On April 10, 1978, the Immigration Act was passed by Pierre Trudeau of the Liberal Government of Canada. This piece of legislation had three main objectives. He promoted the reunification of families who had been separated by immigration, accepted persecuted people for humanitarian value to the nation, and strengthened a currently strong and vital economy in Canada. The Immigration Act of 1978 delineated three distinguishable classes of immigrants: Independent, Family, and Refugee. To be accepted, the independent class had to meet a new points system, which allowed immigrants to score in each category: education, skills, language and resources. The Family Class was primarily aimed at immigrants with immediate family members who were already living in Canada as citizens or permanent residents. This unprecedented act primarily allowed a humanitarian category for refugees. The Immigration Act of 1978 impacted Canada in that it allowed nations to strengthen their economies and populations, provided for the ethnic composition of the population, and fulfilled Canada's obligations to refugees. The Immigration Act of 1978 had a revolutionary effect on Canada's society and economy. This act had an impact on the size and composition of the population. The annual population increased from 22,809,000 in 1974 to 29,303,000 in 1995. This strengthened the pre-existing tendency of the rural population to move to cities, where industrial flourishing brought abundant job opportunities. As past censuses attest, new immigrants to Canada began with wages equivalent to about 80% of the wages of native-born citizens. However, over a period of 10 to 20 years, the average wage of newly arrived immigrants has reached or exceeded the median average, like that of the Boat People. The Immigration Act of 1978 had a very positive impact on Canada. Works Cited “Immigration Policy in Canada: History. Administration and debates Mapleleafweb.com.” http://www.mapleleafweb.com/features/immigration-policy-canada-history-administration-and-debates (accessed December 29, 2011). Ninette Kelley and MJ Trebicock, The Making of the Mosaic: a History of Canadian Immigration Politics. (Toronto: University of Toronto Press 1998).“ Immigration Policy in Canada: History. Administration and debates l Mapleleafweb.com.” http://www.mapleleafweb.com/features/immigration-policy-canada-history-administration-and-debates (accessed December 29, 2011). McDonald, Ted, In Canadian Immigration: Economic Evidence for a Dynamic Policy Environment. (Montréal, Quebec: McGill-Queen University Press, 2010), 128-134.