The Recent Wave of Hong Kong Immigrants into Vancouver :: Immigration Vancouver Prejudice Essays

The Recent Wave of Hong Kong Immigrants into VancouverThis paper is concerned with the upstart wave of Hong Kong immigrantsinto Vancouver. The stage is set for this discussion by first explaining aroundbackground behind Canadian immigration policy and then discussing the annals ofChinese immigrants in Vancouver. From these discussions we are informed thatCanadian immigration policy was historic every(prenominal)y ethnocentric and only began tochange in the late 1960s. It was at this point that we see a more multiculturalgroup of immigrants into our nation. The fib of Chinese immigration inVancouver, and for that matter, Canada is not positive one. The experiences andprejudices which were developed all(a) over 100 years ago still colours the way inwhich we view one another.The recent wave of Hong Kong immigrants began in the 1970s. This groupis distinct from most others before it because of its scale and the fact thatthey tend to be well-educated, flush people. The result of t heir immigrationinto Vancouver has been a booming economy and tender tension. With greatunderstanding and awareness on both sides we can alleviate the social tensions.IntroductionThere is a school in Vancouver which is offering a four year immersionprogramme to its students. That in itself is not super unusual in our bilingualnation, what is unusual is that the spoken communication of choice for the immersionprogramme is not French, it is Mandarin. The programme was voted in by parentswho believed the Mandarin language to be more important to their childrensfutures in Vancouver than French. This situation shows quite efficaciously thetransition which is taking place in Canadas third largest metropolis. Vancouver is ametropolis which is consistently looking more and more to the Pacific Rim nations, particularly Hong Kong, for its economic and social connections.Vancouver is the most asian Canadian city in outlook. At $1.3 Billion,British Columbia accounts for the greatest Asian investment of all the provinces.As the urban center of the province, Vancouver is the destination for most ofthis capital. With an Asian people of over 18%, perhaps it is not sosurprising that so much Asian capital is invested in the city. The draw ofVancouver for Asians has numerous reasons including, security, an luck tocontinue business in Asia, and a feeling of welcome. The result is that the cityis being completely rebuilt with asian money. As a consequence of this influx,all is not well, there are tensions within the city that have recently beensurfacing. Before entering into this discussion, however, it is important tounderstand the context of immigration in Canada as well as the history of asian