Running on Empty:

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“Running on Empty” will combine solid archival based history with rich personal recollections. The historical section with cover Canada’s reaction to the communist victory in Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam focusing on the fall of Saigon; Canadian efforts on behalf of Indochinese refugees 1975 to 1977 in Guam, the US and Southeast Asia, the relevant refugee provisions of the 1976 Immigration Act, events and developments in 1978 leading up to the “Hai Hong” episode; policy developments in 1979 leading up to the Conservative decision to accept 50,000 refugees by 1980, the operation innovations the made it possible to move so many refugees from so far, so fast, and the decisions that guided operations in 1979 and 1980 which ultimately brought 60,000 refugees to Canada. The memoirs section includes recollections from operations in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, Thailand, the Philippines, Macau and Hong Kong; the Staging Areas and from various communities within Canada. Over forty formers officers from CEIC, Quebec Immigration, Health and Welfare Canada, the RCMP and other organizations have contributed to the story of Canada’s largest refugee resettlement.