History of Eugenics and Immigration in Canada

本研究考察了从19世纪末到20世纪中叶，加拿大是如何治疗“精神缺陷”的，涵盖了各种团体的优生学和心理健康理念，如加拿大全国心理卫生委员会和加拿大优生学协会，这导致了在阿尔伯塔省引入绝育法（1928年在大英帝国首次颁布，1938年和1942年修改），并于1972年废除)和不列颠哥伦比亚省（1933年颁布，1973年废除），并在20世纪30年代左右在安大略省对绝育立法的流产但强烈的要求中发挥了很大的主动作用。报告发现，“精神缺陷”对“纯白”的加拿大构成了威胁。他们被认为处于“正常”和“理智”之间，他们在“正常”社区的存在和与他人的关系被认为是危险的，因为它可能会带来污秽，污染“白人”，动摇“白人”至上主义。特别是在20世纪初，随着越来越多的“精神错乱”移民，对“精神缺陷”的担忧日益突出。它还指出，执政的加拿大人不仅关心“非白人”的“精神缺陷”，而且关心“白人”的“精神缺陷”——这意味着“精神缺陷”被认为是“白人”中的“中间民族”——这被认为是盎格鲁-撒克逊人“种族自杀”的症状。

This research examines how 'mental defectiveness' was treated in Canada from the late nineteenth to mid-twentieth centuries, covering eugenics and mental health ideas by various groups, such as the Canadian National Committee for Mental Hygiene and the Eugenics Society of Canada, which led to the introduction of sterilization laws both in Alberta (enacted in 1928 for the first time in the British Empire, modified in 1938 and 1942, and repealed in 1972) and British Columbia (enacted in 1933 and repealed in 1973), and took great initiative in the abortive but strong demand for the legislation of sterilization in Ontario around the 1930's. It finds that 'mental defectives' posed a threat to 'pure white' Canada. They were regarded as being situated between 'normal' and 'sane' and their presence and relationship with others in 'normal' communities was thought to be dangerous in that it might bring a filthiness that would contaminate 'whiteness' and shake 'white' supremacy. Especially in the early twentieth century, concerns about 'mental defectiveness' loomed large with an increasing number of 'insane' immigrants. It also points out that ruling Canadians were concerned about not only 'non-white' 'mental defectives' but rather 'white' ones-which means 'mental defectives' were considered to be 'inbetween peoples' among the 'whites'- who were thought to be a symptom of Anglo-Saxon 'racial suicide'.