Harvey Lee, Margaret Mitchell and Cynthia Lam, outside Via Rail seeing off the Head Tax Redress Express – photo Todd Wong
Monthly Archives: June 2006
Mary Mah carries “Last Spike” with Mary Woo Sims to board the Redress Express to Ottawa – photo Todd Wong
Head Tax Redress Train leaves Vancouver this afternoon
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Head Tax Redress Train leaves Vancouver this afternoon
Here's a report on the Redress Train ceremony in Vancouver, which took place in Thornton Park across from the VIA Rail Station. It's written by Victor Wong, with my edits.
It was a wonderful send-off from Vancouver this afternoon. there was a huge turnout of supporters and media including: Margaret Mitchell, former MP, Vancouver East, Libby Davies, MP, Vancouver East and Charlie Quan, one of the last surviving head tax payers.
ACCESS and BC Coalition (a big Thanks to Mary-Woo for coordinating, Sid
for site coordination)
Victor Wong, executive director of the Chinese Canadian National Council was the MC.
Highlights included:
* Introductions for Margaret Mitchell, who first brought up the Head Tax redress issue in Parliament back in 1984, and Libby Davies who brought it up again recently.
* Sean Gunn performed his song “Ballad of Gim Wong”
* Introduce Charlie Quan, head tax payer
* Introduce delegates on the train,
* Introduced Susan Eng of Toronto, Co-Chair of the Ontario Coalition of Chinese Head Tax Payers and Families. Susan is one of the architects of the CCNC redress campaign.
* Introduce members of BC Coalition to step forward and Mary-Woo spoke for the group
* Todd Wong performed “This Train is Bound for (Redress) Glory)” (back up singers inluced Victor Wong, Cynthia Lam, Harvey Lee and many others)
* We took a picture with “the Last Spike…” – a commemorative replica presented to the Redress campaign by Pierre Berton.
Then media followed the train contingent into the train station
A number of media will be accompanying them: Fairchild TV, Ming Pao,
Sing Tao, Ian Mulgrew of the Vancouver Sun
When the train stops in Edmonton, Mary Mah will hand off the Last Spike
To another HT payer who will take it to Toronto who will hand it off to
James Pon who will hand it off to PM Stephen Harper in Ottawa.
see the press release below….
June 15, 2006
For Immediate Release
Head Tax Payer, Spouse and Descendants Leave for Ottawa on the Redress
Train
A head tax payer, a spouse of a head tax payer, and descendants of head tax payers all set off from Vancouver today on a cross Canada journey by rail. Many Chinese workers died helping to build the Trans Canada Railway. When Chinese labour was no longer needed, governments in Canada enacted racist legislation to keep the Chinese from immigrating to Canada (that made their lives even harder). The Government of Canada imposed the Chinese Head Tax and then the Chinese Exclusion Act which separated families for decades.
“This is an emotional journey for me. I am the great-grandson of a Canadian Pacific Railway construction worker and a descendant of two head tax payers and a fourth generation immigrant. Because of the Exclusion Act, our family was not allowed into Canada to join my father and I did not see him for 13 years” said Howe Chan one of the passengers on the Redress Train.
“I’m glad that we will soon see closure on this dark chapter of Canadian history” said Ray Chang, son of a head tax payer. “Many families suffered because of the head tax and the Exclusion Act including mine.”
“Last year, I rode my motorcycle to Ottawa to try to meet with then Prime Minister Paul Martin to get him to resolve this issue once and for all and he wouldn’t meet with me,” said Gim Wong, son of a head tax payer and Air Force Veteran. “This year, I get to take the train to Ottawa with my wife with me and meet the Prime Minister who will finally apologize for the head tax and Exclusion Act. I can’t wait to hear it.”
“This train journey will remind Canadians of the contributions of early Chinese Canadian pioneers, thousands of whom gave their lives in blasting through the Rockies to build the national railroad” said Susan Eng, Co-Chair of the Ontario Coalition of Chinese Head Tax Payers and Families who will ride the Redress Train with her mother Chuey Eng, the spouse of a head tax payer.
“Descendants of the railway workers will bring the ceremonial Last Spike with us back to the Railway Committee Room of the House of Commons in Ottawa where the decision to build the railroad was made”.
