1967-Present: Overview / Multi-Racial Canada / Refugee Crisis / Quebec and Immigration

Multi-Racial Canada

By the early 1970s, the point system was bringing new Canadians from numerous non-European sources. Some of this immigration can be attributed to changes within the Commonwealth. The 1960s had coincided with new immigration restrictions in Britain. Canada often became a preferred destination for African, Caribbean, and Asian nationals. Between 1973 and 1978, for instance, 10 per cent of Canadian immigrants came from the Caribbean region, including Guyana. By 1986, some 135,000 Caribbean-born

people lived in Toronto. 3 Changes in the composition of immigration are most notable after 1981. After that time, almost 48 per cent of immigrants were born in Asia and the Middle East (whereas only 3 per cent came from these areas before 1961). Between 1987 and 1990, almost 42 per cent of immigrants were born in Asia; Britain, Germany and other Western European countries, which traditionally had been the source of most immigrants to Canada, now only accounted for a combined 18 per cent of total immigrants. 4

Immigration from Select Countries, 1971-1996.

Percentage of Total Immigrant Population, Select Origins, 1971-1996.

Overview

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