Immigration Policy: Finding & Evaluating Substantive Information
The general sources for contemporary Canadian goverment and politics covered in the main portion of this guide should also be used for this topic. The following are some more specialized sources or sources from the fields of immigration, refugee, migration and multiculturalism studies which will provide additional information.
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Finding Sources
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Core Journals:
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The following are some of the key journals which, in addition to the list in the main Part 4 of this guide, are likely to include articles on Canadian immigration policy since 1945 and related issues:
Canadian Diversity/Diversité canadienne. Montreal: Association for Canadian Studies, 2002 - . Quarterly. ISSN: 1711-1870.
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Description: This bilingual journal publishes articles on immigration and multiculturalism issues in Canada and around the world.
Indexed in: CBCA Reference.
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Canadian Ethnic Studies/Études ethniques au Canada. Canadian Ethnic Studies Assocation. Calgary: Research Centre for Canadian Ethnic Studies, U. of Calgary, 1969 - . 3/year. ISSN: 0008-3496.
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Description: This is a refereed, interdisciplinary journal on the study of ethnicity, immigration, intergroup relations and the historical and cultural life of ethnic groups in Canada. Some text in French.
Includes: Research articles, book and film reviews, conference reports, critical essays, opinions and more. The third issue each year includes an index and annual bibliography.
Indexed in: Canadian Periodical Index, America History and Life, Historical Abstracts, CBCA Reference, PAIS International, Social Science Index, Sociological Abstracts, etc.
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Canadian Issues/Thèmes canadiens. Montreal: Canadian Association for Canadian Studies, 1975 - . Quarterly (Annual 1975-1999). ISSN: 0318-8442.
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Description: This journal billed as "accessible to the greater public" frequently has articles on immigration and multiculturalism issues.
Includes: Articles, interviews and book reviews.
Indexed in: America History and Life, CBCA Reference, Historical Abstracts, Point de repère, International Political Science Abstracts, etc.
Tips: Special issues on immigration: Spring 2003, '05 and '06, on refugees: Spring 2004, on multiculturalism: Winter 2002.
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International Migration. Oxford: Blackwell, for the International Organization for Migration. 1997 - . Quarterly. ISSN: 0020-7985. Online: 1468-2435.
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Description: This refereed journal covers international migration issues analysed by political scientists and other social scientists from around the world. Articles address policy concerns and comparative policy from different regions of the world.
Includes: Detailed research and policy analysis papers, short commentary, and emerging research on current events and policy debates.
Indexed in: America: History and Life, Historical Abstracts, PAIS International, Sociological Abstracts, Current Contents, CSA Worldwide Po Sci Abstracts, Arts & Humanities Citation Index, IBSS, International Poli Sci Abstracts, Refugee Survey Quarterly, Sage Race Relations Abstracts.
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International Migration Review (IMR). Oxford: Blackwell, for Center for Migration Studies, 1964 - . Quarterly. ISSN: 0197-9183 (print), 1747-7379 (online).
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Description: This is a peer-reviewed, interdisciplinary journal, a major international journal on the study of international migration, ethnic group relations and refugee movements. Articles cover the political, social, economic, historical and legislative aspects of international migration.
Includes: Book reviews and original research articles.
Indexed in: America History and Life, Historical Abstracts, Worldwide Poli Sci Abstracts, Social Sciences Citation Index, Social Science Index, Sociological Abstracts, Sage Race Relations Abstracts, Peace Research Abstracts, Refugee Survey Quarterly, etc.
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Refuge. York University Centre for Refugee Studies and Queen's University, 1981 - . Semi-annual. Available online from 2000 - . https://www.library.yorku.ca/ojs/index.php/refuge/issue/archive
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Description: This interdisciplinary journal publishes articles in English and French on refugee and forced migration issues worldwide, written by academics, policy-makers and practitioners in the field.
Includes: Articles and reports, commentaries and book reviews.
Indexed in: Canadian Legal Literature, PAIS International, Sociological Abstracts, IBSS, CBCA, etc.
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Indexes:
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Indexes useful for finding articles on Canadian government and politics in general are listed in Part 4 of the main section of this guide. The following is a select list of indexes that can provide additional access to journals and research papers on this topic and related issues:
Columbia International Affairs Online (CIAO). Columbia University Libraries and Columbia U. Press. Updated monthly.
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Description: A full-text database of theory and research on international affairs.
Coverage: 1991 - . Selective international sources.
