Canadians of Chinese origin
Canadians of Chinese origin
In May 1788, the British fur trader Captain John Meares arrived at Nootka Sound on Vancouver Island with 50 Chinese artisans who helped build a trading post. The following year, an additional 70 Chinese workers arrived to help build a fort and a schooner. With the discovery of gold in British Columbia in 1858, Chinese immigrants from San Francisco began arriving in the Fraser River Valley the following year. Later on, Barkerville, British Columbia was established as the first Chinese community in Canada.
Between 1881 and 1884, over 17,000 Chinese came to Canada to build the Canadian Pacific Railway, and later to maintain it. Several thousand came from the coastal areas of the United States where they had helped to build the American transcontinental railroad, but the majority arrived directly from southern China. The province of British Columbia already had a sizeable Chinese population and racism towards the Chinese was widespread. Media of the time often portrayed the Chinese cultural practices such as dress, living conditions and even funeral rites in a degrading way.
Since the beginning of the 20th century, Canadians of Chinese origin have mainly settled in urban areas and large cities. Chinatowns were developed in the 19th and 20th century, and they served as major hubs for businesses and family life for many Canadians of Chinese origin. Unfortunately, well into the 1930s, restrictive legislation in some cities inhibited Canadians of Chinese origin from investing in properties outside of the Chinatown area.
Legislation targeting Chinese immigrants
Through the Chinese Immigration Act of 1885, a $50 head tax was imposed on every Chinese person seeking entry into Canada, marking a period of legislative anti-Chinese racism. The head tax followed the building and completion of the Canadian Pacific Railway (1881-85), which brought Chinese workers to Canada. These workers were needed as a labour force but not deemed desirable as citizens because of their origins. The head tax was raised to $100 in 1900 and $500 in 1903 in further attempts to make immigration prohibitive for Chinese individuals. Additionally, the Electoral Franchise Actof 1885 disenfranchised all immigrants of Chinese origin, making them ineligible to vote in federal elections.
Despite the head tax, Chinese immigrants continued to come to Canada. In 1923, the Canadian Parliament passed the Chinese Immigration Act on July 1, Dominion Day. The Act is commonly referred to as the “Chinese Exclusion Act,” because it virtually restricted all Chinese immigration to Canada by narrowly defining the acceptable categories of Chinese immigrants, and prevented many residents from reuniting with their families. Since the Act was passed on Dominion Day, the Chinese Canadian Community called it “Humiliation Day,” as this Act was perceived as the ultimate form of humiliation.
The Chinese Immigration Act, 1923, was repealed in 1947. During the years the Act was in force, fewer than 50 Chinese were allowed to come to Canada.
Apology in the House of Commons
On June 22, 2006, the Government of Canada apologized in the House of Commons to head-tax payers, their families and the Chinese Canadian community.
Montreal Chinese Hospital
The Montreal Chinese Hospital began in 1918, Mother (Superior) Mary of the Holy Spirit, of the Sisters of the Immaculate Conception set up a temporary facility to meet the medical needs of the Chinese community during the influenza epidemic. A year later, the Chinese community, with support from the Sisters of the Immaculate Conception, acquired a former synagogue and converted it into a hospital which officially opened in 1920. By 1962, the hospital building had become outdated and following a successful fundraising campaign, a new facility was opened in 1965. In 1971, the Montreal Chinese Hospital became public and served as a long-term care hospital with an outpatient clinic offering a variety of medical services. In 1999, the Montreal Chinese Hospital opened its current 128-bed hospital, which offers services that are particularly adapted to people with Chinese or Southeast Asian backgrounds.
（https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/campaigns/asian-heritage-month/important-events.html）
17 5 月, 2019
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Posted in: 中国梦人民梦, 中国疆域, 中加节日, 多元文化