Those departing on the Redress Train from Vancouver are:
Mary Mah (Head Tax Payer) & support person
Chuey Eng and Susan Eng, Spouse and Descendant of a Head Tax Payer
Gim and Jan Wong (Son of 2 Head Tax Payers and his spouse)
Ray and Foon Chang (Son of a Head Tax Payer and his spouse)
Howe Chan (Great grandson of a CPR worker and son of two head tax
payers)
-30-
For further information:
BC Coalition of Head Tax Payers, Spouses & Descendants
Karin Lee 778-773-1088
Gabriel Yiu 604-889-0696
ACCESS (Association of Chinese Canadians for Equality and Solidarity
Society)
Sid Chow Tan 604-783-1853
Head Tax Payers, Spouses and Descendants to Begin Redress Train Ride To Ottawa
This will be a historic event. I will be bringing my accordion to help lead singalongs of “This Train is Bound for Redress”, “People Get Ready (There's a Train A-Coming), and maybe “Chinatown My Chinatown” – which Gim Wong and I have wanted to sing together for awhile.
Media Advisory: For Immediate Release June 15, 2006
Head Tax Payers, Spouses and Descendants to Begin Redress Train Ride To Ottawa
Vancouver
BC:
BC:
Nine people will set off from Vancouver to ride the train from
Vancouver to Ottawa to hear the Government of Canada's apology of the
imposition of the Chinese Head Tax and Chinese Exclusion Act. These
people, who are head tax payers, spouses and descendants will be
setting off from the VIA Rail station in Vancouver at 1015 Station
Street (Main St & Terminal).
There will be an event before they
depart to wish them well and they will be available for interviews.
Members of the community and representatives from ACCESS, BC Coalition
of Head Tax Payers, Spouses and Descendants will be there as well as
the “Last Spike” that was driven in to complete the Trans Canada
Railway. The Last Spike was donated by noted author, Pierre Berton to
bring attention to the Chinese labourers who helped build the railway
and then were so poorly treated by the government of Canada.
Where: Thornton Park
Directly Opposite the VIA Rail Station (1015 Station St. Main & Terminal) Vancouver
When: 4 pm, Friday, June 16, 2006
ACCESS
is a not-for-profit anti-racism, human rights and social justice
society as well as a community television corporation. It is an
affiliate of the Chinese Canadian National Council and a member of
the
National Anti-Racism Council of Canada and STATUS Coalition. ACCESS
works with other equality seeking organizations to fight racism and
discrimination, to advance the rights of citizens and migrants living
in Canada and to press the federal government to redress the Chinese
Head Tax and Exclusion Acts.
The BC Coalition of Head Tax
Payers, Spouses and Descendents are today's Chinese Canadians. Of
various ages, from all walks of life, all have one thing in common.
They understand the injustice and
suffering, hardship and sacrifices
due to more than six decades (1885 to 1947) of legislated racial
discrimination targeted specifically at the Chinese in Canada. Given
the responsibility for identifying over
2,000 head
tax claimant files in Greater Vancouver, it seeks justice and honour
for our Chinese adventurers and pioneers. We want the government to
acknowledge their wrongs by offering head tax payers, spouses and
their families a rightful apology and symbolic redress (including
individual tax refund) so all Canadians will recognize this
distinguished thread in the Canadian fabric.
CCNC is a national
human rights organization with 27 chapters across Canada. Established
in 1979, it has campaigned since 1984 with other redress-seeking groups
including the BC Coalition of Head Tax Payers, Spouses and Descendants
(BC Coalition), Association of Chinese Canadians for Equality and
Solidarity (ACCESS), Ontario Coalition of Chinese Head Tax Payers and
Families (Ontario Coalition), and Chinese Canadian Redress Alliance
(CCRA) for Chinese head-tax and exclusion redress.
– 30
–
Contact: Karin Lee and Harvey Lee (BC Coalition of Head Tax Payers, Spouses and Descendants)
Nicola Lambrechts VIA Rail 604-970-9113
ADBF reminder for the dragon boat festival
Hello everybody...
please read through the race reminders
- just sent to me from the race registrar.
Please check the www.adbf.com website
for a list of activities for the weekend.
Can we ask veteran paddlers to mentor / guide / show around
the rookie paddlers - please no hazing (we don't do that stuff).
Please embrace the "Ohana" spirit - Hawaiian word for "family"
soon we will have our Hawaiian Luau at Gail's place and Julie
will teach us Polynesian dancing... we will eat Kahlua pig, poi,
and watch Lilo and Stitch, and learn to talk in Hawaiian pee-jun English
Marian, Jennifer and Teresa will be paddling on Burnaby Tsunami team.
Gurmeet will be paddling with Scaly Justice Team, with Kristine Shum -
Gung Haggis alumni and good friend.
Still waiting to hear from the Phillipines team.
They are expecting 18 padders - but as of Monday
- only 4 had recieved Visas.
remember to click on www.gunghaggisfatchoy.com for updates.
or better yet...
subscribe to Gung Haggis dragon boat team information.
Cheers, Todd
ADBF RACE REMINDERS FOR TEAMS
Equipment
• Cell phones are not to be used on the ramp or dock (yes, this has
happened!)
