Canadian Labor Groups Oppose Racial Bars in Immigration; Ask Entry of Refugees

The two largest Canadian labor organizations, the Canadian Congress of Labor and the Trades and Labor Congress of Canada, today declared that “racial discrimination should have no place” in the Dominion’s immigration policy and that Canada should admit European refugees as a humanitarian duty. The statements were made in briefs presented to the Senate Committee on Immigration.

“People from some countries may, because of their backgrounds, education or custom, fit into Canadian life more easily than people from some other countries, but race, however defined, or nationality ought not to be considered at all,” the labor groups stated.

On the matter of refugees from Europe, they said: “The admission of refugees is not really part of the immigration question. Immigration is an economic question. The admission of refugees, though it has economic aspects, is primarily a humanitarian question. Canada is under an obligation to humanity to admit her due share of refugees, even if it costs her something. It may actually bring her important benefits. But even if it does not she must do her part.”

A Canadian army officer who recently returned from Europe where he was in charge of DP settlement in the area around the Belsen camp told the Immigration Committee yesterday that “Jews are not desirable immigrants for Canada.”

The witness, Lieut. Col. Arthur Hicks, added that he was opposed to Jewish immigration because Jews came from overcrowded cities and their morals were “low in comparison to Canadian standards.” He admitted that none of the 10,000 displaced Jews in the area to which he was attached desired to return to their countries of origin.

Saul Hayes, executive director of the Canadian Jewish Congress, testified before the committee several weeks ago, asking liberalization of the immigration laws. He charged at that time that Jews had not been given equal opportunities to immigrate to Canada.