The Tightest Immigration Admissions Policy in Canadian history (1931) | The Brian Mulroney Institute of Government

It is widely acknowledged that Canada's immigration policies throughout the 1900's were discriminatory, racist, and antisemitic.
This publication by the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 contains copies of three Orders-in-Council that highlight the state of Canadian immigration policies at this time.
The first Order-in-Council included in this publication was PC 183 passed January 31, 1923, which established a formal list of preferred and non-preferred countries to seek immigrants from.
This Order-in-Council also prohibited the entry of industrial labourers and only allowed entry to immigrants who were farmers, farm workers, female domestic servants, and close relatives to Canadian residents.
The second policy highlighted in this publication is Order-in-Council PC 1957, which was enacted on August 14, 1930, which placed further restrictions on immigration, requiring farmers to have enough capital to farm in Canada prior to being accepted.
Finally, the passage of Order-in-Council PC 695 on March 21, 1931, under Prime Minister R.B. Bennett, marked the tightest immigration admissions policy in Canadian history.
Due to the Great Depression, this policy heavily restricted and limited immigration to: American and British citizens with the means to support themselves until they found employment, farmers with enough capital to farm in Canada, and the wives and children of Canadian residents.
Through the immigration measures introduced in 1931, Canada closed its borders and remained committed to this policy denying entrance to any immigrants and refugees outside their specific criteria.
It was this policy that was used to justify the government's refusal to offer refuge to Jewish refugees escaping Germany on board the MS St. Louis, which is a dark reminder of Canada's contribution to the Holocaust.

Citation

Gagnon, Erica, Jan Raska, Lindsay Van Dyk, Monica MacDonald, Siniša Obradovic, and Steven Schwinghamer. “Order-in-Council PC 1931-695, 1931.” Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21. Government of Canada. Accessed July 25, 2022. https://pier21.ca/research/immigration-history/order-in-council-pc-1931-695-1931#footnote-3.