Abstract/Description
This article builds upon previous claims about the nature of American emigration to Canada during the Vietnam War by analyzing its economic incentives. Special attention is paid to job opportunities offered by Canada, coupled with the lack of economic flexibility given to draft-age American males, especially those who were college educated. Both of these factors played a role in the mass emigration to Canada during the war. Primary sources convincing me of this thesis include data released by Manpower and Immigration Canada, quotes from draft-age men living during the Vietnam War, a 1969 speech given by the Minister of Manpower and Immigration, statistics from the US Census Bureau, the 1966 White Paper on Immigration, and a 1964 National Opinion Research Survey. Secondary sources include The Northern Passage by John Hagan, The Working-Class War by Christian Appy, both Strangers At Our Gates and Forging Our Legacy by Valerie Knowles, and a 1988 study published by the Research Triangle Institute. Using these sources, the article highlights how Canada was an ideal destination not only for political reasons, but for economic reasons as well. In effect, this adds complexity to the group known as “draft dodgers” by emphasizing their drive to seek financial opportunities across the border.
Recommended Citation
Quirk, Lucienne
(2021).
The Vietnam Brain Drain: An Exodus of Educated Americans to Canada.
Undergraduate Review, 16, 34-41.
Available at: https://vc.bridgew.edu/undergrad_rev/vol16/iss2/7
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Articles published in The Undergraduate Review are the property of the individual contributors and may not be reprinted, reformatted, repurposed or duplicated, without the contributor’s consent.