Includes: Journals, books, policy briefs, working papers, occasional papers, case studies, conference proceedings, etc. from universities, research institutes and NGOs.
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Refugee Survey Quarterly. (Formerly Refugee Abstracts.) Geneva, Switzerland: Oxford University Press, for United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Quarterly.
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Description: An interdisciplinary source for authoritative information on international refugee-related research. Each issue focuses on a specific theme.
Coverage: 1982 - . (1982-1993 as Refugee Abstracts, 1994 - as current title.)
Includes: Articles, conference reports, documents, abstracts and bibliographies.
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Books and other Academic Work:
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Books, Theses, Conference Papers, etc.
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Useful LC Subject Headings: (Name of province can be substituted for Canada)
- Canada. Emigration and immigration — government policy
- Canada. Emigration and immigration — history
- Canada. Emigration and immigration — law
- Emigration and immigration law — Canada
- Canada — Refugees — government policy (or Refugees — government policy — Canada)
- Canada — Refugees — legal status, laws, etc.
- Immigrants — government policy — Canada
- Women immigrants — government policy — Canada
- Political refugees — Canada
- Multiculturalism — Canada
- Citizenship — Canada
- Canada. Citizenship and Immigration (for books about the government department)
- Naturalization — Canada
- Canada — ethnic relations — political aspects
Note: The order of headings and sub-headings can be an issue in retrieving all books on these topics. When several headings and sub-headings apply to your research topic, the best way to retrieve the most books is to search by combining the relevant words from the headings in a keyword-in-subject search. Example: Search for immigration in the subject field and government policy in the subject field and canada in the subject field. (Check your library catalogue help screen for instructions on how to do this kind of advanced search.)
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Besides the papers published from the Canadian Political Science Association conferences, universities, research institutes and others periodically organize conferences from which the presentations are published. To find these, search your library catalogue or AMICUS with the appropriate subject heading and the sub-heading "congresses" (e.g. Canada -- emigration and immigration -- congresses).
Canadian government-sponsored conferences include annual federal-provincial-territorial conferences of Ministers responsible for immigration, from which "public documents" are sometimes made available. The related departments also sponsor conferences occasionally, as can Royal Commissions and other fact-finding task forces. An example:
The Immigrant Woman in Canada: A Right to Recognition. 2 vols. Proceedings and recommendations from the National Conference on Immigrant Women. Ottawa: Min. of State, Multiculturalism, 1981.
Many excellent theses have been written in Canadian universities on the topic of Canada's immigration, refugee and multiculturalism policy. Search AMICUS for these; the National Library maintains a collection of every M.A. and PhD thesis written at Canadian universities. Request an inter-library loan at your library. See also Bibliographies one of which includes only theses, and Indexes (above and in the main part of this guide) some of which also index theses, conference and research reports.
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Current Events / News:
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See the web sites of the government departments involved with immigration and multiculturalism, advocacy groups and research organizations and look for "What's New", press releases, media rooms, newsletters, events calendars, and contact information. You may also be able to subscribe to an emailed version of their newsletters or press releases. For example, you can subscribe to receive the Canadian Council of Refugees media releases and advisories by email, or receive the Citizenship and Immigration Canada news releases by RSS feed. Migration News is a free, quarterly newsletter from the non-profit organization Migration Dialogue which summarizes and analyzes the top immigration-related developments in Canada and the world.
(See Part 5: Primary Sources -- What's Happening Now for more details and examples.)
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Government Information:
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The government departments, branches, or programs responsible for immigration have changed a great deal over the years, federally and in each province.
Citizenship and Immigration Canada is the main federal government department presently responsible for immigration. Also involved are Canadian Border Services, the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, and the Immigration sections of Foreign Affairs and International Trade's missions abroad. Responsibility for multiculturalism falls under the department of Canadian Heritage.
Since 1945, the federal department primarily responsible for immigration has changed several times:
1936-1949 Dept. of Mines and Resources
1950-1966 Min. of Citizenship and Immigration
1966-1977 Min. of Manpower and Immigration
1977-1993 Min. of Employment and Immigration
1993-1994 Secretary of State, Citizenship and Immigration
1994- Citizenship and Immigration Canada
(For more details see History of Departments, 1867 to Date by the Library of Parliament.)
Although not as much involved in setting immigration policy, every province and territory in Canada also has a Minister responsible for immigration and most provinces now have a federal-provincial agreement for a Nominee Program to encourage immigration to their province. Quebec has had an immigration department since 1968. The CIC links to most provincial immigration web sites. See also Québec-Immigration.
