Today we celebrate Canada's 140th birthday. This year marks a number of important anniversaries for the Chinese Canadian community including the 60th anniversary of the Repeal of the Chinese Exclusion Act.

July 1st: What It Means To Be Canadian

by Colleen Hua, National President, Chinese Canadian National Council 

Today we celebrate Canada's 140th birthday. This year marks a number of important anniversaries for the Chinese Canadian community including the 60th anniversary of the Repeal of the Chinese Exclusion Act (see list below). It's also been one year since the historic June 22, 2006 Parliamentary Apology for the Chinese Head Tax, Newfoundland Head Tax and Chinese Exclusion Act. 

I recall the anticipation and excitement with our seniors and their families last year as we made our way up to Ottawa aboard the Redress Express train. After clearing security at Cente Block, I remember finding my seat in the public gallery of the House of Commons surrounded by Head Tax payers, spouses, their family members, and activists from across Canada. It was Question Period and MPs were shouting each other down. But then, at 3:00pm, the House fell silent as the Speaker recognized Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who rose in his place and started to speak. 

When Prime Minister Harper said "Canada doe heep" (Canada apologizes), the House of Commons and public gallery on all sides erupted in sustained applause and a standing ovation. There was a collective sigh of relief, tears and jubilation from the families and activists who had waited years and decades for these words. Leaders of the other three parties: Hon. Bill Graham, Mr. Gilles Duceppe and Hon. Jack Layton also delivered statements. 

It finally felt right for us to call ourselves “Canadians”.   

The Parliamentary Apology acknowledged for the first time, the impact of legislated racism and the hardships it placed on our seniors and their families. This year, we marked the one-year anniversary of the Parliamentary Apology with events at Toronto City Hall where Mayor Miller proclaimed Chinese Canadian Head Tax Redress Day and at the Ontario Legislature where Minister Mike Colle received our seniors, their families and community organizations.  

So many of the Chinese Head Tax payers and spouses have passed away without hearing the Parliamentary Apology but we are grateful for the support over the years from countless Members of Parliament and Senators, other elected officials, our allies and Canadians. We appreciate the efforts of public servants who worked hard to quickly implement the redress announcement. One year later, about 50 Head Tax payers and 600 spouses have applied for the redress payments and a total of 220 payments have already been issued.  

Redress is about reconciliation, total reconciliation.  Unfortunately, last year’s announcement only has real impact on living head tax payers and surviving spouses of deceased head tax payers; it excludes some 3000 head tax families where both the head tax payer and spouse have passed away. The CCNC will continue to seek a just and honourable resolution that includes these families because they were also directly affected by the Chinese Head Tax, Newfoundland Head Tax and Chinese Exclusion Act.  

The Government is also poised to announce the details of a community education fund with a specific allocation to the Chinese Canadian community. It is fundamentally important that these funds be used exclusively for the benefit of the head tax families and not be used for projects that can be funded from other government sources.  The funds dedicated to the Chinese Canadian community as part of the government’s redress package, should not be used for anything but projects that speak to the experience of the head tax payers and their families so that we may begin to bring closure to this painful chapter in Canadian history.   

On Canada Day, we want to especially remember two individuals who were icons of the redress campaign over the past year: Mr. Ralph Lee of Pickering Ontario and Mrs. Quon Chung Shee Der of Vancouver, who passed away back in March 2007. Mr. Ralph Lee rode the Redress Express with us, he carried the Last Spike, he was one of six surviving Head Tax payers to receive the Parliamentary Apology directly from the Prime Minister, and he was presented with his redress payment on his 107th Birthday surrounded by his loving family. Mrs. Der became the face of our campaign and she met Prime Minister Harper in May 2006.  She sat right beside him at a community meeting and extracted a promise from him that his Government would move quickly to resolve this issue. Mrs. Der was the first spouse to receive her redress payment. 

The story of the Head Tax payers and their families is a uniquely Canadian one. On this Canada Day, we remember our history, we celebrate our heroes and heroines, and we commit ourselves to building a stronger Canadian society.  

On this Canada Day, we can finally reflect on what it means to be Canadian.  

Key Dates in 2007  

February 23, 2007:       120 year anniversary of the Anti-Chinese Riot in Vancouver

April 17, 2007:               25 year anniversary of Charter of Rights

May 14, 2007:               60 year anniversary of repeal of Chinese Exclusion Act

June 10, 2007:               50 year anniversary of election of Douglas Jung, MP

June 22, 2007:              One year Anniversary of Head Tax Parliamentary Apology

July 1, 2007:                 140 years of Confederation

September 7, 2007:      100 year anniversary of Anti-Asian Riot in Vancouver

October 1, 2007:            40 years of independent immigration (points) system 

-30- 

For more information, please contact: Victor Wong, (416) 977-9871