A delegation of the Canadian Jewish Congress, headed by Samuel Bronfman, president, met with members of the Canadian Cabinet on the question of Jewish immigration into Canada and subnitted the following suggestions:
1. The existing regulations by Order-in-Counoil admitting relatives of Canadian residents should be extended to relatives of wider degree of relationship. It was made clear to the government that the present Ordera-in-Coundil are too restrictive to bring much relief to Canadians seeking to have the survivors of their families join them.
2. Canada should accept a number of displaced persons immediately as a contribution to the solution of the international problem of the displaced persons.
3. The permit granted in 1942 to the Canadian Jewish Congress to bring one thousand children into the Dominion should apply to those up to 21 years of age.
4. The present regulations giving preference to farmers, loggers and miners should be extended to include tailors, earpenters, operators and other artisans.
The Jewish delegation was received by Prime Minister Willian Mackenzie king; L.S. St. Laurent, Secretary of state for External Affairs; J.L. Ilsley, Minister or Justice and Attcrney General; J.A. Glen, Minister of Mines and Research, whose department controls immigration; Paul Martin, Minister of National Health and Welfare; J.J. MoCann, Minister of National Revenue; Ernest Bertrand, Postmaster General, and J.A. MacKannon, Minister of Trade and Commerce. The Prime Minister promised that the Cabinet would look into their suggestions.
CANADIAN IMMIGRATION POLICY CRITICIZED IN PARLIAMENT
Meanwhile, members of all political parties joined in Parliament in severely criticizing the present immigration policy of the Canadian Government which has established categories of desirable and non-desirable immigrants.
“This country needs at the present time an immigration policy that can only be described as bold and imaginative,” said David A. Croll, only Jewish member of the Parliament. Alistair Stewart, Cooperative Commonwealth Federation deputy and outspoken pro-Zionist, poited out that the present immigration policy bars the doors to Jews on religious grounds. He urged the immediate removal of racial discrimination in any form.
A stern warning that Canadian delegates to the United Nations might be confronted with embarrassing questions if they went there “while Canada’s discriminatory immigration policy is still in force, was issued by M.J. Coldwell, leader of the C.C.F. Party. He urged opening of the doors of Canada to displaced persons now in camps in Europe.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
