Strangers at the Gate: The 'Boat People's' First Ten Years in Canada

Joseph Garcea is a professor of political Studies at the University of
Saskatchewan.

This book provides an in-depth analysis of the mental health of the more
than 1000 Vietnamese refugees who immigrated to Canada by boat between
1979 and 1981. Combining a longitudinal analysis of all refugees and
case studies of some refugees, the author compares not only the mental
health of some refugees to that of others, but also the mental health of
refugees to that of the rest of Canadian population.

In assessing the effect of refugee resettlement both for the refugees
and for their host society, Beiser confirms the finding advanced in
other works—namely, that on balance refugees and immigrants are net
contributors to their host society. From his analysis he concludes,
among other things, that “most refugees in resettlement situations
succeed remarkably well” and that “no country, including Canada,
offers newcomers the welcome they need and deserve.”

A compelling reminder of the dangers of “compassion fatigue,”
Beiser’s book will appeal to policymakers and scholars of refugee
movements, social psychologists and psychiatrists who want to understand
the factors that affect the mental health of refugees, and those
interested in methodological issues related to longitudinal studies of
particular groups or populations.