Teaching Activity 1 :

Reflection on immigration

The teacher is invited to guide students as they ponder immigrant workers.

Ask students the following questions to get them thinking about the subject and to stimulate discussion:

• What drove immigrants to leave family and country in order to settle in Canada?
• What difficulties did they face upon arriving in their new country?
• What kind of work did they do on the railway?
• What did they do when the railway was completed?
• Are you aware of any cultural communities that came to your province to help build the railway or to work in related industries?

Teaching Activity 2 :

Organize the students into groups and have them design an advertising campaign to attract new immigrants to their city. Have them highlight the main local attractions, draft an inspiring text and prepare eye-catching drawings to make immigrants feel at home in their new city. The campaign needs to explain the types of work available to immigrants under conditions similar to those enjoyed by other members of the community and reassure them that they will have comfortable housing.