I would like to take issue with the contention that it was easier to
get into Canada than the US. It is true that before WWI the passage
to Canada was sometimes less expensive than to the US since the CPR
railway subsidized fares, especially to the West.
When the US introduced the quota system in the 20s the Canadians
followed by
restricting immigration into Canada in more informal ways. During
the 30s when persecution started in Germany, Canada closed its doors
altogether. After WWII the Canadians relaxed their restrictions in
general and only after 1948 when the State of Israel was established
was it possible for Jewish immigrants to enter. The rationale for
this was the thought that most Jews would go to their ancestral
homeland and not to Canada.
About the period of the 30s there is an excellent and well researched
book by Harold Troper and Irving Abella entitled: None Is Too Many
The title of the book is based on a quotation by the head of the
Canadian Immigration Service, who responded to the plea >from Canadian
Jews to ease the restrictions on Jewish immigration. That quotation
says it all.
Henry Wellisch
JGS of Canada (Toronto)