Chinese
Canadian National Council
For
Immediate Release: December 2, 2005
Chinese
Canadians Press Head Tax Redress Issue
TORONTO. The Chinese
Canadian National Council (CCNC) today called on all Party leaders to make
known their position regarding Head Tax redress during the election campaign.
CCNC and groups including the BC Coalition of Head Tax Payers, Spouses and
Descendants and the Ontario Coalition of Chinese Head Tax payers and Families
have organized a number of public events to protest the Government’s
failure to resolve this issue. Instead, Multiculturalism Minister Raymond Chan
chose to sign the Head Tax agreement (Chinese Canadians' Contribution to
Building Canada) on November 24, 2005. “We oppose this deal because it
offers no justice to the people who actually paid the Head Tax and suffered
under the Chinese Exclusion Act,” Colleen Hua, CCNC National President said
today. “The Liberal Government chose to ignore the 4000 redress claimants
who have registered with CCNC over the past 20 years. The 1 million strong
Chinese Canadian community, our allies and supporters will take note of the
various Party positions when voting on January 23rd.”
“I’m
amazed that Minister Chan would bungle this file so badly,” Sid Tan,
Co-ordinator of BC Coalition of Head Tax Payers, Spouses and Descendants.
“Some of the groups listed in the Government’s November 24th
news release are unaware that they are even on the list. Can the Prime Minister
please inform us how many groups have actually sent in a letter of support to
the Government?”
“The
Government has failed in its due diligence and this is how we end up with
Adscam,” Victor Wong, CCNC Executive Director said today.
“Canadians know better: we should never be seen to be profiting from
racism. The new Government should enter into a genuine process of
reconciliation to redress the Head Tax and Exclusion Act, especially now that
so few Head Tax payers and surviving spouses are alive.”
CCNC is a national
organization with 27 chapters across Canada. CCNC is joined in the
campaign for redress of the Head Tax and Chinese Exclusion Act by the Ontario
Coalition of Chinese Head Tax Payers and Families, BC Coalition of Head Tax
Payers Spouses and Descendants, Chinese Canadian Redress Alliance, the
Association of Chinese Canadians for Equality and Solidarity Society, and Metro
Toronto Chinese and South East Asian Legal Clinic.
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For more information, please contact:
Victor Wong, CCNC Executive Director at
(416) 977-9871
Sid Tan, (604) 433-6169; (604) 783-1853