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 | Refugees | Southeast Asians | Special movements

Ne prenez pas les bateaux
January 9, 2026January 27, 2026

L’ancien agent du service exterieur d’immigration, René Bersma, propose ses souvenirs détaillés du début de sa carrière, en mettant particulièrement l’accent sur ses expériences en Asie du Sud-Est (1978-1982).

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Foreign operations | Refugees | Southeast Asians

The Southeast Asian refugee ‘Notification of Arrival Telex’ and ‘Destination Matching Request’
September 6, 2016January 25, 2026

‘Going under’ – that was what the Indo China refugee task group found themselves facing in Ottawa. There was a ‘collision’ between the resource demands of overseas processing and maintaining the air bridge to Canada and the operational needs of matching private settlement offers in Canada. Canadian private settlement organizations were vocal about the disconnect…

Read More The Southeast Asian refugee ‘Notification of Arrival Telex’ and ‘Destination Matching Request’
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 | 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

Designated Classes
January 1, 2005January 25, 2026

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…

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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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