As Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, Fairclough introduced regulations on January 19, 1962 that ended overt racial discrimination in Canada's immigration policy.
On January 19, 1962, Ellen Fairclough, then serving as Minister of Citizenship and Immigration in the Diefenbaker government, introduced sweeping new immigration regulations that eliminated overt racial discrimination from the criteria used to select immigrants to Canada.
Prior to this reform, Canadian immigration policy had long been shaped by explicit racial and national-origin preferences that favored applicants from Britain, the United States, and Western Europe while severely restricting or excluding immigrants from Asia, Africa, and other regions. Fairclough's 1962 regulations shifted the emphasis toward individual qualifications — education, skills, and training — rather than race, ethnicity, or country of origin, effectively beginning the dismantling of the so-called "White Canada" immigration policy.
While the reform did not go as far as the fully points-based system introduced later in 1967, it is widely regarded by historians as the crucial first step that set Canada on the path toward the more open, non-discriminatory immigration framework the country is known for today. It also reflected Fairclough's broader legacy as a minister willing to challenge entrenched, discriminatory institutional practices.
This reform stands among the most consequential legislative achievements of Fairclough's Cabinet career, with effects still felt in Canada's contemporary multicultural immigration system. It cemented her reputation not only as a pioneering woman in politics but as a substantive policy reformer.