Canada and the boat people crisis

Canada and the world respond to an exodus of ethnic Chinese from Vietnam

 

This is part of a series of articles on Canada and Vietnam:

Previous: 1973-1977 Canada and the fall of Saigon

Next: 1978-1996 Canada and the boat people crisis


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+ The Chinese "problem" in Vietnam    

The cause of the boat people crisis had nothing to do with Saigon. It's not always easy to find the history on this.

+ The interim year: 1978    

Canada ends one set of commitments and begins another. Public opinion and immigration policy both turn favorable.

+ The boat people crisis surges: 1979-1980    

When the ethnic Chinese started leaving Vietnam, the international community was forced to respond.

+ The extended response: 1981-1996    

The boat people crisis lasted for 18 years and Canada admitted over 160,000 Vietnamese.

+ Forty years later: 2015    

In 2015 the Harper government decided that Canada had done it all wrong. History was revised.