WHOLE-WHEAT BREAD, RYE BREAD, ...BREAD

For more than a century, from 1832 to 1937, over four million people were welcomed to Canada as they passed through Quebec City, which was then the main place of arrival for immigrants. Tens of thousands among them made stopovers of varying lengths on Grosse-Île, which had become a quarantine station, before they continued on their long journeys, the ultimate goal of which was to establish home and hearth in Canada and to hold housewarmings in every corner of the country and the United States.

From 1832 to 1880, tens of thousands of newcomers touched dry land here in Canada, the majority arriving from England, Scotland, and especially Ireland. Scandinavians, French, Germans, Belgians, Swiss, Italians and Icelanders became also part of this migratory wave.

From 1880, the government wanted to attract new farmers to the Canadian west and to counteract an important shortage in manpower. To compensate for the drying up of traditional pools of immigrants, Canada opened its doors to new citizens from a wider variety of backgrounds. Henceforth, newcomers would also arrive from Eastern Europe: Ukrainians, Hungarians, Poles and others; from southern Europe and the Middle East, their numbers including Armenians, Greeks, Croats, Lebanese, and Bulgarians; and from Asia, more precisely from China, Japan and India.

Between 1899 and 1904, close to 160,000 Americans were recruited to occupy the wide-open spaces of the Prairies. Exempted from being quarantined, their Canadian neighbours reserved a warm welcome for them, the two peoples sharing religious affiliations and lifestyles. We might also note that many Mormons came to Canada during this wave of American immigration. Banding together to form agricultural villages, they planned and developed irrigation networks, thus making an important contribution to the rise of Canadian agriculture.

THE CHARTER OF RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS, 1981

A spirit of open-mindedness has become Canada's international trademark. Freedom and respect for human rights have long been the fundamental values which have given Canadian society its strength. The Charter of Rights and Freedoms, adopted by the government in 1981, made official the country's attachment to these values.

Fundamental Freedoms (art. 2)
Everyone has the following freedoms :
(a) freedom of conscience and religion;
(b) freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression, including freedom of the press and other media of communication
(c) freedom of peaceful assembly; and
(d) freedom of association.

Equality rights (art. 15)
Every individual is equal before and under the law and has the right to the equal protection and equal benefit of the law without discrimination and, in particular, without discrimination based on race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, age or mental or physical disability. [...]

Text "The Canadian Identity Collection"
Department of Canadian Heritage