Strangers at Our Gates: Canadian Immigration and Immigration Policy, 1540-1990

Joseph Garcea is an assistant professor of political studies at the
University of Saskatchewan.

This is a short, historical overview of the main epochs of immigration
policies and patterns in Canada over the past 450 years. It identifies
and briefly describes these policies and patterns, as well as the key
policy-makers who shaped them. The appeal of the book is that it is
short and to the point; one does not have to wade through tomes of
historical minutiae to get a basic overview of Canada’s immigration
history. Even the appendix, which contains a series of tables, provides
an uncluttered statistical overview of that history. This readable book
can be enjoyed by junior high-school students as well as by experts in
immigration history.

The book is written in an objective and thought-provoking fashion,
rather than with the missionary zeal that occasionally taints books on
politically sensitive issues like immigration. It deals with both the
laudable and shameful dimensions of Canadian immigration policies, and
does not gloss over the fact that racism has had a significant effect on
immigration policies and, in turn, the racial character of both
immigration flows and Canadian society.

The last part of the book focuses directly on the difficult issues that
currently face governments and an attentive public in their efforts to
develop immigration and refugee policies and programs that are just and
at the same time beneficial to Canada’s society and economy.

The author states that she hopes that the book will be useful to those
who want to learn about the “history of Canadian immigration and the
issues that figure or should figure in the present-day debate about the
future composition of Canada’s population.” This book should be in
every legislature, university, high-school, and public library, as well
as in every office and home where people are trying to understand
Canada’s immigration legacy.