Major Immigrant Groups

The Americans

Americans had always been considered desirable immigrants by Canadian immigration officials. This was true in spite of complaints that Americans tried to make western Canada like the United States. Two exceptions to this rule were Mormons and blacks. Mormons settled in Alberta in the 1880s and were morally looked down upon for their belief that men could have several wives. Blacks were racially discriminated against because of their colour and were thought not to be able to assimilate. Many American cattle and sheep ranchers immigrated to Canada before the 1890s. Thousands more American farmers of European descent came to the country after 1896 when the United States of America declared that it was not accepting any more immigrant farmers. At that point, Canada also stepped up its recruitment efforts. Canadian immigration officials chose to accept only the wealthiest potential immigrants based on correspondence with the applicants.

Click here to view documents detailing why Canadian immigration officials were fond of American immigrants and why Americans wanted to immigrate to Canada.

Between 1906 and 1914, many Americans chose to settle in the Palliser’s Triangle area in Alberta and Saskatchewan. This region was notoriously dry and received little rainfall but many American farmers who had experience in dry-farming techniques flourished in this area. American farmers in other regions of the west also benefited from abundant rainfall and ideal growing conditions during this period. Unfortunately, these conditions did not last forever and many American immigrants returned to their homeland in search of greener pastures.