ON THIS DAY

June 22, 2006 Prime Minister Stephen Harper offered an apology to the Chinese community for the implementation of the head tax, introduced in 1885. Chinese people had to pay the tax, initially $50, in later years $500 to immigrate to Canada. The tax was levied until 1923, at which time Chinese immigration was entirely banned until 1947. The government ordered compensation for the head tax of approximately $20,000 to be paid to survivors or their spouses.