1939 - Convention Report

              50 A L B E R T A WOMEN'S INSTITUTES
REPORT OF IMMIGRATION AND CANADIANIZATION
Mrs. W. Rothwell, Calgary, Convener
In presenting: the report on Immigration and Canadianization with the
world disturbed conditions as they are today I feel we cannot afford to ig­nore
the topic " Immigration" which has been shelved for many years and
it is perhaps of more immediate importance than it ever was before.
A question has been asked: What is wrong- with the Canadian people?
The answer is, " Nothing serious except there are not enough of them, Can­ada
is afflicted with a serious case of arrested growth in the full prime of
her youth. Stunted growth at an age when her only complaint should be
growing pains!"
The population needs of Provinces vary in proportion to the stage of
their development and to the degree of their prosperity. Each Province
should be the judge of its requirements in new population and of its capacity
to absorb new immigrants— whether by land settlement or in industrial
employment.
The greatest challenge and opportunity of our time is to devise a work­able,
permanent, and immediate plan of immigration. Else the star of
Anglo- Saxon influence in this country is destined to a dreary decline.
In Canada there is abundant evidence of strong and increasing senti­ment
in favour of an early resumption of immigration from the Bx* itish Isles
provided that it is properly organized so that the new people can be directed
to settle in the land adequately financed and thoroughly supervised.
Some arguments which are being put forward in favour of delay are,
" Wait until all our unemployed have been given employment." But— if we
wait until everyone has a job before we allow immigration we will never
get any new people, only our natural increase.
Perhaps one solution and recommendation is that the Federal Govern­ment
should consult with the United Kingdom on immigration and settle­ment
agreements so that a continuous flow of good British families could
populate this vast country of ours.
These schemes would not necessarily be land settlement. They might
include harbour facilities, land communications, development of fisheries,
and stimulous of secondary industries overseas within terms of the Ottawa
agreements.
There can be no question as to the desirability of strengthening the
British percentage of Canada's population and particularly in British Co­lumbia,
which has a large and rapidly increasing Oriental population. Might
it not be that our restriction regulations of 1930 were not altogether in our
own best interests, and that a critical study of results since that date might
indicate desirability of well- planned revisions?
To say the least, it seems illogical that we, a population of more than
11,000,000 people, should attempt to maintain as a sort of private preserve
more than 350,000,000 square miles of what is admitted to be the most
potentially valuable territory in the known world. Foreign capital seeking
investment in industrial fields in Canada should be welcomed with open
arms, even though it comes into competition with Canadian industry.
Recently a vice- regal tour was made through Northern British Colum­bia
and the Peace River country. The Governor- General was presented with
an address by Sudeten refugees who have only been in this country a short