By Mahmood Elahi
It may be recalled that after the 1759 British conquest of Canada (then a colony of New France), the colonial Gov. Sir Guy Carleton thought Canada would always remain a French-speaking country. “Europeans who migrate,” he asserted, “will never prefer the cold inhospitable winter of Canada to the more cheerful climate and more fruitful soil of His Majesty's southern provinces. So, barring tragedy shocking to think of, this country must, to the end of time, be peopled by the French-Canadian race.”
This was not to be. Within a decade and a half came a crowd of United Empire Loyalists driven into exile by revolutionary upheavals in the Thirteen Colonies. They were North America's first war refugees who remained loyal to Britain during the War of Independence and fled north after the war to escape persecution at the hands of so-called patriots.
The influx of the American refugees signaled the transformation of Canada. It could no longer be contended that Canada would remain French to the end of time. A substantial population of Anglo-American stock had been planted in the Canadian province of Quebec and areas next to it that were to become Ontario and New Brunswick, triggering a process in which the francophones became a minority in the country they founded.
It can be argued that if the Americans did not revolt, the Loyalists would have stayed home and subsequent British immigration would have gone to “His Majesty's southern provinces” and Canada would have remained French.
However, the Loyalists, numbered about 100,000, or almost 10 percent of the U.S. population at the time of a little more than 1 million, provided a much-needed population for demographic and territorial expansion of Canada and they were welcomed with open arms. New towns sprang up to accommodate them. This triggered a second wave of refugees called Late Loyalists. When news spread how generously the Loyalists were treated in Canada, many who had decided to accept the new American republic changed their minds and immigrated to Canada.
Although American refugees transformed the linguistic composition of Canada, they also injected new dynamism for Canada's development. Without them, Canada could not have become the transcontinental country it is today.
Both the United States and Canada have lessons to learn from these refugees fleeing persecution in the so-called “land of the brave.” As a creator of refugees, the United States should realize that most Latin American refugees are fleeing violence and persecution in their countries today. Canada, by accepting the Loyalists, saved many lives that might have been lost in retribution for siding with the British.
For Canada, the lesson is clear: Refugees are never a burden for the world's second-largest country with a tiny population of 36 million. Most of Canada's land is still empty. We have room for new cities, expanding communities in every province, and refugees fleeing wars and revolutions can play the same role American Loyalists played in the 18th century. South Korea also has a lesson to learn from Canada. If North Korea collapses, refugees fleeing chaos and persecution are likely to flood South Korea which must accommodate them. It would be a herculean task and will demand enormous effort.
Mahmood Elahi (omega51@sympatico.ca) is a freelance writer in Ottawa.