• GPS systems are NOT allowed while racing
• You may use your own paddles and PFDs as long as they meet the
criteria in the ADBF Rules and Regulations document (online under Race Info
Docs)
• You must wear a lifejacket / PFD. Please ensure it is zipped and/or
buckled before heading down the ramp to the dock
Team composition
• Adult Teams must have:
o a minimum of 8 females – if less than 8 women, they must race with
less men - please see registrar
o a drummer and steersperson – drummer does not have to drum
o 16-20 paddlers – NO MORE, NO LESS – if less, please see registrar
• Junior Team
o Maximum 10 boys
o Can be all girls
o Cannot have more boys than girls (i.e., if 9 girls, only 9 boys can
paddle for a total of 18)
o 16-20 paddlers – NO MORE, NO LESS – if less, please see registrar
• Women’s Division
o Paddlers must all be women, drummer and steersperson may be either
gender
• Open Division (previously men’s division)
o Paddlers, drummer and steersperson may be male or female
Items allowed on boat while racing:
• wax - on personal paddles
• gloves, hats, sunglasses, kneepads
• small fanny packs
• water bottles
• extra paddles (limit to 2, if possible)
• seat pads thinner than a mouse pad
• for the Women’s and Men's Divisions only, teams are allowed to use a
speaker system
• if in doubt, ask the Race Registrar
Items NOT allowed on the boat while racing:
• GPS systems
• wax - on festival paddles
• large bags or knapsacks
• seat pads thicker than a mouse pad
• Noise “enhancers” – e.g., megaphones, whistles, horns etc.
• if in doubt, ask the Race Registrar
Dock / Marshalling Areas
Please be aware of, and respectful of, the flow of traffic set up
around the dock & marshalling areas. Please listen to the directions of
volunteers and clear out of these areas as soon as possible. This will help
us stay on schedule.
Marshalling
• Teams should be at the crew marshal area (near Dragon Zone) 20
minutes prior to their scheduled race time. Please line your team up back to
front, with your drummer and steersperson in the lead
o **IF YOU ARE IN ONE OF THE FIRST 2 HEATS OF THE DAY (most likely
these will be junior division races) please be at the crew marshal area 30
minutes prior to your scheduled race time
• Teams that are not in the crew marshal area at the appropriate time
may miss their race. Ultimately it is up to your team manager to know
when you are racing and when you should marshal
• You will pick up your equipment (paddles and PFDs) in this area and
then wait until one of our volunteers directs you to the dock
• IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT YOUR DRUMMER AND STEERSPERSON KNOW WHAT
HEAT/RACE NUMBER YOU ARE IN. You will either be in a Gemini heat OR a 6/16
heat (all boats will have heads and tails this year). You will be reminded
of your heat number in the crew marshalling area.
• Once on the water, please head directly to the start line along the
south side of False Creek (i.e., you will leave the dock and turn left
right away, going in a clockwise motion and staying clear of the race
course)
Protest Procedures - to lodge a race protest, please see the Race
Registrar right after your race. All protests must be submitted in writing
to the Race Registrar. A fee of $50 will be levied for each protest
(rebated if protest is upheld).
See you in a couple of days :)
Leah Nagano
Race Registrar
2006 Alcan Dragon Boat Festival
www.adbf.com
To go to the Racers pages on the Alcan Dragon Boat Festival website, go
to http://www.adbf.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=racing.main and log in with
youremail address and password in the space provide.
Redress Train to Ottawa…. Gim Wong featured in Vancouver Sun Story
Redress Train to Ottawa….
Gim Wong featured in Vancouver Sun Story
My father used to joke that Canada honoured the Chinese railway workers by naming the rail line after them.
CPR….
Chinese People's Railway….
83 year old Gim Wong will be hopping on board the “Redress Train” to Ottawa for the June 22nd Ceremony and announcement for Apology and Acknowledgement for the Chinese Head Tax. Last year Gim rode his motorcycle to Ottawa to ask Prime Minister Paul Martin for an apology for the racist head tax. Martin's office denied Gim a meeting, but current Prime Minister Stephen Harper met with Gim during a vist on May 25th with Chinese community elders, head tax payers and descendants.
I blogged Gim's 2005 Ride for Redress with pictures and contributions from across Canada.
Gim was featured in a June 15 Vancouver Sun story today on page B5
Senior recalls closed doors made him feel second-class:
Chinese RCAF veteran heading to Ottawa to hear prime minister apologize in Parliament on June 22 (see below)
Here's something I have just written… to help send off Gim at the VIA RAIL trainstation on Friday.
Main and Terminal streets in Vancouver.
