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The Redress
In 2006, the federal election for Canada was won by the Conservative Party, and Stephen Harper began formal discussions on the form of apology and redress on March 24, 2006. The apology was hoped to be issued before July 1, 2006, to show respect to the anniversary of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1923. After it being issued, sons and daughters of head tax payers were able to register with their certificates to claim $10 000 to $30 000 for an estimated 4 000 registrants. At the time, there were only an estimated 20 Chinese Canadian head tax payers who were still alive.
After the repeal of the Chinese Exclusion Act was repealed, many activists including Wong Foon Sien, a Chinese-Canadian journalist who devoted time into a number of civil and human rights organizations, began campaigning the federal government of Canada to seek redress for the head tax. In 1984, over 4 000 head tax payers and their family members approached the Chinese Canadian National Council (CCNC) and its member organizations across Canada to register their Head Tax certificates, and ask CCNC to represent them to the government for redress.
How did the Chinese Immigration Act resolve?
In 1947, Canada finally repealed the Chinese Exclusion Act, allowing Chinese to immigrate to Canada without a head tax, and allowing them to vote. Canada signed the United Nations' Charter of Human Rights at the end of the Second World War, which made them repeal the Chinese Exclusion Act, which contravened the United Nations' Charter. However, it took another twenty years until the points system was created for selecting immigrants in 1967, allowing Chinese to be recognized under the same criteria as any other applicants.
What challenges did the Chinese face?
Why did the Chinese Head Tax occur?
What was the Chinese Head Tax?
The Chinese Head Tax was a fixed fee of $50 (In 1885 value) to charge every Chinese immigrant, except for some with certain occupations or backgrounds, coming into Canada, which started when the Chinese Immigration Act of 1885 was passed through parliament.
The Chinese men who constructed the CPR, were facing very dangerous conditions when building, as many have died. Ones who did survive, however, did not make enough money to travel back over to their homeland, so instead they wanted to bring their families over to Canada, however when the head tax was created, their families had trouble entering .
Over periods of time, the head tax constantly increased, discouraging families from entering Canada. It changed in 1887, 1892, 1900, and 1904, to the point where Chinese had to pay $500 (1904 Value) per person. The Crown in Right of Canada had collected $33 million ($318 million today) from more than 81 000 head tax payers.
Head Tax Receipt - Every Chinese immigrant had to sign in order to enter Canada, paying a fee.
The Chinese Head Tax started after the completion of the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR), where Chinese men were brought to Canada to help construct the railway, for a pay as little as $27 and then $30 a month, minus the cost of food. Workers brought families over, and the Chinese population grew. After the CPR was completed, Canada did not have any reason to have any more Chinese immigrants, so they passed the Chinese Immigration Act of 1885 through parliament , to discourage the Chinese from entering Canada.
The Immigration Act of 1923 was passed on July 1st, which was known today as the Chinese Exclusion Act, to abolish the head tax, but instead, ban most forms of Chinese from immigrating to Canada except for diplomats, foreign students, or people who fell under the "Special Circumstance" section of Article 9 of the act. Since Dominion Day (Now known as Canada Day) occurs the same day as the enforcement of the Chinese Immigrations Act of 1923, Chinese-Canadians at the time referred it as "Humiliation Day," where every year the refuse to take part in the celebration, and instead, close all of their businesses.
1282
1885-1923
By Willie Pai