This pamphlet, distributed jointly by the Prairie provincial
governments, shows the relative percentages of ethnic
groups immigrating to Canada between 1900 and 1914.
The pamphlet expresses a distinct ambivalence towards
the arrival of so many new Canadians, concerned that
a great wedge of "foreigners" was being driven
into Canadian life. Yet it also acknowledges the economic
and cultural wealth that these immigrants could bring
to the young country.
A strong urban-oriented, English-Canadian reform
impulse had taken hold in many parts of Canada, including
the West, by the early-twentieth century. These urban,
social reformers combined Protestant religious values
and a strong paternalistic, ethno-centric bias to
create a movement that attempted to shape how Canadian
society, with all its newcomers, would develop.
Social reform efforts peaked during the First World
War, as these urban, English-Canadian social reformers
harnessed the powerful force of patriotism to their
cause. Many were imbued with the philosophy of the
"social gospel," which argued that societal
salvation was more important than individual salvation
and that people should work to create a Kingdom of
God on earth. These social gospellers, lead by Methodist
minister and labour activist J.S. Woodsworth, believed
that people should try to reform society to make this
worldly life better, rather than simply waiting for
better times in the afterlife. These urban reformers
wanted to regenerate society and often looked to immigrant
groups, with their Catholicism, large "L"
Liberalism, and alleged propensity to drink, as those
most in need of regeneration.
By the early-1920s, social gospellers' reform efforts
began to wane, as prohibition ultimately failed and
political protest parties across Canada began to harness
Canadians' postwar discontent. But the broader effect
of these social reforms was evident in the achievement
of women's suffrage and the "Canadianization"
of many new immigrants.