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Borderline Chaos: How Canada Got Immigration Right, and Then Wrong
Is immigration a problem or an opportunity? Do we need walls or doors? The answer to both questions is yes.
For decades, Canada was an outlier. The country took in more immigrants than other developed countries, with less opposition. Whatever Canada was doing, it seemed to be working. Immigration was of popular with voters and a model for the world. Americans—liberals, conservatives, Silicon Valley, and even Donald Trump—looked to Canada as a source of immigration inspiration.
And, then, in a few short years, it all came undone.
In Five Walls and a How Canada got immigration right, and then wrong, Tony Keller explains how a government that once had the secret sauce for immigration forgot the recipe and broke the system. He also shows how Canadian immigration can be rebuilt better than before, once again to the benefit of all Canadians and as a model for the world.
For decades, Canada was an outlier. The country took in more immigrants than other developed countries, with less opposition. Whatever Canada was doing, it seemed to be working. Immigration was of popular with voters and a model for the world. Americans—liberals, conservatives, Silicon Valley, and even Donald Trump—looked to Canada as a source of immigration inspiration.
And, then, in a few short years, it all came undone.
In Five Walls and a How Canada got immigration right, and then wrong, Tony Keller explains how a government that once had the secret sauce for immigration forgot the recipe and broke the system. He also shows how Canadian immigration can be rebuilt better than before, once again to the benefit of all Canadians and as a model for the world.
- GenresPoliticsNonfictionCanada
122 pages, Paperback
Published October 14, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
December 1, 2025
Very balanced explanation of what happened to our immigration system. Great use of history combined with current facts gives the reader the understanding needed to form an opinion. Highly recommend to other Canadians
May 27, 2026
I am so glad that I read Tony Keller’s book. It really helped me understand immigration—both in a historical as well as contemporary way. The book won the Donner Prize for non fiction so I should not be surprised at the quality of the research and analysis.
Certainly Canada is a country of immigrants and it is interesting how different groups were accepted at different times in Canada’s history. Initially immigrants from the UK were preferred and there was a fair amount of fluidity between the US and Canadian borders. Many Americans came into Canada in the late 1800’s during and after the US civil war. Then people from Europe came in during and after World War I and II. The various ways that immigration from certain groups were suppressed (Jewish, Japanese, Chinese) or permitted tells a compelling story about the fabric of Canada. More recently there was Roxham Road and international students coming to Canada to study at low level (often private Colleges).
The book provides information that has been largely unknown to the Canadian public. Very telling today (May 2026) that Tim Hortons said it didn’t need the Temporary Foreign Worker Program as it was hiring locally. That company, along with other companies in the service industry, provided a conduit for immigration/permanent residency status.
Hopefully our politicians will read the book and draw on it as one of the sources they use to create an appropriate immigration policy that meets the needs of the country.
Certainly Canada is a country of immigrants and it is interesting how different groups were accepted at different times in Canada’s history. Initially immigrants from the UK were preferred and there was a fair amount of fluidity between the US and Canadian borders. Many Americans came into Canada in the late 1800’s during and after the US civil war. Then people from Europe came in during and after World War I and II. The various ways that immigration from certain groups were suppressed (Jewish, Japanese, Chinese) or permitted tells a compelling story about the fabric of Canada. More recently there was Roxham Road and international students coming to Canada to study at low level (often private Colleges).
The book provides information that has been largely unknown to the Canadian public. Very telling today (May 2026) that Tim Hortons said it didn’t need the Temporary Foreign Worker Program as it was hiring locally. That company, along with other companies in the service industry, provided a conduit for immigration/permanent residency status.
Hopefully our politicians will read the book and draw on it as one of the sources they use to create an appropriate immigration policy that meets the needs of the country.
August 15, 2026
This was an excellent summary of the history of immigration in Canada up to the recent problems of massive numbers of foreign students and the subsequent dramatic reductions.
It attempts to understand why immigration in Canada used to be seen as a positive goal ... and provide suggestions for how the Canadian (Carney) government might be able to adjust immigration policy to restore public perception.
The only real issue I found with this book was the lack of support graphs to help visually summarize the data.
It was chock full of details that provided comparisons of immigration and population data that supported the discussion ... but without any related graphics it was sometimes hard to fully follow the author's arguments.
It attempts to understand why immigration in Canada used to be seen as a positive goal ... and provide suggestions for how the Canadian (Carney) government might be able to adjust immigration policy to restore public perception.
The only real issue I found with this book was the lack of support graphs to help visually summarize the data.
It was chock full of details that provided comparisons of immigration and population data that supported the discussion ... but without any related graphics it was sometimes hard to fully follow the author's arguments.
July 30, 2026
Very interesting book in the history of immigration policy in Canada. The subject sounds dry but Keller’s writing is dynamic and despite a lot of numbers and statistics, he provides vivid examples for those of us who are new to the topic.
Borderline Chaos is critical of the immigration policies adopted by the (younger) Trudeau government offers and comparisons with other Canadian administrations and other governments. The author’s angle is to leverage the best type of immigration for better economic development in Canada.
Recommended to Canadians who seek perspective on immigration policies to provide context to recent and current news.
Borderline Chaos is critical of the immigration policies adopted by the (younger) Trudeau government offers and comparisons with other Canadian administrations and other governments. The author’s angle is to leverage the best type of immigration for better economic development in Canada.
Recommended to Canadians who seek perspective on immigration policies to provide context to recent and current news.
January 2, 2026
Mise à jour récente de l’histoire du système d’immigration du Canada, axée autour de l’impact des décisions du gouvernement Trudeau et de leurs fondements pseudo-économiques. Récapitulatif fascinant et pertinent. Une version adaptée au Québec serait extrêmement utile au débat public (d’autant plus que l’auteur est d’origine québécoise).
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews