Canada has a long history of immigration to support its economic and demographic needs. Early immigration policies from 1870-1918 had an open door policy to attract migrants from Europe to build the railroads and settle the western provinces. From 1919-1929, the criteria for suitable migrants was enhanced to prefer those from English, French and other European countries, while discriminating against Chinese and migrants from "warm" countries. The 1930-1945 period saw more restricted immigration due to economic conditions. Later policies from the 1960s onward moved to a non-discriminatory, points-based system considering economic factors and skills to make the policies more socially and culturally acceptable over time.
literacy became a significant criterion in selecting and restricting immigrants entering Canada. 1919 was a pivotal year in the development of immigration policy; the government was burdened with a substantial war debt spread across a small population of eight million inhabitants. Immigration, as the government stated, had the potential to generate increased taxation revenue; the over-riding concern centred on the selection of immigrants.
