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The Chinese Experience in British Columbia

Article taken from the website “UBC Library” http://www.library.ubc.ca/chineseinbc/early.html

Early Immigration

Chinese immigration into British Columbia began in the 1850s with the discovery of gold in the Fraser valley. Many of these early Chinese immigrants came from the Southern provinces of Guangdong (Kwangtung) and Fujian (Fukien). The majority of the Chinese population was men.

Chinese came from not only China , but also different parts of the world, too, including the United States, which had drawn to California a few years earlier also because of gold. In fact, the first migrants had sailed to San Francisco, but reports of the discovery of gold in British Columbia in the May of 1858 had redirected some of them to Victoria. As gold fields depleted in British Columbia, Chinese miners moved into other occupations such as gardening, farming, domestic service, road construction and then as railway builders.

In 1859, the first Chinese arrived directly from Hong Kong and the following year some 4,000 Chinese immigrants landed at Victoria. However, not all Chinese arrived by sea, as some had entered British Columbia by moving overland from the present state of Oregon. As pioneer Chinese Families first settled in British Columbia, they gradually moved across Canada.

Head Tax

In 1923, the federal Liberal government prohibited Chinese immigration completely with the passage of the Chinese Immigration Act. Not only did the Chinese become the only people that Canada specifically excluded on the basis of race, over the next 25 years, other laws against the Chinese were passed.

Because most occupations excluded Chinese, many opened their own restaurant and laundry businesses. Since laws in British Columbia prohibited Chinese from hiring white workers, most Chinese businesses became Chinese-only.

Even before the CPR was completed, many among the white population feared that the unemployed Chinese workers would not only take jobs away from the general population, but ultimately make their permanent residences in Canada by bringing their wives and children to settle in Canada.

The result was the 1885 Act to Restrict and Regulate Chinese Immigration and its head tax system. It stipulated that Chinese immigrants had to pay $10 for the right to land in Canada. Directed at not only Chinese workers already in Canada, but ultimately to future Chinese immigration, the tax was later raised to $50 in 1896, $100 in 1901, and finally to $500 in 1903.

Life was even more difficult for the Chinese than it was for other Canadians during the Great Depression. Because the Head Tax and the Chinese Exclusion Act did not permit immigration from China, Chinese males had to endure these hardships alone, without the companionship of their wives and children.

After many years of organized calls for an official Canadian government public apology and redress to the historic Head tax, the Canadian government announced an official apology on June 22, 2006, in which Prime Minister Stephen Harper's speech called the Tax a "grave injustice."

Chinese Exclusion Act

The Chinese Immigration Act of 1923, often referred to as the Chinese Exclusion Act, effectively closed off Chinese immigration to Canada . Although immigration from most countries was controlled or restricted in some way, only the Chinese were so completely prohibited from immigrating.

Before 1923, Chinese immigration was already heavily controlled by the Chinese Immigration Act of 1885, which head tax on all immigrants from China . Established on July 1, 1923, the Act had banned Chinese immigrants from entering Canada except merchants, diplomats, and foreign students.

However, not only were Chinese from China banned, ethnic Chinese with British nationality were also restricted from entering Canada. Since Dominion Day coincided with the enforcement of the Chinese Immigration Act, Chinese-Canadians at the time referred to the anniversary of Confederation as “Humiliation Day” and refused to take any part in the celebration. To protest The Chinese Exclusion Act, Chinese-Canadians closed their businesses and boycotted Dominion Day celebrations every July 1.

It was not until 1947 that Canada finally repealed the Chinese Exclusion Act. Because Canada signed the United Nations' Charter of Human Rights at the conclusion of the Second World War, the Canadian government had to repeal the Chinese Exclusion Act, which contravened the UN Charter. Chinese-Canadians were finally granted the right to vote in federal elections. However, it took another twenty years until the points system was adopted for selecting immigrants in 1967 that the Chinese could be admitted under the same criteria as any other applicants.

Selected Articles from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR)

Article 1

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

Article 16

3) The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the State.

Article 22

Everyone, as a member of society, has the right to social security and is entitled to realization, through national effort and international co-operation and in accordance with the organization and resources of each State, of the economic, social and cultural rights indispensable for his dignity and the free development of his personality.

Article 23

1)  Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favourable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment.