Canadian Studies Announcements

In This Issue:

Program News

• The Globe and Mail quotes Director Hidetaka Hirota on how Trump’s immigration crackdown is impacting US economy

Academic Opportunities

• Call for Papers: Journal of Canadian Studies special edition: “My Canada Includes an Extra Chromosome”

External Events

• Berkeley Club of Canada Annual Summer Mixer

• Berkeley Club of Canada Summer Party in Vancouver

PROGRAM NEWS

The Globe and Mail Quotes Director Hidetaka Hirota on How Trump Immigration Crackdown is Impacting US Economy

Canadian Studies Program Director Hidetaka Hirota was quoted in an article in The Globe and Mail last week discussing how the Trump administration’s immigration restrictions are affecting the US economy.

The article argues that tighter limits on both legal and undocumented immigration are contributing to labour shortages, slowing business growth, and prompting some companies to move jobs overseas. Labor disruptions are affecting everything from the tech sector, which heavility utilizes H1-B visas, to construction, with its reliance on undocumented labor.

Professor Hirota explains that the Trump administration’s agenda is a significant reversal of the last six decades of US immigration policy. While undocumented migration has long been a political target, the administration has gone further by also constraining legal pathways to enter the US. He also argues that these measures reflect a longer historical pattern of exclusion. Professor Hirota points out that restrictions on some visa categories disproportionately affect Asian immigrants, such as Indians, who form 70% of the people granted H1-B visas.

ACADEMIC OPPORTUNITIES

Deadline: 1 November, 2026

This special issue is about reflecting on Canada’s “excessive demand” laws, policies and professional and administrative practices that converge to exclude would-be migrant persons based on certain medical conditions, and the implications of these relations in everyday lives. The title is the name of an episode of political satirist Rick Mercer’s television program, referring to the exclusion of a child with Down Syndrome from Canada.

A central part of a Canadian immigration application process is the medical examination. The stakes of negative medical assessment are high: people can be screened out of being eligible for immigrating to Canada. Informed by 19th-century health reasoning, Canadian federal immigration law is organized to exclude people with certain chronic illness, disability, and genetic otherness from permanently settling, deeming them a burden and risk to Canadian society.

Ultimately, the medical logic of immigration exclusion in the Canadian context is not self-evident, making it ripe terrain for social inquiry. In this thematic issue, we seek submissions from scholars and practitioners whose contributions advance knowledge in the humanities, social sciences and creative disciplines.

For more information, please find the full call for papers here.

EXTERNAL EVENTS

Berkeley Club of Canada Annual Summer Mixer

Wed., July 15 | 6:30 pm | Toronto, ON | RSVP

The Berkeley Club of Canada invites Canadian Bears to join them for their annual summer mixer in Toronto. Join other UC Berkeley alumni, students, and friends for an evening of connection and community! Whether you’re looking to network with fellow alumni, share advice with current students, or warmly welcome the newest Bears to the Cal family, this is the perfect opportunity to celebrate our shared Berkeley journey.

​Join UC Berkeley students, alumni, families, and friends for an evening of BBQ, drinks, connection, and Cal community in beautiful Kerrisdale. ​Whether you’ve been part of the Cal community for decades or are just beginning your Berkeley adventure, this is a chance to connect with fellow Bears over great food, drinks, and conversation.

We’ll have alumni sharing stories and advice, returning students reconnecting after the school year, and incoming students meeting people before arriving on campus this fall. It’s a fun way to build connections across the Cal community before another exciting year begins. ​Families are warmly welcome, and we especially hope current and incoming students will come and bring their Berkeley spirit. ​Expect good food, great conversations, and plenty of blue-and-gold energy. Please RSVP by July 17.

Canadian Studies Program

213 Philosophy Hall #2308

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