Event: Asians, First Nations and the History of the Vote in British Columbia
A Panel Discussion About the History of Exclusion and How It Has Impacted British Columbians
It's the 150th Anniversary of the founding of the colony of British Columbia. But First Nations people have only been voting for 48 years since 1960, Canadians of Japanese ancestry for 59 yeras since 1949, and Canadians of Chinese ancestry for 61 years since 1947. What took so long?
Come check out the following event and find out why.
Okay… I will try NOT to use the “R” word.
This should be an interesting panel discussion. Patricia Roy's book The Triumph of Citizenship: The Japanese and Chinese in Canada, 1941-67
was a BC Book Prize non-ficition nominee for 2008.
Larry Grant can be quite funny – he has a very witty sense of humour. He just did the First Nations greeting for the Chinese Canadian Military Museum 10th Anniversary Dinner on Friday Night – I would love to have him as a guest for the the Gung Haggis Fat Choy dinner in 2009.
Location: Vancouver Public Library
Alma VanDusen & Peter Kaye Rooms, Lower Level
350 West Georgia Street
Time: 7:30 – 9:00 pm
Speakers:
Ms. Lily Chow (author), Ms. Masako Fukawa (writer/teacher), Mr. Larry
Grant (Musqueam First Nation), Mr. Harb Gill (Komagata Maru
Foundation), Professor Patricia Roy (University of Victoria)
Until
the mid-20th century Asians and First Nations were not allowed to vote
in British Columbia. It wasn’t until 1947 and 1949 respectively, that
citizens of Chinese and Japanese descent were granted the right to
vote, and only in 1960 was the same right granted to people of First
Nations descent.
Come hear five renowned British Columbia
academics, writers, authors, and activists discuss the significance of
the granting of the vote in British Columbia to minority groups and how
this exclusion of rights has affected British Columbia.