4:00pm Ceremony and Media Information at Th
5:30pm Train Leaves.
This Train is Bound for Redress
(to the tune of This Train is Bound for Glory)
http://sniff.numachi.com/~rickheit/dtrad/pages
tiTHSTRAIN;ttTHSTRAIN.html
This Train is Bound for redress, this train….
This Train is bound for redress, this train…
This train honours the head tax payers
This train honours Chinese railway builders
This train is bound for redress this train.
This Train is Bound for redress, this train….
This Train is
bound for redress, this train…
This train is justice and fairness
This train is sharing our stories
This train is bound for redress this train.
This Train is Bound for redress, this train….
This Train is bound for redress, this train…
This train wants apology and action
This train wants symbolic compensation
This train is bound for redress this train.
This Train is Bound for redress, this train….
This Train is bound for redress, this train…
This train honours all our stories
This train honours all Canadians
This train is bound for redress this train.
Senior recalls closed doors made him feel
second-class
Chinese RCAF veteran heading to Ottawa to hear prime minister apologize in
Parliament on June 22
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Maurice Bridge |
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Vancouver Sun |
Thursday, June 15, 2006
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“Slaves
at least were worth something — you could sell a slave if you didn't want him.
“Chinese?
Dime a dozen, not even a dime a dozen. Worthless!”
There
was no mistaking the visceral bitterness in the words. In a few short minutes,
83-year-old Gim Foon Wong electrified a news
conference Wednesday, explaining the long-repealed Chinese head tax in terms of
a life bent and shaped by legislated Canadian racism.
His
father arrived in B.C. from China in 1906 and paid the $500 head tax to escape
starvation in China, thanks to two elder brothers who shovelled
coal for a dollar a day in Cumberland for a decade. A century later, Wong let
his frustration off its leash and revealed the long reach of the discriminatory
legislation.
“I'm
not saying I'm a smart guy, okay?” he said, sitting in Strathcona
Community Centre next door to the school he graduated from in 1936. “I had
potential, [but] any degree in university would have been useless, so what did
we do? Drop out in Grade 9 and go to work.
“In
1941 in a cannery in Prince Rupert,
I was getting 121/2 cents an hour. The guy next to me — the kid was 12 years
old — was earning 25 cents an hour [because] he's a white man.”
Wong
fought his way into the Royal Canadian Air Force during the Second World War,
but could not shake the feeling of being a second-class citizen.
“Invariably,
everywhere I went, I was the only Chinese. You know what that was [like], 60
years ago?”
The news
conference was not Wong's first round with the head tax. Last summer, he rode
his big Honda Gold Wing motorcycle across Canada and arrived on Parliament
Hill wearing his RCAF uniform, complete with service medals.
Paul
Martin, who was prime minister at the time, refused to speak to him.
Now he's
headed back to Ottawa, riding the rails laid
down by Chinese workers, to hear Prime Minister Stephen Harper apologize in
Parliament on June 22 for the head tax and the subsequent Chinese Exclusion
Act, which barred Chinese immigration to Canada from 1923 to 1947.
The news
conference was called by B.C. groups seeking redress for the tax.
Compensation
suggestions range from $20,000 to $39,000 per person affected, but Harper has
given no indication whether any kind of compensation will accompany the planned
apology.
“For
over three weeks, redress organizations across the country have asked for a
meeting with government officials,” said Mary-Woo Sims, on behalf of the
B.C. Coalition of Head Tax Payers, Spouses and Descendants.
“We
are ready, willing and able to meet with government any time to ensure that the
redress package is one which will ensure that justice is achieved for those
wronged by government discrimination, and which all Canadians can
support.”
Sims
said the groups are also still waiting to hear details of the “redress
train,” the highly symbolic train trip to Ottawa, which was arranged by the Ontario
Coalition of Head Tax Payers and Families with Via Rail.
Wong
says he will go, and thinks five or six spouses or descendants of head-tax
payers will leave Vancouver
on Friday with him.
There
are believed to be fewer than 20 surviving head-tax payers in Canada, about
260 spouses and a total of about 1,200 related families, or 4,000 people in
all.
Sid Tan,
president of the Association of Chinese Canadians for Equality and Solidarity
Society (ACCESS) in Vancouver, and a national director of the Chinese Canadian
National Council, said more than 82,000 Chinese paid the head tax between 1885
and 1923, effectively covering the cost of the CPR railway which many of them
built.
He
termed the request for redress “a tax refund — this is not compensation.
“We're
not a bunch of ungrateful, greedy bastards. Even if we do get our rightful
return, the money's going to be spent in Canada. We're going to be buying
fridges, hopefully a car,” said Tan.
“This
is not about the money– it's about justice and honour.
