AHQ: Effects of Another US-Canada Mass Migration

Foushoo

Foushoo

A relatively massive migration of Loyalist Americans fled to Canada after and during the American Revolutionary War. And, disregarding smaller but famous migrations like the Underground Railroad, migration from the US to Canada has been fairly minute since.

Let's assume, for whatever reason, there is another mass migration out of the States to Canada who are willing to accept British/Canadian rule for life in Canada and at least don't immediately want to filibuster.

For example:
  • Instead of a Civil War, as in OTL, increasingly more ridiculous compromises are attempted causing abolitionists, and even those that just feel uncomfortable with the peculiar institution, head north.
  • Something really economically or spiritually lucrative appears somewhere in Canada's wide expanse and a Utah-of-Canada type phenomenon forms.
  • ect.
My Question is:
  • What do these American-Canadians look like (a la distinctive cultural aspects) as a cultural group?
  • How are they seen from the perspective of non-American-Canadians?
  • Could this/How could this effect Canada's history and (if it hasn't yet confederated) confederation?
 
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Thisisnotausername

How much migration are we talking, here? OTL, for instance, saw a lot of American migration to western Canada in the 1890s and 1900s--at the time of the 1911 census, there were around 300,000 people born in the US in Canada, making up 40% of Canada's foreign-born population and 4% of Canada's population overall, and such American immigrants made up 9% of the population of British Columbia, 22% of the population of Alberta, and 14% of the population of Saskatchewan. Does that count? And if not, what does?
 
Foushoo

Foushoo

I was unaware of that migration. I suppose that mostly counts as a mass US migration to Canada. Though my question centers more on a migration where most of the migrants come in generally homogeneous groups or colonies rather than individual farmers and other disorganized opportunists.
 

Viriato

Americans were the majority of immigrants to Canada many years throughout the 19th century. Even during the post-revolutionary settlement, only an estimated 15% were true loyalists, with most just wanting free land. During the end of the century once land in the American Plains became more scarce, Canada became a natural option. By 1914 it was estimated that 65% of Albertans had either been born in the U.S. or one of their parents had been. Saskatchewan and British Columbia also attracted a significant number of American settlers, and between 1910 and 1914 over 100,000 Americans entered Canada as immigrants each year, with 42% being homesteaders. Together British and American immigrants constituted nearly 3/4 of all immigrants settling in Canada during the period. Considering that Canada only had 7.2 million inhabitants in 1911, I would consider the arrival of 1 million Americans significant.

Source of Immigrants to Canada 1897 to 1914
UK 1,150,100
USA 1,030,678
 

Mightyboosh5

Yeah I’d say unless they are an obscure religious group like the Mormons, they’d probably assimilate the easiest, bring over the least culture and become Canadian within a generation, in comparison to groups like Ukrainians and poles there is so much less of a culture shock
 
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