Canada Gives Formal Apology for Chinese Head Tax
Sunday June 25, 2006
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper gave a formal apology on June 22, 2006 to the Chinese Canadian community for the use of a head tax and the exclusion of Chinese immigrants to Canada. The Prime Minister said "we fully accept the moral responsibility to acknowledge these shameful polices of our past."
More than 15,000 young Chinese men helped build the Canadian Pacific Railway under harsh conditions, but as soon as the railway was completed the men and their families were no longer wanted in Canada. In 1885 a head tax was put on Chinese immigrants to discourage them staying in Canada. The head tax continued to be raised over the years, and in 1923 Canada passed the Chinese Exclusion Act, which in effect stopped Chinese immigration to Canada for nearly a quarter of a century.
To add meaning to the apology, the Canadian government will give symbolic individual payments of $20,000 to living Chinese head tax payers and to living spouses of deceased payers. While about 80,000 Chinese immigrants paid the head tax, only about 30 are still alive. Several hundred widows of those who paid the head tax are also still alive. The federal government is also establishing a $24-million community historical recognition program to provide grant and contribution funding for related community projects.
Photo Source: Office of the Prime Minister
More on the Canadian Chinese Head Tax
Chinese Head Tax and the Chinese Exclusion Act in Canada
Speech by Prime Minister at Reception for Members of Chinese Community
History of Immigration to Canada
Comments
Hello
What a wonderful thing for the Prime mister to do. I remember reading a book about how Canada treated the Chinese. I think Canada was going to do something about this years ago and nothing was done.I don’t have any Chinese back ground but I’m proud to say I’m Canadian , now for sure . Way to GO !!!!!
chinese head tax was wrong and im not proud of it it was bullcrap and racist the chinese sould be pay $500,000 each canada sould not be proud of it and if anybody who’s racist sould be found and made pay a fine of $1,000,000 or be put in jail for the rest of ther life
Given that 80,000 Chinese paid the head tax, the symbolic individual payment of $20K to the 30 who are still alive and the few hundred widows who are now very elderly, doesn’t go far enough to recognize the indignity the tax had placed on these individuals and their families both here and abroad. A letter of apology as well as monies owing should also go to the estate of those individuals who have now passed away. Failure by our government to do so will only allow our politicians to wipe their hands clean of the 79,970+ immigrants who never lived to see this day. A $5M+ payout in todays dollars versus $40M+ collected in yester-years dollars doesn’t seem to go far enough. Do we really need to have a $24M community historical program? Today’s cultural communities are thriving and financially sound on their own merits. Besides, most are operated by people who have had no family members undergo the head tax. Perhaps the government needs to focus on the group of individuals affected by the head tax and and the generation it truly affected.
wow thiz was a great thing for the prime minister to do… But I’m American, was born in America but I hate this country and want to renounce my citienship and get a canadian citicenship…. I can’t wait…