This is the dignity of a community finally finding its voice and its rightful
place in this Canadian society of ours, which I'm very proud to be a part
of.”
mbridge@png.canwest.com
© The Vancouver Sun 2006
Vancouver Sun: dragon boats + mention for Gung Haggis Fat Choy Kogawa House team!
Vancouver Sun: dragon boats + mention for Gung Haggis Fat Choy Kogawa House team!
Our draong boat team name “Gung Haggis Fat Choy” on page D15.
but somehow part of our name got dropped. Our official team name this year is:
Gung Haggis Fat Choy KOGAWA HOUSE, as we are helping to raise awarness and fundraising for the Save Kogawa House campaign.
Author Joy Kogawa is our honourary drummer for the team.
Joy has inspired many Canadians through her novels Obasan, Naomi's Road, and Emily Kato.
Last year our dragon boat team won the David Lam Multicultural Award for “best representing the multicultural spirit of the festival”
This year we our vying for the Alcan Sustainability Award, with our efforts to create cultural
sustainability with the preservation of histori Joy Kogawa House.
There
are also at least 4 head tax descendants paddling on our dragon
boat…. coach/steers Todd Wong, paddlers Dan Seto, Steven Wong and
Julie Wong.
We are also helping to organize a fundraiser dinner for Joy Kogawa House, on June 23rd.
for more information contact me:
Todd Wong
604-240-7090
More Chinese Head Tax Stories in Media for June 15
More Chinese Head Tax Stories in Media for June 15
More medial stories as everything heats up. Sid Tan is saying that the compensation package IS a tax refund, and that “governement should not be allowed to profit from racism.”
Hmmm…. Symbolic Tax Refund for Chinese Head Tax…. retroactive… or to make it fair… retroactive charge all non-Chinese immigrants since 1885.
Mary Woo Sims says:
“Chinese descendants don't just want an apology for the head tax,
they also want an apology for the Chinese Exclusion Act that stopped
all immigration from China for 30 years starting in 1923.
they also want an apology for the Chinese Exclusion Act that stopped
all immigration from China for 30 years starting in 1923.
They took away all choice for families to reunite when they imposed the Chinese Exclusion Act”
Gim Wong says:
“Our parents were slaves,” the 83-year-old Wong said yesterday as he
talked about why the descendants of those who paid a head tax should
receive compensation from government.
talked about why the descendants of those who paid a head tax should
receive compensation from government.
“Do not the children of slaves suffer?” he asked. “It's not easy to talk about, OK?”
Technially…. many of the Chinese pioneers were indentured labourers, as they had borrowed money to come to Canada, then had to work it off. Many of the pioneers who signed up to build the railroad were also indentured labourers – but the CPR reneged on the promise to provide passage back to China, leaving many to further work to try to raise more money.
– Todd
June 15, 2006
Chinese ride rails to accept apology
By SHARON HO, SUN MEDIA
Chinese head tax payers are set to ride the rails to Ottawa to finally
get an apology for having to pay a racist a tax in order to immigrate
to Canada.
get an apology for having to pay a racist a tax in order to immigrate
to Canada.
Surviving payers and widows will leave
Vancouver tomorrow on a “redress train” with the last spike used to
make Canada's railroad.
Vancouver tomorrow on a “redress train” with the last spike used to
make Canada's railroad.
About 100 people will travel from Toronto to Ottawa for the apology from the Canadian government on June 22.
The Chinese were pivotal in building the railroad, completed in 1885.
The government, however, rewarded Chinese immigrants by imposing the
head tax of $50. The tax was later increased to $100 in 1900 and $500
in 1903.
The government, however, rewarded Chinese immigrants by imposing the
head tax of $50. The tax was later increased to $100 in 1900 and $500
in 1903.
It was abolished in 1923 and replaced by Exclusion Act, which ended in 1947.
“We will bring the last spike to the railway committee room where the
decision to build the railway was made,” said Susan Eng, co-chairman of
the Ontario Coalition of Chinese Head Tax Payers and Families.
decision to build the railway was made,” said Susan Eng, co-chairman of
the Ontario Coalition of Chinese Head Tax Payers and Families.
About 20 head tax payers, 270 widows and a few thousand of their
children are alive. Most of the payers and widows are unable to travel
to Ottawa.
children are alive. Most of the payers and widows are unable to travel
to Ottawa.
http://calsun.canoe.ca/News/National/2006/06/15/pf-1633729.html
http://torontosun.com/News/Canada/2006/06/15/1633562-sun.html
Apology must come with redress
Jun. 15, 2006. 01:00 AM
Harper will apologize for head tax on Chinese
June
14.As the son of a Chinese head tax payer, I completely agree with MP
Olivia Chow that compensation must accompany the apology. Without
compensation there is no justice and no reconciliation. The Prime
Minister must deliver on the promised redress of the head tax.In
addition, redress must be fair, substantial and just. Whole families
were affected — husbands, wives as well as their children. The head
tax financially disadvantaged families and with the Chinese Exclusion
Act, many families were separated and even torn apart. The redress
package must recognize these hardships and financially compensate the
families in a fair and just manner.
