As Canada celebrates its 150th birthday, we explore three personal stories of immigration from 1921, 1972, and 2010.
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1921
This is 1921 and this is what happened.
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A story of early Chinese immigration
Joyce Pon
Mah Kim Moon (Fred Kim Moon) arrived in Canada in 1921 when he was only 14 years old. His father, Mah Wang He, had previously arrived in Canada in the early 1900’s and managed to bring his son over from China. Originally, they came because Canada was “The Golden Mountain,” a land where they would be able to better provide for their families and have greater opportunities. Before Mah Kim Moon could enter the country however, he had to pay the immigration head tax which was around $500. Mah Kim Moon did not speak a word of English, and his early life in Canada was not easy.
Racism in Canada
Mah Kim Moon eventually married a woman called Gee Fuon Jake (Gee See) in 1927. Together they had 5 children, two of which tragically died young. In 1957, tragedy struck again and Gee See died. Mah Kim Moon sent word back to China, seeking a wife in order to help care for his children. He eventually found a woman willing to leave China to move to Canada in order to marry him called Szeto Lai Gee (Mary Mah Moon).
Mary Mah Moon
Not only was racism present in people’s actions, but it was also present in the workplace. Due to their status as second class citizens, Chinese immigrants were paid very little compared to others. This was no different for Mah Kim Moon who had to work hard and long for little income in order to support himself and his family. He made money not just for those in Canada, but money to send back home to China in order to the family that didn’t come over seas. Despite the racism, the economic disadvantages that he had to overcome and his lack of education, Mah Kim Moon eventually managed to become successful and own his own business.
Mah Kim Moon Success
Molly’s Mother (Gee Fuon Jake), Morly’s Father (Fred Mah Moon), Morly and little sister Pearl - 1955
Finding acceptance in Canada: A Ugandan Asian’s immigration story
Shezan Muhammedi
On Aug. 4, 1972, former Ugandan President Idi Amin ordered the expulsion of all South Asians from Uganda. He claimed that they were “sabotaging Uganda’s economy and encouraging corruption.” Amin gave them 90 days to leave the country.
At that time, about 80,000 people of South Asian descent lived in Uganda. Many had no ties to any other place or country. Uganda was their home.
My mom's first birthday in Canada in October 1973. In the first photo her brother Ike Rupani is beside here (with the glasses and moustache) the second photo is my grandmother (Khatijabai Rupani) giving my mom her birthday present.
What was life like when your mother was growing up in Uganda?
How did Ugandan Asians react to Idi Amin’s expulsion?
How did your family decide where they would go?
While enduring various forms of abuse, these Ugandan Asians struggled to decide where to go. Some countries came to their aid.
The United Kingdom accepted those with British passports. Some went to India. But Shamim Muhammedi, a teenager at the time, was stateless. Born in Mbarara, a town in the Western Region of Uganda, she only had a Ugandan passport. So, she came to Canada with her mother and two brothers.
Your mother was quite young. What was the application process like for her?
What stories have stuck with your mother all through the years?
What difficulties did your family face in Canada and how did they cope?
A photo of my parents engagement in Ottawa, Ontario 1977. Karim (dad) and Shamim (mom) Muhammedi.
Muhammedi was one of about 8,000 Ugandan Asian refugees who arrived between 1972 and 1974, most of whom were stateless. She started living in Ottawa in the first week of November 1972.
What was the Ugandan Asian community like after they all settled in Canada?
How did life change for your family?
Does your mother still have ties or affiliations with Uganda?
Her son, Shezan Muhammedi, is the advisor to the Ugandan Asian refugee archive at Carleton University. He completed a PhD in history – with a specialization in migration and ethnic relations – from University of Western Ontario. While working on his PhD thesis, he collected oral histories from 49 Ugandan Asian refugees who came to Canada, focusing on their resettlement and reintegration.
What were some of the common themes when you talked to Ugandan Asians about their experiences?
Why did you pick this subject for your thesis?
If we asked you mother about Canada on its 150th birthday, what would she say?
Chasing greener pastures in Canada: a story of migration
Irene Agbayani
It took five years for Irene Agbayani, 23, and her family – her mother and two sisters – to be finally approved for immigration to Canada. It was September 2010, when their plane from the Philippines landed in Vancouver. That year, most of Canada’s immigrants were from the Philippines.
In the Philippines, Agbayani lived in Cagayan de Oro, a small city and entryway to other southern cities. Many went there to study and work and she worked at a university’s marine research center.
Immigration was her mother’s idea. She thought Canada would provide more economic opportunities. “I think she was also tired of her job,” Agbayani said about her mother’s position as a development worker with Australian Aid.
They already spoke English, one of the official languages of the Philippines, but didn’t know anyone in Canada. After some research they chose to live in Vancouver where the weather was not too cold. Agbayani remembers being excited and looking forward to taking some of the community classes for adults in Canada.
“I wanted to try arts and crafts, dancing and those kinds of things,” she said. “Back in the Philippines, there weren’t many adult community classes available. Normally you would learn dance or art at a younger age.”
Agbayani also expected that she would be stuck in odd jobs, despite her education, until acquiring Canadian experience. Even so, it was difficult for her to get work.
Irene with family
“When you migrate, you get stripped of those connections you’ve made back home,” said Agbayani. “In the Philippines, you go to college, you make friends and they go on to get good jobs and you know them. Your family knows a lot of people.”
“When you move, you lose all of that, you don’t know anyone, you’re new. No connections, no friends,” she said.
Her first job at a Fat Burger fast food restaurant came through a connection. She also interned with Environmental Youth Alliance, a program for young immigrants.
Neighbours and other in the city’s Filipino community also supported Agbayani’s family.
“The things that stuck with me aren’t really events but the feelings,” she said about her first months in Canada. “Feeling like everything is so new and not knowing anything. It felt like being a fish out of water.”
Agbayani describes the past seven years in Canada as “expansive.” She notes the gap between rich and poor, quite obvious in the Philippines, isn’t as evident here.
“Here, you can get assistance, you can work and get a student loan,” she said. “Now I’m kind of integrated in a way. It’s been exciting.”
Agbayani said her family is now more confident about Canada. She returned to some financial planning courses at school in 2012 and now works with Vancity, a credit union in British Columbia.
Agbayani returns to the Philippines every other year to visit relatives. Her sister went back to complete her university degree.
“When you live in both places, it’s like having one set of grandparents in one city, and another set in another city, you just go there. I still get affected by the politics of the Philippines. I have my friends there. It’s still very much a part of me.”
As Canada celebrates its 150th birthday, Agbayani appreciates the country for being welcoming and “a safe haven for a lot of people.”
