Support for Head Tax Redress

A BACKGROUNDER

History of Chinese Immigration in Canada

Chinese immigration to Canada began around 1858 in response to the gold rush in British Columbia. When the Canadian Pacific Railway was constructed between 1881 and 1885, however, Chinese were brought in from China to help build the railway. Between 1881 and 1884, over 15,000 Chinese came to Canada. About 6,500 of these were employed directly by the CPR.

The Chinese Head Tax and Exclusion Act

As soon as the CPR was completed, the Federal Government moved to restrict the immigration of Chinese to Canada. The first federal anti-Chinese bill was passed in 1885. It took the form of a Head tax of $50 imposed, with few exceptions, upon every person of Chinese origin entering the country. No other group was targeted in this way.

The Head Tax was increased to $100 in 1900 and to $500 in 1903. $500 was equivalent to two years wages of a Chinese labour at the time. Meanwhile, Chinese were denied Canadian citizenship. In all, the Federal Government collected $23 million from the Chinese through the Head Tax.

Despite the Head Tax, Chinese immigrants continued to come to Canada. In 1923, the Canadian Parliament passed the Chinese Immigration Act excluding all but a few Chinese immigrants from entering Canada. Between 1923 and 1947 when the Chinese Exclusion Act was repealed, less than 50 Chinese were allowed to come to Canada. Passed on July 1, 1923, Dominion Day, this law was perceived by the Chinese Canadian community as the ultimate form of humiliation. The Chinese Canadian community called this "Humiliation Day" and refused to celebrate Dominion Day for years to come.


CHINESE HEAD TAX AND EXCLUSION ACT REDRESS:

As social justice, human rights and equity seeking individual and groups, we are writing to you to oppose Bill C-333 the so-called Immigrants of Chinese Origin Exclusionary Measures Recognition Act" and to offer our collective advice as to how to start the process of reconciliation.

The initial intended purpose of Bill C-333, as we understand it, is to recognize the contributions made by Chinese Canadians to the building of our nation, and to provide some form of redress for the decades of injustices wrought against the Chinese Canadian community which are embodied in the head tax on Chinese immigrants, from 1885 to 1923, and the Chinese Exclusion Act (1923-1947).

Yet in its present form, Bill C-333 not only fails to provide full acknowledgement and reparations for the injustice, but indeed adds further insult to those who are the direct victims of the 62 years of legislated racism by removing all language of reconciliation and reparations and by silencing head tax families.

For 20 years, Head Tax payers and their families have fought for redress with the support of organizations such as the Chinese Canadian National Council. Recently, the payers and descendents have formed the Ontario Coalition of Chinese Head Tax Payers and Families with a goal to engage the government in the reconciliation process. Their call for justice has thus far fallen on deaf ears. At one million strong, the Chinese Canadian community is currently the largest non-English/non-French community in Canada. It is only natural that the community of this size does not speak with one voice on any issue, let alone an issue that carries such a significant historical baggage. Rather than dealing with the community call for redress as a human rights issue, the Canadian Government has hidden behind the "split" in the Chinese Canadian community as an excuse for the Government's refusal to live up to its moral obligation for redress.

Bill C-333 takes this "divide and conquer" tactic one step further by naming a single group, the National Congress of Chinese Canadians, as the Governments sole negotiating partner in respect of measures that may be taken to recognize the imposition of those exclusionary measures.

Selecting one group to represent the interests and aspirations of a vastly diverse population runs counter to the principles of democracy. This is so especially since the group is chosen precisely because of its willingness to agree with the stated Government policy of "no apology" and "no individual redress".

Insisting that Canadians of the same racial background to speak with one voice is patronizing and fundamentally undermines all our decades of work to eradicate racist attitudes. The government must retract this approach immediately.

The cost of redress both politically and financially can only grow with the failure of Government to deal in good faith to correct past wrongs. Commemorative plaques, stamps and unspecified public education programs are simply inadequate to compensate for decades of family separation and economic hardship suffered by the Head Tax payers and their families.

On such a complex and important issue we strongly urge the Government to rethink its position and engage the whole Chinese Canadian community - especially those who have been directly affected by the Chinese Head Tax and Exclusion Act - to find a full and appropriate acknowledgement of past injustices and redress.