Passport Please
An immigration story
Canada has a rich history of immigration. Since the Confederation of 1867, more than seventeen million immigrants have moved and settled in Canada.
People are motivated to immigrate for a number of reasons: better work opportunities, greater political freedoms, improved housing and living conditions and efficient transportation attract potential immigrants to far away shores. On the other hand, a struggling home economy with few jobs, or a political system of oppression and persecution, can force others to move.
As industries on Vancouver Island flourished in the nineteenth century, immigrants from all over the globe were attracted to its shores. Coal mining communities like Nanaimo and Cumberland sprung up, populated by immigrants from Europe, China, Japan and the United States.
By the early twentieth century, a diverse Cumberland community was emerging. At its core were the thriving coal mines that lay at the settlers' village foundations.
Skilled miners from Britain were actively recruited by mining companies to migrate to Canada in the nineteenth century and came with their families. The promise of greater wages and better living conditions lured Brits to cross the Atlantic. They often brought their families and by default were granted citizenship upon arrival.
In Cumberland, the British settled into the camp at Union, residing in housing provided by the company. They were amongst the first colonial settlers and helped create the center of the village we know today.
Life in Europe during the nineteenth century was tough. A constantly changing political landscape with periods of economic struggle and social unrest led many to turn to foreign shores in hope of a better life.
The European community settled in the original townsite of Cumberland with the British immigrants. The most populous group were the Italians. They originally lived separately in their own community at the bottom of Camp Road in 1888, known as ‘Little Italy’. However, as time went by they quickly integrated into the wider British and European community.
‘The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, recognizing the cruel consequences resulting from the continued immigration of Chinese, has repeatedly pressed on the Government of Canada to take some steps to mitigate the intolerable mischief which the Chinese have done, and are doing, to the people and Province of British Columbia.’
Noah Shakespeare, M.P. on Chinese immigration in British Columbia Government of Canada (March, 1883).
In the nineteenth century, Canada operated on a relatively ‘open-door’ policy. However, as immigration boomed, restrictive legislation was introduced that discriminated against immigrants based on race, ethnicity, and nationality.
Chinese, Japanese and African American immigrants were subjected to a series of laws and covert measures restricting their ability to immigrate to Canada in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
It wasn’t until 1971 that the majority of these discriminatory policies changed, when the main criteria for entry into Canada shifted to focus on immigrants skills and education, opposed to their race and ethnicity.
‘Subject to the provisions of section thirteen of this Act every person of Chinese origin shall pay into the Consolidated Revenue Fund of Canada, on entering Canada, at the port or other place of entry, the sum of fifty dollars.’
An Act to restrict and regulate Chinese Immigration into Canada Government of Canada (July, 1885).
Many Chinese immigrants were escaping the turmoil of war, starvation, and unrest in their home country during the nineteenth century. The Chinese Immigration Act of 1885, imposed a head tax on Chinese immigrants, by 1903 it was $500 per person. The majority of individuals who made the journey across the Pacific were male.
For the Chinese immigrants of Cumberland, a plot of swampy land was allotted for them to build their own segregated community. The average salary of the Chinese workers was higher than in China, which enabled them to send money home to their families. However, the decline of coal meant unemployment for Chinese miners, who were first to be laid off. Many returned to their homeland or sought work elsewhere.
‘[H]aving particular regard to circumstances of recent occurrence in British Columbia, the Imperial Government have decided to take efficient means to restrict emigration to Canada.’
Tadasu Hayashi (January, 1908).
The destruction of the feudal system in Japan in 1868 created greater social freedoms, but also economic hardship. The restructuring of agricultural land meant poverty was widespread. Japanese families looked abroad for economic opportunities.
With greater immigration freedoms, unlike their Chinese counterparts, entire families immigrated together. However, with widespread unrest towards the arrival of Asian labour the government slowly introduced restrictive measures, such as the 1908 Gentlemen's Agreement to curb the influx of Japanese workers to Canada.
Initially settling at No. 1 townsite, Japanese migrants in Cumberland formed numerous small communities. These self-sufficient groups fostered strong community solidarity, enduring even the most challenging circumstances. During WWII, harsh internment policies tore apart their community, with the majority of those interned never returning to Cumberland.
The racial prejudice and discrimination African-Americans experienced, both socially and economically in the United States, pushed them to look north of the border in hope of integrating into a fairer society.
By the turn of the twentieth century approximately forty African American workers lived in Cumberland, creating a small community at the west end of the village near the No. 1 townsite. Poor living and working conditions ultimately led to many African-American immigrants leaving Cumberland looking for other opportunities.
Canada's rich immigration history is shaped by the collective contributions of diverse communities, each playing a vital role in building and transforming the nation. Immigrants from Europe, Asia, Africa, and beyond brought their cultures, skills, and resilience, contributing to the development of vibrant communities like Cumberland.