Doug Hum, Toronto
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_PrintFriendly&c=Article&cid=1150321811405&call_pageid=970599119419
June 15, 2006Head-tax apology on its way
By JOHN PIGEON, 24 HOURS
What is an apology worth?
If you ask Sid Tan, president of the Chinese Canadians for Equality and
Solidarity Society, he says the June 22 apology to Chinese head-tax
payers their spouses and descendants is about restoring justice and
honour.
Solidarity Society, he says the June 22 apology to Chinese head-tax
payers their spouses and descendants is about restoring justice and
honour.
But he will also tell you that the apology is more
than words being said, it's about righting the wrongs that led to Prime
Minister Stephen Harper's apology.
than words being said, it's about righting the wrongs that led to Prime
Minister Stephen Harper's apology.
“This is a tax refund,
this is not compensation,” Tan said. “No organization and no individual
in Canada should be able to profit from racism and keep the proceeds.”
this is not compensation,” Tan said. “No organization and no individual
in Canada should be able to profit from racism and keep the proceeds.”
For 83-year-old head tax descendant Gim Wong, redress is important
because it was the tax that was the harshest of racist Canadian
policies which lasted until the 1940s.
because it was the tax that was the harshest of racist Canadian
policies which lasted until the 1940s.
“Out of 100
nationalities, ethnic groups and religious groups from the separate
world, Chinese were the only ones that had to pay a head tax,” Wong
said. “Slaves were worth something you could sell a slave if you didn't
want them, they [Chinese Canadians during the exclusion act] were not
even a dime a dozen.”
nationalities, ethnic groups and religious groups from the separate
world, Chinese were the only ones that had to pay a head tax,” Wong
said. “Slaves were worth something you could sell a slave if you didn't
want them, they [Chinese Canadians during the exclusion act] were not
even a dime a dozen.”
Gim Wong will ride the VIA train to Ottawa tomorrow to hear the prime minister apologize in the House of Commons.
http://vancouver.24hrs.ca/News/2006/06/15/1633456-sun.html
Chinese seeking compensation
By CP
VANCOUVER
— Gim Wong wasn't alive in 1906 when his father paid a $500 head tax
to get into Canada, but his voice is raw with emotion when he talks
about the work it took and the discrimination his family faced to
survive in Canada.
— Gim Wong wasn't alive in 1906 when his father paid a $500 head tax
to get into Canada, but his voice is raw with emotion when he talks
about the work it took and the discrimination his family faced to
survive in Canada.
Wong and several Chinese Canadian
groups are expecting Prime Minister Stephen Harper will apologize for
the head tax during a speech in the House of Commons next Thursday, but
they want to know the apology will come with compensation.
groups are expecting Prime Minister Stephen Harper will apologize for
the head tax during a speech in the House of Commons next Thursday, but
they want to know the apology will come with compensation.
The federal government hasn't made any commitment to that.
“Our parents were slaves,” the 83-year-old Wong said yesterday as he
talked about why the descendants of those who paid a head tax should
receive compensation from government.
talked about why the descendants of those who paid a head tax should
receive compensation from government.
“Do not the children of slaves suffer?” he asked. “It's not easy to talk about, OK?”
http://lfpress.ca/newsstand/News/National/2006/06/15/pf-1633324.html
Chinese groups say money should come with federal government head-tax apology at 19:38 on June 14, 2006, EST.
VANCOUVER (CP) – Gim Wong wasn't alive in 1906 when his father paid a
$500 head tax to get into Canada, but his voice is raw with emotion
when he talks about the work it took and the discrimination his family
faced to survive in Canada.
$500 head tax to get into Canada, but his voice is raw with emotion
when he talks about the work it took and the discrimination his family
faced to survive in Canada.
Wong and several Chinese Canadian groups are expecting Prime Minister Stephen Harper will apologize for the head tax
during a speech in the House of Commons next Thursday, but they want to know the apology will come with compensation.
during a speech in the House of Commons next Thursday, but they want to know the apology will come with compensation.
The federal government hasn't made any commitment to that.
“Our
parents were slaves,” the 83-year-old Wong said Wednesday as he talked
about why the descendants of those who paid a head tax should receive
compensation from government.
parents were slaves,” the 83-year-old Wong said Wednesday as he talked
about why the descendants of those who paid a head tax should receive
compensation from government.
