Head-tax deal is about buying votes, not about justice
Re: Head tax deal scorned as prevote ‘scramble,’ Nov. 25
As Canadians not affiliated with any organization, we view this socalled “agreement” — the Agreementto Highlight Chinese Canadians’ Contribution to Building Canada — as woefully anemic and insulting. Had it not been for the historic efforts of the Chinese to help build our national railway, connecting our province to the rest of Canada, British Columbia might have become another American state.
At least three Vancouver organizations were wrongly identified as being represented by the National Congress of Chinese Canadians, which supports this agreement. In fact, one of the organizations, of which our late grandfather was a founding member, was founded entirely by head-tax payers and their families.
It is an insult to the memory of our pioneer Canadians. It is shameful and disgusting that politicians would sink to such a new low level to use highly honoured institutions for their own self-serving agenda. DAVID WONG
Vancouver David Wong writes on behalf of the
Wong families in Vancouver,
Victoria and Prince Rupert; the
Quan families in Vancouver and
Prince George; and the Mar families, in Vancouver and Nelson.
My children are of mixed racial parentage and their paternal grandfather, Doo Nam Wong, was one of the immigrants subjected to this racially motivated tax. Given no other ethnicity paid such a tax, was it not racial discrimination? The head tax was thinly veiled contempt made even more despicable because it was legal.
Despite hefty fees, the immigrants came and worked. Many helped bring the railway through to B. C. and lived in workcamps where conditions were inhumane, but still pressed on to live the Canadian dream. During the Second World War, many of the “head taxed” offered themselves or their serviceaged children to fight for their new home.
In this, the Year of the Veteran, the Liberal party has decided not to identify and reimburse the individuals so taxed, or if deceased, their descendants. What madness is this? The Liberals wish to award the largest portion of the settlement to an organization of recently arrived Chinese immigrants in Toronto. When compensation was made to our Japanese-Canadians, was it not made to those individuals victimized?
This agreement-in-principal must be quashed. How do we teach our children to respect and remember Canadian history when Ottawa is clearly only interested in buying votes from those whose entry to Canada was never met with blatant opposition? MARILYN MULLDOON
White Rock
Mount Trudeau is part of
honouring our history
Re: Trudeau doesn’t deserve mountain honour, Letters, Nov. 28
Sadly, these two letter writers used misquotes and took stories out of context to support their arguments that a mountain near Valmont shouldn’t be named after former prime minister Pierre Trudeau.
Although war hero Smokey Smith might deserve a mountain named after him, that’s a separate issue. The particular mountain selected for Trudeau is part of the Premier Range, which was specifically set