Why were they pulled to Canada ?

Canada “pulled” (attracted) many of the 1847 migrants because it was the cheapest, shortest, and quickest way to North America at that time. As part of the British Empire, Canada could not refuse entry to Irish immigrants who were legally British citizens. Some immigrants were refused entry to the United States and shiploads diverted to Canada. Famine migration has overshadowed earlier Irish immigration to Canada. Before 1847, Irish Catholics as well as Irish Protestants were firmly established in town and countryside along the St. Lawrence River Valley, the Ottawa Valley, and Lake Ontario. Migrants went inland because that is where the jobs were.

“Letters home” from earlier immigrants such as Sir John A. MacDonald’s servant in Kingston, contained money and hope for some 1847 immigrants. More importantly, Canada had an expanding economy and needed labour in agriculture, timber, and construction. Canada could not absorb all the increase in population. The United States was even larger than Canada so most immigrants continued their journey over the border and into that country. Many worked on this journey, then continued when the job ended or when they had enough money to rejoin relatives and friends from home. Emigration was a process over time. The 1847 migrants sent money home to encourage future generations of Irish to settle in Canada.