“Do not the children of slaves suffer?” he asked. “It's not easy to talk about, OK.”
Sid
Tan from ACCESS – the Association of Chinese Canadians for Equality and
Solidarity Society – told a news conference Wednesday the redress issue
isn't about money, it's about justice and honour.
Tan from ACCESS – the Association of Chinese Canadians for Equality and
Solidarity Society – told a news conference Wednesday the redress issue
isn't about money, it's about justice and honour.
“This is
a tax refund, this is not compensation,” he stressed. “We are asking
the Harper government for our rightful return of head-tax money because
no government. . .should be able to profit from racism.”
a tax refund, this is not compensation,” he stressed. “We are asking
the Harper government for our rightful return of head-tax money because
no government. . .should be able to profit from racism.”
More than 81,000 Chinese paid the head tax ranging from $50
and $500 between 1885 and 1923.
and $500 between 1885 and 1923.
But just 20 of those who directly paid and another 260 of their spouses are still alive.
About 4,000 descendants of the head tax payers have registered with advocacy groups.
Mary-Woo Sims from the B.C. Coalition of Head Taxpayers says there are
thousands more who have lost the head-tax certificate from their
fathers or grandfathers.
thousands more who have lost the head-tax certificate from their
fathers or grandfathers.
“We've heard a lot of very sad
stories from individuals who come with a tattered photograph of their
ancestor, but no more documentation.”
stories from individuals who come with a tattered photograph of their
ancestor, but no more documentation.”
Sims said several
groups have made compensation suggestions to the federal government of
between $20,000 to $39,000 per individual.
groups have made compensation suggestions to the federal government of
between $20,000 to $39,000 per individual.
“I think anything that is less than that would probably cause us to question the sincerity of the government.”
She
added Chinese descendants don't just want an apology for the head tax,
they also want an apology for the Chinese Exclusion Act that stopped
all immigration from China for 30 years starting in 1923.
added Chinese descendants don't just want an apology for the head tax,
they also want an apology for the Chinese Exclusion Act that stopped
all immigration from China for 30 years starting in 1923.
“They took away all choice for families to reunite when they imposed the Chinese Exclusion Act,” she said.
http://www.940news.com/nouvelles.php?cat=23&id=61491
http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/story.html?id=f2b0825e-6080-4036-90c3-befc7099effc&k=82520
Vancouver Sun: Cold water poured on redress train + Karin Lee comments
Vancouver Sun: Cold water poured on redress train
+ Karin Lee comments.
+ Karin Lee comments.
Hmmm…. the Vancouver Sun writers have taken a strange turn with this article. Guess they were looking for a unique angle that nobody else has written.
Karin Lee says “It's unfortunate that
the reporter misquoted me yesterday speaking about the logistics of the
train ride for the most elderly of the head tax payers and spouses
residing in Vancouver. I do support the train ride,
and believe it will be historic, and meaningful for those who will ride
across the country for the apology and announcement in Ottawa. Thank
you Susan for bringing it all together. I know it took a lot of
work on your part.
the reporter misquoted me yesterday speaking about the logistics of the
train ride for the most elderly of the head tax payers and spouses
residing in Vancouver. I do support the train ride,
and believe it will be historic, and meaningful for those who will ride
across the country for the apology and announcement in Ottawa. Thank
you Susan for bringing it all together. I know it took a lot of
work on your part.
We will be
there on Friday with lion dancers and many others to see the group
off. It will be first day towards the end of a long, long journey
and it will culminate in Ottawa with the apology and redress.
there on Friday with lion dancers and many others to see the group
off. It will be first day towards the end of a long, long journey
and it will culminate in Ottawa with the apology and redress.
I believe we have all fought
hard, and have done our best. Sometimes we make mistakes, but
mostly we've been impassioned to bring about justice for our head tax
families. When the small group of elderly head tax payers,
spouses and descendants met with Prime Minister Harper in Vancouver,
one could feel the honour, respect and sincerity in that
room. We hope this will carry over into the Prime Minister's
apology and the redress package will give honour and dignity to our
head tax families.
hard, and have done our best. Sometimes we make mistakes, but
mostly we've been impassioned to bring about justice for our head tax
families. When the small group of elderly head tax payers,
spouses and descendants met with Prime Minister Harper in Vancouver,
one could feel the honour, respect and sincerity in that
room. We hope this will carry over into the Prime Minister's
apology and the redress package will give honour and dignity to our
head tax families.
By the way, the head tax certificate I am holding is not my mother, it is my grandmother. The reporter got that wrong too.”