Some of the large cities that have received the most immigrants in Canada: Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, etc. also have programs and services for new immigrants. Most have at one time had or currently have task forces, working groups or others looking at immigration issues in their cities.
Many of these bodies publish research reports and other documents examining policy issues. Some of the most recent ones published by the currently existing governments will be available on their web sites. Check your library catalogue, AMICUS, or a large provincial research or legislative library, or the city's municipal library, for the documents created in earlier years. Library and Archives Canada also have collections of the records of federal departments. More details and some examples are given in the Selected Primary Sources - What was Written section.
Briefs to Committees: One of the important ways in which government agencies, advocacy and interest groups advise and lobby the federal government is to submit briefs to Senate and House of Commons committees, advising them on the impact of proposed legislation. These briefs or reports may be found as separate publications by authoring group, or as part of the "Evidence" of parliamentary committees.
See Selected Primary Sources for some examples of these documents.
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Political Party Information:
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Besides statements made to the press, or in Parliament, or briefs submitted to committees, some political parties may, from time to time, include general statements on immigration or multiculturalism policy issues in their platform or principles documents. On the whole however, party documents specifically on immigration issues are rare and difficult to find. Researchers will have to scan any documents authored by the party or conduct in-depth research in political party archives.
See Selected Primary Sources - What was Written for some examples.
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Research Organizations:
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Some research institutes that publish on this topic:
Caledon Institute of Social Policy. http://www.caledoninst.org
This is a nonprofit organization started in 1992, funded mainly by the Maytree Foundation. It publishes social policy analysis and research papers to inform and influence public opinion and government policy. Some examples of their research papers:
Refugees in Limbo and Canada's International Obligations. By Guy Goodwin Gill and Judith Kumin, Sept. 2002. 22 p.
Values of the Canada-US Third Country Agreement. By Audrey Macklin, Dec. 2003. 23 p.
Centre for Refugee Studies, York University. http://www.yorku.ca/crs/
A research unit of York University since 1988, CRS is involved in multidisciplinary research and teaching on refugee issues, putting on conferences and seminars and publishing research papers, such as: The Protection of Refugees and Forced Migrants: A Cross-Sector Research Agenda. Report of the SSHRC Research Cluster on Refugees and Forced Migration. [2005] 36 p.
NOTE: The CRS library is open to the public and searchable online.
Institute for Research on Public Policy (IRPP). http://www.irpp.org
Established in 1972, this national nonprofit organization's aim is to improve public policy in Canada through research. Some examples of their research papers:
Beyond Harmonization: How US Immigration Rules Would Have Worked in Canada. By Allen Green, July 2004. 32 p.
Controlling Irregular Migration in Canada: Reconciling Security Concerns with Human Rights Protection. By François Crépeau and Delphine Nakache. 2006. 42 p.
International Refugee Pressures and the Canadian Public Policy Response. By Alan Nash, 1989. 128 p.
Metropolis Project. http://www.metropolis.net
An international forum for comparative research and public policy development on migration and immigrant integration in cities in Canada and around the world. This group of Canadian and international research organizations sponsors conferences and research publications. Some examples:
The Economic Goals of Canada's Immigration Policy, Past and Present. RIIM Working Paper Series No. 96-04. By Alan Green and David Green, July 1996. 50 p.
Interrogating the Hyphen-Nation: Canadian Multicultural Policy and "Mixed Race" Identities. CERIS Working Paper No. 20. By Minelle Mahtani, Oct. 2002. 38 p.
NOTE: Use the Metropolis Search Engine to find research from all Metropolis research institutions.
See Metropolis "Hot Links" for a collection of links to other immigration research institutions in Canada and internationally as well as some community and government service providers.
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Videos:
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National Film Board of Canada Catalogue. http://www.nfb.ca.
The NFB online catalogue can be searched by keyword or browsed by subject. Click on "Find a Film". Relevant "Subject Categories" include "Cultural Diversity and Multiculturalism" or "Politics and Government -- Canada", then "Citizenship" or "Government Agencies, Programs and Services". Others can be found using a more specific keyword search.
Film, Video and Audio Productions Supported by Multiculturalism Programs, 1973-1992. Ottawa: Multiculturalism and Citizenship Canada, 1992. 83 p.
A bilingual film catalogue of audiovisual materials on Canadian multiculturalism issues. It has an index of subjects, regions, ethnocultural groups, names and distributors.
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Evaluating Sources
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Please refer to the main Part 4: Evaluating Information of this guide.
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