Hector Cowan – Chernobyl

May 22, 2019January 31, 2026

Canadian diplomats carry out many different duties when serving abroad. CIHS member, Hector Cowan, was tasked with helping a group of Canadian students leave the disaster zone of the 1986 Chornobyl nuclear plant explosion.

Foreign operations | Immigration | Research

Two sisters at the Canadian embassy in Paris
February 28, 2026March 1, 2026

The following article appeared in Bulletin 83 (December 2017). Elvire Westley and her sister, Jacqueline, both worked at the Canadian embassy in Paris following the end of hostilities in 1945. Ms. Westley also kindly provided a collection of photos that can be viewed on our site. The Canadian Immigration Museum at Pier 21 has also…

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Foreign operations

Officer recruitment in the 1950s
December 13, 2014January 25, 2026

In 1957, the Government launched a recruitment program to bring university students into the Foreign Service as immigration officers. A CIHS member who was recruited through the program has provided us with a copy of the recruitment brochure which outlines recruitment standards, the career path and working/living conditions. The brochure was printed by the Queen’s…

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Foreign operations | Refugees | Southeast Asians | Special movements

Southeast Asian Refugees (1975-1981)
January 15, 2026May 7, 2026

Photo album page has been updated! We have updated the page containing photo albums from the southeast Asian refugee resettlement program of the late 1970s and early 1980s to make them easier to view. Anyone who has photos that they feel will be of interest to CIHS members, from any period of Canada’s immigration history, is encouraged…

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Foreign operations | Refugees | Southeast Asians | Special movements

Resettlement of southeast Asian refugees (1979-1981)
January 16, 2026May 7, 2026

Interview with Brian Bell, Chief of Policy, Settlement Services, EIC (1979-1981) “[I]t was the people from top to bottom, and it was the times. The department had gone from … between the 60s to the 90s … from Manpower and Immigration with a very strong employment orientation, to the 80s where there was a real…

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Foreign operations | Refugees | Southeast Asians | Special movements

Don’t Take the Boats
January 9, 2026January 29, 2026

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).

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Foreign operations

Officer recruitment in the 1950s
December 13, 2014February 1, 2026

In 1957, the Government launched a recruitment program to bring university students into the Foreign Service as immigration officers. A CIHS member who was recruited through the program has provided us with a copy of the recruitment brochure which outlines recruitment standards, the career path and working/living conditions. The brochure was printed by the Queen’s…

Read More Officer recruitment in the 1950s

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