so the role of government should be appreciated in the process of settling the people of war region in the country. The migration actually started after the war ended in 1976. This was the time when thousands of people were starting to come to different countries. The immigration policy of Canada at that time called for refugee sponsorship that is refugees were required to acquire sponsorship from the permanent residents of Canada in order to live in the country (Troper, H. 2000). It is important to understand that Canada allowed refugees from Vietnam under its refugee immigration policy. Although there was serious debate upon the cost of such a policy still the government accepted the refugees. Government started its refugee sponsorship program in order to reduce costs associated with the refugees. Canadian government was under pressure from many local groups and general public to accept the displaced people of Vietnam. This was a major reason of government’s reaction to this issue. But the steps that government of Canada took in later parts of 1970’s were the reason of wide scale settlement of Vietnamese boat people in Canada. In this regard due credit should be given to the government. It was a time when many countries had refused to take in these refugees and the cost associated with these refugees were also very high. But still the open immigration policy of Canada allowed the migration of refugees in the country. The pressure from people inside the government was very high regarding the acceptance of war refugees. People in the government argued that such wide scale migration might adversely affect the social system of the country. They thought that government will burden itself if such a policy of acceptance is adopted. The issue of refugees is still debated and there are people on both sides. But it was mainly because of the sponsorship of the people of Canada that Vietnamese people could settle in the country. 3This step of the Canadian government to accept refugees is also deemed important because this was the first time when a proper procedure was followed on the issue of refugees (Magocsi, P. 1999). 4Before 1978 all the policies made in regards to the refugees were made on ad hoc basis and no attempt was made to develop a proper procedure with regards to the refugees (Magocsi). When the Canadian government accepted the Vietnamese people, the policy of the government shaped the future procedure for a similar issue. This migration helped government in developing long term policy with regards to the refugees. The Role of Public Opinion and Media The public opinion towards the Vietnam War played a huge role in shaping the policy of Canadian government on the issue of war refugees. People were severely concerned about the plight of the people suffering in the war. The humanitarian concern for the people of Vietnam was very strong. People all over the world were condemning the war and loss of lives. 5Many American people came to United States as protest against their government’s involvement in the war (Dickerson, J. 1999). This shows how disgruntled people of United States of America were with the policies of their government. In Canada the situation was not very different. The very reason why many citizens came forward to sponsor unknown Vietnamese people is a very good depiction of public opinion in Canada. The government of Canada was also forced to accept the refugees because of the public pressure. People of Canada felt that the suffering of Vietnamese people was unjust and that is why they actively participated in sponsorship program. Many countries were refusing to take the war refugees and this also moved Canadian people to a great extent. People who were migrating were also in worse conditions. These events strengthened the public opinion against the Vietnam War. The role of media was also significant in shaping public opinion in Canada regarding the Vietnam War. Many photographers and reporters went to Vietnam in order to cover the war. 6When the pictures of the war and the reports about the suffering of the people reached the world, people all over the world were shocked to see such great loss of lives (Hallin, D. 1986). Canadian people were also disturbed by the war reports and this resulted in country wide protests against the war. 7The Vietnam War is also known as the first television war (Wyatt, C. 1995) as it was fought in the time when television was becoming popular. This gave media an opportunity to give vivid presentation of war. American media is said to be a little biased about the war, but media all over the world was showing the plight of the Vietnamese people. In Canada the public reaction was against the war and that stopped Canadian government to take part in the war. It was because of the strong public reaction of the people many Americans came to Canada as a protest against the policies of their own country. Cultural Issues of the Vietnamese People in Canada Canada has a history of accepting immigrants in large numbers. People from all continents reside in Canada and therefore the culture of the country is very diverse. The Vietnamese people who came to the country were in huge numbers and they had a significant impact on the culture of the country. Vietnamese people came from a collectivist culture (Vietnam Embassy in United States, 2010) in which their ideas about family values and kinship were very different from the individualistic society of Canada. This made Vietnamese immigrants difficult to adjust in a cultural setting different from their own. These people were in thousands so they also made communities and this also impacted the Canadian culture. They started living among the Canadian people and through their interaction they transferred some of their values to the Canadian culture as well. Vietnamese immigrants also reconciled their culture according to the Canadian culture. So both the