For the week of April 20, 2026.
On April 23, 2015, the Parliament of Canada passed the Journey to Freedom Day Act. This designated April 30 as a national day to remember and commemorate the experiences of Vietnamese refugees. In the two decades after the wars ended in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos in 1975, more than 210,000 adults and children fled to Canada from impacted areas. Their arrival reflected changing immigration laws and Canadian attitudes towards refugees.
More than one million refugees were forced to leave their home countries in the aftermath of the wars, which caused great political and social upheaval. The period saw the unification of North and South Vietnam under a communist government, as well as takeovers by the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia and the Pathet Lao in Laos. Many years of war had led to economic turmoil and food shortages. There was widespread persecution on the basis of ethnocultural identity, religious belief, and political affiliation. People risked their lives to escape through the jungle or by water. They faced many hardships and dangers to reach countries where they were not always welcome.
Many chose Canada as the place where they would try to build new lives. In 1975 and 1976 Canada admitted approximately 6,500 political refugees from areas impacted by the wars. They were allowed entry on a case-by-case basis and considered exceptions to regular immigration procedures. This changed when amendments to the Immigration Act took effect in 1978. This was the first piece of Canadian legislation to recognize refugees as a special class of immigrant, and allowed for their sponsorship by private groups.
More than half of the 60,049 refugees who came to Canada in 1979 and 1980 had been privately sponsored by citizens or groups, like Toronto’s Operation Lifeline and Ottawa’s Project 4,000. In response to the outpouring of support, the Canadian government declared it would accept one refugee for each refugee privately sponsored. In these two years, private citizens and organizations sponsored 32,281 refugees, while the government assisted 25,978. In the end, Canada accepted the most refugees per capita. In 1986, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees awarded the Nansen Refugee Award to the “People of Canada” in recognition of their efforts. This was the only time an entire country has been granted this honour.
Refugees from Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos established vibrant communities across Canada, especially in Toronto, Montréal, and Vancouver. Despite significant hardships, they built new lives for themselves and their families, becoming an important part of Canadian society.
