I Was A Vietnamese Boat Person

STORY BY: Kristen To
YEAR: 1979
LOCATION: Vietnam & Calgary

Kristen tells us how she came to Canada from Vietnam in 1979, as a "Vietnamese Boat Person". Her family had been sponsored by a Church in Calgary, and they came with no money and no possessions. But 40 years later, they are all still here! Well, except for her sister who lives in Perth, ON. Thanks for sharing, Kristen.

Between 1975 and 1976, Canada admitted 5,608 Vietnamese immigrants. Due to the public outcry, in 1979, Canadian government decided that the number of “Boat People” brought to Canada should be dependent on public support. In July 1979, it introduced a matching formula: the government will sponsor one refugee for each one sponsored privately. Churches, corporations or groups of five or more adult Canadian citizens were eligible to sponsor refugees directly. By 1985, 110,000 Vietnamese refugees had settled in Canada. Click here for Source