Canadian and the Vietnamese culture were affected by the migration. The views of Vietnamese people regarding religion, women and identity are different from the Canadian people. These differences are still present today in the Vietnamese communities and are transferred to the younger generation of Vietnamese people as well. This shows that Vietnamese people have still not forgotten their cultural roots. Also the Vietnamese people feel connected to their country. They have a strong sense of their origins and they consider themselves Vietnamese people in Canada and not Canadian. These are the major differences Vietnamese people experience in Canada. Crime and Vietnamese People One issue related to the influx of Vietnamese people in Canada is the criminal activity that has increased to a certain extent. Some gangs have used the Vietnamese community to start illicit trade of marijuana in the country. The collectivist culture of Vietnamese community is helping these criminals as the drug industry is growing through extended families of the Vietnamese people (Asian Pacific Post, 2007). This is one issue related to the immigration of Vietnamese people. The criminal activities of the Vietnamese community in Canada are not very significant but it cannot be ignored. A small number of the Vietnamese immigrants should not be used to generalize the entire community. Most of the people have started their own business and have settled completely in the country legally (Statistics Canada, 2006). This shows the positive side of the community. Does this Migration Reveal Canada in Positive Light? The event of Vietnamese immigration in Canada is one of greatest event in the immigration history of Canada. It is an event that the people of Canada should be proud of. The way the government and the people of Canada showed their humanity by welcoming the sufferers of war is worth commending. It was a time when the Vietnamese people were leaving their homeland in order to save their lives and many countries were not allowing them shelter. At this time of despair Canadian people and government helped Vietnamese people. The event portrays Canada in positive light. It shows that Canada has an immigration policy that welcomes war refugees. The overall impression of Canada is of a country which accepts immigrants in large numbers. This impression was strengthened after the acceptance of war refugees of Vietnam. The event is also important because the immigrant sponsorship program was initiated by the government and the general public of Canada took part in it. They decided to take in the Vietnamese people. This public response has been appreciated by many people all around the world. This is another reason why this event signifies Canada in positive light. Conclusion Canada allows many immigrants to enter in the country in search of jobs and better life. The immigration history of the country is rich as it has welcomed all kinds of immigrants. At the end of Vietnam War thousands of Vietnamese people came to Canada and the government at that time welcomed them. The government of Canada also started sponsorship program for immigrants and the Canadian residents took full part in it. This revealed the human side of the general public of Canada. The people of Canada were against the war and when the media showed the plight of the Vietnamese people, they accepted the people of Vietnam. The role of media was also significant in shaping public opinion as the sufferings of the war came to people through media. The Vietnamese community has experienced great growth in Canada. They have started businesses in the country are living a good life. But there are certain cultural issues that Vietnamese community is facing today in Canada. There are also some criminal gangs that have started to operate in the Vietnamese community in the country. But overall the refugees have displayed great aptitude and they have settled in the country. This migration of Vietnamese people reveals Canada in positive light. References Asian Pacific Post. (2007). The marijuana trade. Mata Press Service. Retrieved from http://www.asianpacificpost.com/portal2/ff80808116689bed011668abf7d60005_The_marijuana_trade.do.html Becklumb, Penny. (2008). Canada’s Immigration Program. Library of Parliament. Retrieved from http://www2.parl.gc.ca/content/lop/researchpublications/bp190-e.htm Beiser, Martin. (1999). Strangers at the Gate: The "Boat People's" First Ten Years in Canada. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. Dickerson, James. (1999). North to Canada: men and women against the Vietnam War. Tennessee: Greenwood Publishing Group. Hallin, Daniel. (1986). The "uncensored war": the media and Vietnam. San Diego: Oxford University Press. Hathaway, James. (1993). Labeling the "Boat People": The Failure of the Human Rights Mandate of the Comprehensive Plan of Action for Indochinese Refugees. Human Rights Quarterly, 15(4): pp. 686-702 Magocsi, Paul. (1999). Encyclopedia of Canada's peoples. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. Ross, Douglas. (1984). In the Interests of Peace: Canada and Vietnam 1954–73. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. Statistics Canada. (2006). The Vietnamese Community in Canada. Retrieved from http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/89-621-x/89-621-x2006002-eng.htm Troper, Harold. (2000). History of Immigration to Toronto since the Second World War: From Toronto "the Good" to Toronto "the World in a City”. CERIS Working Paper No. 12. Retrieved from http://ceris.metropolis.net/Virtual%20Library/Demographics/troper1/troper1.html Vietnamese Embassy in United States of America. (2010). Evolution of Culture. Retrieved from http://www.vietnamembassy-usa.org/learn_about_vietnam/culture/evolution/ Wyatt, Clarence. (1995). Paper Soldiers: The American Press and the Vietnam War. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Read More