When the suggestion of a “Redress Train” was originated in Ontario, BCers thought “Who's going to spend 5 days on a train from Vancouver to Ottawa?” A nice idea for a short trip from Montreal or Toronto to Ottawa – but not realistic from Vancouver.
But many of our leaders from BC will be joining the “Redress Train.” Foon and her husban and have been active on the committee since the November 25th protest agains the ACE program. Gim Wong, who last year rode his motorcycle from Victoria to Ottawa with his son Jeffrey, will be on the Redress Train with his wife. This is the first time his wife is coming to a Redress event – significant and symbolic, just like the Redress Train to Ottawa.
There will be music and lion dancers at the 4:00pm celebration and send off at Thornton Park – Main and Terminal St. in front of the VIA Rail train station. The train departs at 5:30pm.
My suggestions for a new story angle? Find Head Tax descendants who are multi-racial, like filmaker Karen Cho, or any of the 6th generation descendants from my Rev. Chan Yu Tan family. There are Canadians today, who can claim ethnic ancestry from China, England, Scottish, French and First Nations.
That's the story! It's for our future, about our past, and it's happening NOW!
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Wednesday » June 14 » 2006
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Cold water poured on redress train
Karin Lee of the BC Coalition of Head Tax Payers
has a copy of her mother's head tax certificate
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
Vancouver supporters of redress for the Chinese head tax poured
cold water Tuesday on the idea of a national “redress train” crossing the country to Ottawa for a long-awaited apology from the federal government. The Conservative government announced Tuesday it would apologize in
Parliament June 22 for Canada's imposition of the head tax 121 years ago. The tax required thousands of Chinese immigrants to pay millions of dollars to enter Canada. It was introduced in 1885 after Chinese immigrants helped build the
Canadian Pacific Railway. It was eliminated in 1923 and replaced by the Chinese Exclusion Act, which barred Chinese immigration to Canada until 1947. Following the Conservative government's announcement of the
apology, the Ontario Coalition of Chinese Head Tax Payers and Families announced that head tax payers, widows and their descendants would begin a train ride Friday from Vancouver to Ottawa to hear the apology in the Commons. “It's almost closing the loop,” said Susan Eng, co-chair of the
Ontario coalition. “People, generations ago, who actually gave their lives to building the railroad that brought B.C. into Confederation are now going to ride those rails, all the way to Ottawa to witness the ceremony.” “It's a novel idea, but I don't think it works for the old people
here [in B.C.],” said Karin Lee, a spokeswoman for the BC Coalition of Head Tax Payers, Spouses and Descendants. She said there are fewer than 20 survivors locally who paid the tax
and she did not know of any who would be taking the train. “I would prefer to see them go on a first-class airplane ride. It's
ridiculous to bump around for five days when you're 101 years old. “They're talking about June 22, and we're just over a week away,”
she said. “How many people have enough time to gather up their life and go there and take a five-day trip?” Sid Tan, president of the Association of Chinese Canadians for
Equality and Solidarity Society (ACCESS) in Vancouver, and a national director of the Chinese Canadian National Council, was also unimpressed by the train idea, and lack of detail about the form of the apology. “This is an issue of justice and honour, and I'm not sure the
Conservative government understands that,” he said. “They just see it as a political thing.” Keith Wong, a volunteer with the Ontario coalition, said he expects
about 10 people and their caregivers to make the trip from Vancouver to Ottawa. Wong agreed health and old age has played a part in discouraging many people from participating in an event he said carries “very intense symbolic meaning.” He said even some living in Toronto have declined to make the trip
to Ottawa because of their age, although he believes as many as 100 are expected to attend the ceremony. He said many would fly. The apology was a Conservative election campaign promise.
“We have kept our word by holding an unprecedented series of
grassroots national consultations on redress,” Heritage Minister Bev Oda said Tuesday in the House of Commons. “I am pleased to announce that the prime minister will keep his
word by righting this historical wrong when he makes the formal apology in this House.” Eng estimates about 300 families should each get compensation of
about $20,000 for the head tax and the Exclusion Act. “It was blatant, unmitigated racism that drove the government of
the day to pass the head tax and later the Exclusion Act.” She said the apology is a breakthrough, given the reluctance of the
federal Liberals to offer a similar response when they were in power. “It's really an important message that the government will send
that this is not just some type of throwaway gesture,” she said. “It's going to have a great deal of meaning and resonate across the country in the Chinese Canadian community, and [with] other Canadians who care about human rights and social justice issues.” The coalition has also asked the government to set aside between $5
million and $8 million on programs to promote awareness about racism. Details about the train and its departure were not available.
© The Vancouver Sun
2006 http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=425552c6-330a-439a-a6ad-1c4f41a61999 |
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Jenny McChu and Toddish McWong – photo courtesy of Jenny Chu