A comprehensive, wide-ranging exploration of Canada’s
border-control history set in the context of current debates over
immigration and refugee policy.
Description
With restrictive immigration policies, increased interdiction, and the
detention of asylum seekers, it is clear that Canada’s approach
to border control has shifted in recent years. Yet such practices are
just the latest in a long and complex national history. Canadian
Liberalism and the Politics of Border Control sheds light on the
first century of Canada’s efforts to control its borders, framing
pivotal moments within a long-standing but often overlooked debate over
the rights of non-citizens. Anderson provides valuable insights into
contemporary liberal-democratic control by demonstrating that
today’s more restrictive approach reflects traditions deeply
embedded within liberal democracies.
Reviews
Anderson’s work adds to the complexity within immigration history. There are several factors including the economy, public opinion, race, class, gender, and political discourse relating to Liberal Nationalism and Liberal Internationalism that shape immigration and refugee law in Canada. An inclusion of how other forms of migrant labour fit within the political debate would provide a more holistic perspective on border control policy in Canada. Ultimately, Anderson’s work expertly deconstructs the myth of restrictive rights in Canada being a purely contemporary phenomenon.
- Shezan Muhammedi, Western University