Plaque in Lytton to honour early Chinese-Canadian settlers

Chinese settlers to B.C.’s Fraser Canyon are being honoured for the role they played in the province’s history with a commemorative plaque unveiled in the town of Lytton on Saturday.

The plaque is a formal commemoration of the apology given to Chinese-Canadians by the province in 2014 for historical abuses committed by B.C.’s early governments.

George Chow, provincial minister of state for trade, says the plaque recognizes the courage Chinese settlers maintained in the face of institutionalized racism when they arrived in the area north of Whistler more than 150 years ago. He says it will also remind British Columbians of the province’s discriminatory practices.

A statement by the B.C. government says many Chinese settlers built solid relationships with the First Nations around Lytton when they stayed after building the Canadian National Railway and joining the Fraser Canyon gold rush.

Lily Chow, director of multiculturalism for the New Pathways to Gold Society, thanked the Indigenous communities in the town for welcoming Chinese settlers. She says she’s proud that Chinese-Canadian history will be available for generations in the future to learn.

The plaque is part of a $1-million program celebrating the historical contributions of Chinese-Canadians to B.C.