Canadian Liberalism And The Politics Of Border Control 1867 1967

With restrictive immigration policies, increased interdiction, and the detention of asylum seekers, it is clear that Canada’s approach to border control has shifted in recent years. Yet such practices are just the latest in a long and complex national history. Canadian Liberalism and the Politics of Border Control sheds light on the first century of Canada’s efforts to control its borders, framing pivotal moments within a long-standing but often overlooked debate over the rights of non-citizens. Anderson provides valuable insights into contemporary liberal-democratic control by demonstrating that today’s more restrictive approach reflects traditions deeply embedded within liberal democracies.

Over the two decades following the Second World War, the policy that would create "a nation of immigrants," as Canadian multiculturalism is now widely understood, was debated, drafted, and implemented. The established narrative of postwar immigration policy as a tepid mixture of altruism and national self-interest does not fully explain the complex process of policy transformation during that period. In The Least Possible Fuss and Publicity Paul Evans recounts changes to Canada's postwar immigration policy and the events, ideas, and individuals that propelled that change. Through extensive primary research in the archives of federal departments and the parliamentary record, together with contemporary media coverage, the correspondence of politicians and policy-makers, and the statutes that set immigration policy, Evans reconstructs the formation of a modern immigration bureaucracy, the resistance to reform from within, and the influence of racism and international events. He shows that political concerns remained uppermost in the minds of policy-makers, and those concerns – more than economic or social factors – provided the major impetus to change. In stark contrast to today, legislators and politicians strove to keep the evolution of the national immigration strategy out of the public eye: University of Toronto law professor W.G. Friedmann remarked in a 1952 edition of Saturday Night, "In Canada, both the government and the people have so far preferred to let this immigration business develop with the least possible fuss and publicity." This is the story, told largely in their own words, of politicians and policy-makers who resisted change and others who saw the future and seized upon it. The Least Possible Fuss and Publicity is a clear account of how postwar immigration policy transformed, gradually opening the border to groups who sought to make Canada home.

Since 9/11, Canada’s reputation as an inclusive country that takes in immigrants and refugees has been clouded by restrictive immigration policies, increased interdiction, and the detention of asylum seekers. Moreover, public debate over the arrival of non-citizens -- especially those seeking entry through unofficial channels -- is now often framed within a security discourse that is used to justify a more restrictive approach. These developments are not surprising in the current context, but as Anderson illustrates, they are also nothing new. Canadian Liberalism and the Politics of Border Control sheds light on the long and complex history of Canada’s efforts to control its borders. Framing pivotal moments within a long-standing but often overlooked debate over the rights of non-citizens, Anderson demonstrates that today’s more restrictive approach reflects traditions deeply embedded within liberal democracies. His insights into Canadian immigration and refugee history offer valuable lessons for understanding the nature of contemporary liberal-democratic control policies.

The fourth edition of Studying Politics is a comprehensive text engagingly written by leading scholars in each of the ?four fields? of Political Science - Political Thought, International Relations, Comparative Politics and Canadian Politics - and seamlessly integrated in that the book speaks with one cohesive voice. Perfect for an introductory course in political science, it continues to incorporate the best of the traditional approaches and subject matter of the discipline and at the same time illustrates the rapidly changing patterns of domestic and global politics of our times. A new chapter has been added on the Political Economy approach to Political Science because of the increasing prominence of that subfield. Each of the fourth edition?s chapters has been revised to reflect important and sometimes controversial developments, such as the 2011 Canadian federal election, the British coalition government, and the ever-increasing forces of globalization throughout the world.

"Studying Politics starts out with a gentle introduction to the subject of politics and political science--especially appealing to those who may not have formally encountered this discipline before--and then maintains an even presentation of the subject, avoiding confusing jargon and continuing to engage the reader throughout. Its conceptual/comparative approach works outward from Canada to other industrialized developed democracies, then to the developing world and finally to the global scene. With Studying Politics, events that once felt like moving targets will settle easily into the students' broader context, and provide readers with a better understanding of the dynamics that keep our political spectrum fluid and fascinating. This text continues to highlight topical and controversial issues in political science from across the four-fields --Political Thought, International Relations, Comparative Politics and Canadian Politics--including cultural pluralism, women's issues, globalization, political development, terrorism, regime change, and an expanded discussion of Islamic political theory, Sharia law, and the Islamic role in world affairs."--

Canadian citizenship has long been characterized in opposition to that of our southern neighbour as a "mosaic" instead of a "melting pot." Acceptance of minority ethnic, racial, religious, cultural, and linguistic groups has largely been seen as key to our sense of what it means to be Canadian. Such multiplicity, however, has given rise to ongoing debates over equality, diversity, identity, and unity. This groundbreaking work interrogates and expands the accepted modes of thinking through Canadian citizenship. Drawing on feminist and postcolonial theorists, Gerald Kernerman undertakes a discourse analysis of Canadian constitutional and policy documents, public speeches, and media texts. He examines and critiques what he sees as the two major competing understandings of how Canada ought to manage its diversity, both of which seek to define an overarching notion of Canadian unity: on the one hand, the argument for differentiated citizenship, or "difference," and on the other, the case for universal and undifferentiated citizenship, or "equality." Positing that each of these positions ends at the same impasse in its preoccupation with the challenges diversity represents for cohesion and stability, Kernerman proposes an alternative -- a post-nationalist multiculturalism that does not attempt to ask, or answer, the thorny "unity" question. An important contribution to the critical literature on Canadian politics, citizenship, and multiculturalism, Multicultural Nationalism will appeal to political scientists and philosophers, as well as those with an interest in critical race theory, liberal multiculturalism, and law and society.

Bringing together political theorists and specialists in Canadian politics, Applied Political Theory and Canadian Politics combines conceptual frameworks from political theory and empirical evidence to offer fresh perspectives on political events in contemporary Canada. Examining complex and timely subjects such as equality, social justice, democracy, citizenship, and ethnic diversity, contributors present current and archival research supplemented with insights drawn from political theory to give readers a deep and nuanced understanding of increasingly pressing issues in Canadian society. For scholars and students seeking a work of political theory that is tangible, focused, and connected to the real world of everyday politics, Applied Political Theory and Canadian Politics will be an important resource, combining philosophical insights and empirical evidence to enhance our understanding of contemporary Canadian politics.

Twenty renowned academics investigate the fate of the 353 liberal campaign promises. Foreword by Thomas Mulcair.