Minds On
Would you turn away someone needing help?
Would you turn away someone in need in a moment when they had no one else to go to for help?
That’s exactly what Canada and several other countries did to the Jewish refugees fleeing cruelty and antisemitism in Germany aboard the MS St. Louis in 1939. So why would Canada turn away the passengers of the MS St. Louis?
Antisemitism is the hatred of Jewish people. This can include hateful language, harmful policies or laws, violent attacks, or everyday acts harming the Jewish community.
Let’s explore this image from the Holocaust Encyclopedia of the MS St. Louis ship.
Brainstorm
Brainstorm
After exploring the image, take a moment to reflect on what questions or thoughts come to mind about the MS St. Louis and the people on board.
Record your ideas using a method of your choice.
Action
Supporting the global community
The global community is made up of various people and countries around the world. Countries have different relationships with each other. Some countries support each other socially, economically, politically and/or environmentally. Countries are interconnected, which means issues that affect one country will affect others, whether they are close neighbours or farther away from each other.
Press the following tabs to understand what each term means.
However, these relationships aren’t always easy to navigate, based on a country’s interests, alliances, and political views. Sometimes countries don’t get these interactions right, which is what happened with the Jewish people from Germany who were aboard the MS St. Louis.
January 1933
Before the Second World War, Jewish people across Europe had already been dealing with antisemitism. However, things got much worse once the Chancellor of Germany, Adolf Hitler’s, Nazi party started ruling over Germany in January 1933. Hitler’s government and its supporters terrorized the Jewish community. It had quickly become less and less safe for the Jewish community to stay in Germany.
MS St. Louis
On May 15, 1939, fearing for their lives, 907 Jewish people boarded the ship the MS St. Louis from Hamburg, Germany. These passengers got tourist visas to temporarily stay in Cuba. Little did they know the fate that awaited them in North America.
Havana, Cuba
When the ship arrived at the port in Havana, Cuba, the passengers’ visas were denied because Cuba changed the rules that previously allowed them entry. With nowhere to go, they pleaded with a few South American countries and the United States, who also wouldn’t allow them to enter their countries. As a last attempt, they pleaded with Canada’s government officials to allow them entry. Canada also refused.
Antisemitism in Canada
Antisemitism in Europe was impacting how people treated Jewish people in other parts of the world. Canada had strict policies that didn’t allow many Jewish people to move here. They were treated differently than other people because of their Jewish identity. The refusal of the passengers on the MS St. Louis was part of this antisemitism.
The return to Europe
The MS St. Louis’ passengers were forced to return to Europe. Although 653 passengers survived this ordeal, 254 of the passengers were killed in the Holocaust after leaving the ship.
The Holocaust: the killing of millions of people in Nazi Germany during World War II, including around 6 million Jewish people.
Canada’s response
In 2018, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau issued a formal apology to passengers and their families from the MS St. Louis, as well as the Jewish community, for Canada not allowing the refugees to enter.
Case studies
Let’s revisit your earlier wonderings about the MS St. Louis and its passengers. What other questions do you have about Canada and its involvement with other countries and refugees from around the world?
Since their refusal to accept the Jewish refugees on the MS St. Louis, Canada has worked to change their refugee policies.
Let’s explore more about Canada’s refugee policies and how they affect other people and countries around the world.
Investigate
The Syrian refugee crisis
In 2011, a civil war started in Syria between the government and different groups. The civil war left millions of Syrians without a home, causing widespread death and destruction. It became very hard for people to access necessities like food, clean water, healthcare, and shelter. Many Syrians were forced to leave their home country to find a safer environment, some fleeing to nearby countries like Jordan, Lebanon, and Türkiye (Turkey).
Despite Canada’s 1962 official order to not turn away those in need due to racial discrimination and the 2002 Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, Canada was not quick to respond to this humanitarian crisis. In the fall of 2015, a picture of Alan Kurdi, a 3-year-old Syrian child who died trying to reach Greece, went viral. The child’s family attempted this dangerous journey across the Mediterranean Sea after failed attempts to reunite with their family in Canada. This put pressure on countries around the world, including Canada, to accept more Syrian refugees. After this tragedy, Canada accepted over 25,000 refugees.
Explore the following video to learn more about the Alsalamat family’s experience as refugees fleeing the Syrian civil war and their anticipated and corresponding arrival in Canada.
Now that you have explored these two examples of Canada’s response to refugees in need, use the following graphic organizer to record your answers to the following questions or record your ideas using a method of your choice.
| Guiding Questions | Case Study 1 MS St. Louis |
Case Study 2 The Syrian refugee crisis |
|---|---|---|
| What was Canada’s initial response to the refugees? | ||
| What economic, political, social, or environmental conditions in their home country might cause them to seek refugee status in Canada? | ||
| What influenced Canada’s policies on refugees at the time? | ||
| How did their policies impact the refugees? | ||
| What other questions do you have about the case study? | ||
| Where might you find out more information? |
Complete the Case Study Organizer in your notebook or using the following fillable and printable document.
Press the ‘Activity’ button to access the Case Study Organizer.
Consolidation
Refugee policies in action
Canada processes tens of thousands of refugee claims every year. A lot of different factors go into the decision to approve certain claims instead of others. As different political, social, and environmental conditions impact people around the world, conditions in their home country change. Some people escaping civil war, poverty, or persecution because of their identity seek refuge or safety in another country because this is the best option they have.
Press Persecution to find out the meaning of this word.
According to the United Nations, people can apply for refugee status and stay in Canada if they fear harm because of:
- religion
- race or nationality
- belonging to a particular marginalized group
- political opinion
- risk to your life or cruel and inhuman treatment
- risk of torture
Let’s explore!
After analyzing Canada’s response to the passengers of the MS St. Louis and those involved in the Syrian refugee crisis, you will now be doing your own research on a country that Canada has accepted refugees from to learn more about the political, social, or environmental conditions that pushed them to leave.
Press the following tabs to learn how to search for examples, and for guidelines that can inform your responses.
In a search engine, use the phrase “Refugee claims statistics in Canada” to learn more about the number of cases Canada has processed.
Select the link from the website “Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada.” Official government of Canada websites usually end in “.ca” so be sure to pay attention to this.
Choose the most recent year, for example “Claims by Country of Alleged Persecution – 2023”.
After you’ve explored the statistics, choose a country the refugee claimants are from to explore. You may also choose a different group you’d like to research.
Complete the fillable and printable Research Organizer in your notebook or using the following document. If you would like, you can use speech-to-text or audio recording tools to record your thoughts.
| Guiding Questions | Research | Source |
|---|---|---|
| What country are the refugee claims from? | ||
| What economic, political, social, or environmental conditions in their home country might cause them to seek refugee status in Canada? | ||
| How has the global community responded to them? | ||
| What has Canada’s response been? | ||
| How has it impacted the region? |
Complete the Research Organizer in your notebook or using the following fillable and printable document.
Press the ‘Activity’ button to access the Research Organizer.
Reflect on what you have learned about the country you selected, as well as the Jewish and Syrian refugees.
Can you find any differences in Canada’s responses to these three groups? Why do you think this might be?
Were the interactions between Canada and the refugees from these countries economic, social, or political? How do you know?
Record your ideas using a method of your choice.
Reflection
As you read through these descriptions, which sentence best describes how you are feeling about your understanding of this learning activity? Press the button that is beside this sentence.
I feel...
Now, record your ideas using a voice recorder, speech-to-text, or writing tool.