A trio of British Columbia MPs have put forward a number of initiatives aimed at preserving the history and legacy of Chinese Canadians. They also want redress, recognition and apologies from the federal government for the sacrifices the early Chinese Canadians made in building the CPR, as well as for the discrimination and racism they suffered here.

Libby Davies, MP for Vancouver East, wants parliament to officially acknowledge the injustices against Chinese Canadians created by the “Head Tax,” introduced in 1885, and the Chinese Exclusion Act passed in 1923. The Act was only repealed in 1947.

The Chinese Canadian National Congress has approximately 4,000 claims from either survivors or family members of survivors who paid the Head Tax. Davies would like to see financial compensation awarded. One hundred years ago the Head Tax was $500; the equivalent today would be about $31,000.

But Chinese Canadians and the MPs who represent them want much more than just money from the federal government. A myriad of Chinese groups across the country have been trying for years to get recognition and apologies for their difficult history in our country. With the 2005 federal budget including mention of initiatives to “preserve heritage,” and with a minority government in power, now seems like the right time to press these issues harder.

The history of the Chinese in British Columbia is rumored to date back as far as 1788, when a British explorer landed at Nootka Sound with dozens of Chinese carpenters from Macao. By the time of Canadian confederation, when China’s last dynasty was in turmoil and the country was plagued by famines, more and more Chinese men were immigrating to Canada, being either forced or kidnapped, or looking to fund a better life for their families back home. They were welcomed to the west coast to help build the Canadian Pacific Railway, working harder and being paid half as much as white Canadians.

But when the railway was completed in 1885, anti-Chinese racism flourished. The Canadian government launched a Royal Commission Report into the Chinese question, collecting evidence on the Chinese community to gauge whether a head tax would be justified. Some experts testified that the Chinese would invariably corrupt the morals of society with gambling, prostitution, and opium (an addiction first imposed on the Chinese by the British). Others argued that, with their traditional Confucian values, the Chinese were of much higher moral quality than their Caucasian counterparts.

One thing was sure, though: the Chinese could work harder, longer hours for a fraction of the pay that English Canadians demanded, and were thus coming to dominate several industries. In 1885, the Canadian government decided to implement a $50 head tax on all Chinese, mostly as a means to appease white workers and ease the growing anti-Chinese racism in British Columbia.

	MP Bill Siksay (www.parl.gc.ca)

When the fine was still not enough to stop the flow of Chinese to Canada, it was raised to $100, then $500. In 1923, the Chinese Exclusion Act was passed, allowing only an extremely small number of Chinese to move to Canada and leaving tens of thousands of Chinese men isolated from their families for a period of at least 24 years, with no hope of reunion. The act was repealed after World War II.

Bill Siksay, MP for Burnaby-Douglas, said, “we have to have memory of our history in this country; the good history and the bad history.” Siksay believes the need for government recognition of the wrongs committed against the Chinese in Canada is “fundamental”. He says that redressing the problem “helps us remember and helps us do better in the future when we are dealing with other issues.”

Siksay has put forward a private members motion to preserve the two key Chinese Canadian historical gold rush towns of Barkerville and Quesnel Forks in BC. He does not want to see them forgotten or degraded.

	MP Peter Julian (www.parl.gc.ca)

A third initiative in the MP’s multi-pronged thrust at the federal government is support for a “Heroes of Confederation” project to recognize the contribution of the early Chinese laborers toward building the Canadian Pacific Railway. In British Columbia, 700 Chinese workers died from causes of starvation, exposure to the elements, and treacherous working conditions while blasting through mountain passes.

Peter Julian, M.P. for Burnaby-New Westminister would like to see an exhibition of this part of Canadian history, and a museum to be built in the City of Kamloops.

Libby Davies admits that the federal government maintain the position that redress for Chinese Canadians will act as a “floodgate” for other issues. Julian strongly disagrees, and demands the issue be dealt with “on its merit.”