Guarding the Gates: The Canadian Labour Movement and Immigration, 1872-1934
From the 1870s until the Great Depression, immigration was often the question of the hour in Canada. Politicians, the media, and an array of interest groups viewed it as essential to nation building, developing the economy, and shaping Canada's social and cultural character. One of the groups most determined to influence public debate and government policy on the issue was organized labour, and unionists were often relentless critics of immigrant recruitment. Guarding the Gates is the first...
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From the 1870s until the Great Depression, immigration was often the question of the hour in Canada. Politicians, the media, and an array of interest groups viewed it as essential to nation building, developing the economy, and shaping Canada's social and cultural character. One of the groups most determined to influence public debate and government policy on the issue was organized labour, and unionists were often relentless critics of immigrant recruitment. Guarding the Gates is the first detailed study of Canadian labour leaders' approach to immigration, a key battleground in struggles between different political factions within the labour movement.About the Author:David Goutor is an assistant professor in the Labour Studies Programme at McMaster University
Illustrations viiiAcknowledgments ixIssues and ArgumentsGuarding the Gates 3Setting the Stage: Labour, Industry, and Immigration in Canada, 1872-1934 11Labour's Anti-Asian AgitationThe Bounds of Unity: Opposition to Chinese Immigration, 1880-87 35The "Old Time Question": The Campaign for Exclusion, 1888-1934 60Labour and Atlantic ImmigrationSuperfluous People: Labour's Construction of Immigrants from Europe and the British Isles 87Importing Victims: The Assault on the Commerce of Immigration 115Immigration, Ideology, and PoliticsImmigration, Joseph Arch, and the Producer Ideology, 1872-79 145Imported Labour, the Tariff, and Land Reform, 1880-1902 170Retreat, Corporatism, and Responsible Management, 1903-34 191Conclusion 208Notes 215Bibliography 252Index 264
