Former immigration foreign service officer René Bersma offers his comprehensive recollections of the early part of his career, with particular emphasis on his experiences in south-east Asia (1978-1982).
Between September 6 and November 8, 1972, Canada resettled over 6000 Ugandan Asians expelledfrom their country. To mark this fiftieth anniversary, CIHS presents:
The invasion of Ukraine by Russia has displaced millions of Ukrainians. Many have found refuge in neighboring European countries. Large numbers of Ukrainians will be seeking refuge in Canada. This will not be the first time Canada has helped Ukrainians displaced by war. The following links lead to three articles in the CIHS Bulletin (issues 96, 97,…
On April 27, 1999 the very first Kosovars of the 5000 Canada committed to shelter arrived, followed by the first major evacuation flight on May 4, 1999. This movement – temporary at first, then offering permanent resettlement, is recounted by Dr. Jan Raska of the Canadian Museum of Immigration History at Pier 21. There is also a…
A regulatory device to target humanitarian resettlement programs. Those who were around at the time might argue that the government’s decision in November 1978, to enact 3 separate classes to facilitate the selection of immigrants in refugee-like situations from Eastern Europe, Latin America and Indo China respectively, was directly attributable to an attack of Delhi…
This special edition of the Bulletin marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of the start of the evacuation to Canada of some 7000 Kosovars fleeing ethnic violence in their homeland. The first flight of evacuees arrived in Canada on May 4, 1999.
Running on Empty’, published by McGill-Queen’s University Press, includes texts written in French by officers of the Quebec immigration department and then translated. We are pleased to present these two original versions written by Florent Fortin and by Lucile Horner, both Quebec immigration department officers assigned to the Indochinese refuge camps.