The "boat people" and a medal for a whole people

After the war ended in 1975, more than a million Vietnamese left their country, and others fled Cambodia and Laos, often in makeshift boats. They were called the "boat people," or refugees of the sea. In November 1978, the freighter Hai Hong, with 2,500 people on board, made headlines: Quebec announced it would take in at least 200 of them, and Canada eventually received 600.

The country then had a brand-new tool: the Immigration Act of 1976, in force since 1978, allowed groups of citizens to sponsor refugees themselves. The response was massive. In 1979-1980, Canada welcomed 60,049 refugees from Southeast Asia, more than half of them through private sponsorship: parishes, families, groups of friends who found housing, clothing and jobs. Quebec directly sponsored 10,000 refugees and received 22% of all those resettled in Canada from 1979 to 1982. In Montreal, French courses and welcome classes helped newcomers put down roots.

In 1986, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees awarded its Nansen Medal to "the people of Canada." It was the first time the distinction honoured the entire population of a country. A medal earned through thousands of ordinary gestures: a spare room, a shared meal, an outstretched hand.