Strangers at Our Gates : Canadian Immigration and Immigration Policy

In this new and revised edition, Knowles explores new materials relating to multiculturalism and immigration.

Immigrants and immigration have always been central to Canadians’ perception of themselves as a country and a society. In this crisply written history, Valerie Knowles describes the different kinds of immigrants who have settled in Canada, and the immigration policies that have helped define the character of Canadian immigrants over the centuries. Key policymakers and shapers of public opinion figure prominently in this colourful story, as does the role played by racism.

This new and revised edition features a chapter on the Conservative government’s handling of immigration between 2006 and 2014. Special attention is paid to the role played by the activist minister Jason Kenney and his attempts to develop a faster, more flexible immigration regime. The Temporary Foreign Worker Program and the Interim Federal Health Program are also discussed. The book’s final chapter, “Issues in the Twenty-First Century,” introduces new material relating to multiculturalism and outlines arguments supporting population growth, increased immigration, and decreased immigration.

Valerie Knowles is an Ottawa freelance writer who has taught history and worked as an archivist. She is the author of First Person: A Biography of Cairine Wilson, Canada's First Woman Senator.The author states that she hopes that the book will be useful to those who want to learn about "the history of Canadian immigration and the issues that figure or should figure in the presentday debate about the future composition of Canada's population."