Last Thursday, the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia finally passed a motion to apologize to Chinese Canadians.
Canada as a whole was deeply implicated. Though B.C. was the province chiefly concerned, the two most important laws that discriminated against Chinese immigrants were passed by the Parliament of Canada.
Eight years ago, after he became prime minister, Stephen Harper moved promptly to offer an apology.
Do you think the province’s apology to Chinese Canadians was sincere?
The first immigrants from China to B.C. arrived in Victoria in the 1850s to join the Fraser Valley Gold Rush. By 1872, they were prohibited from voting. The prohibition wasn't lifted until 1949 in B.C.
By the 1880s, construction of the CP Railway was employing thousands of Chinese immigrants. But after the railway was completed, to discourage further immigration, a $50 head tax was imposed in 1885, and by 1903 it was raised to $500.
It's estimated about 82,000 Chinese paid the tax until the Exclusion Act came into effect in 1923, effectively banning further immigration from China until 1947. Restrictions on Chinese immigration remained in place until 1967.
The apology, which was introduced by Premier Christy Clark on Thursday morning, aims to recognize and make amends for 160 historical racist and discriminatory policies imposed in B.C., such as denying Chinese immigrants the right to vote and charging them a head tax to immigrate.
There was no individual compensation offered as part for the apology, but Clark did announce the government would put $1 million into a legacy fund that would be used to fund educational initiatives.
Clark said the apology was formulated after nearly a year of hearings on the issue, which included debate on whether compensation should be offered.
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