Chinese Head Tax and Exclusion Act

In one line towards the end of the 2006 Speech From the Throne, the Conservative government said it will act in Parliament to offer a formal apology for the Chinese head tax. The government is in the process of consulting with the Canadian Chinese community to decide what form this apology will take.

The history of Chinese immigration to Canada is scarred by racism and discrimination. While Chinese labourers were welcome when needed to complete the dangerous portions of the Canadian Pacific Railway, the minute the national railway was finished, the government tried to get rid of them by imposing a head tax. Things got worse after World War I when the Canadian Chinese Exclusion Act banned Chinese immigration to Canada for nearly a quarter century.

Photo: Chinese Camp in Kamloops, B.C. 1868
Library and Archives Canada / C-016715

More on Chinese Immigration to Canada
Harper Mulls Head Tax Apology - CNEWS
Chinese Immigration to Canada - CBC Archives
History of Chinese in Canada - Speech by Senator Vivienne Poy
Chinese History and Immigration - About China Online