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November 18, 2005
Defining Reparations: Canada's Chinese Head Tax
It would appear the fight for redress over the Chinese Head Tax has scored its first victory. The federal government has agreed to pay $12.5 million toward the development of a Chinese Canadian Community Foundation. The deal was negotiated with the National Congress of Chinese Canadians.
A quick history lesson: Chinese immigrants were instrumental in the construction of one of Canada's greatest achievements: the Canadian Pacific Railway. Most historians agree the CPR was one of the great steps toward unifying the nation.
Upon completion of the railway, Canada imposed a $50 head tax on Chinese immigrants (1885). In 1903, the amount was raised to $500 -- equivalent to about two years wages. And if that weren't enough, in 1923 the government imposed the Exclusion Act. The Exclusion Act barred Chinese immigrants from entering the country altogether, effectively preventing Chinese workers from reuniting with their families left back in China. The Act was repealed in 1947. In total, the Canadian goverment collected over $23 million in head taxes.
There is however opposition to the recent agreement. Organizations such as the Chinese Canadian National Council (CCNC) and the Ontario Coalition of Head Tax Payers and Families feel this move toward redress is far from satisfactory. They argue the deal does not compensate individual families, nor contain the necessary apology language. It would appear the fight for full redress continues.
If you'd like to learn more about this dark period in Canadian history, you should check out the documentary film In The Shadow Of Gold Mountain.
You can also learn more by visiting the Chinese Canadian National Council (CCNC)
Posted by Jason at November 18, 2005 9:48 AM
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