Racism stains historic anniversary

WORTH REPEATING

This past Monday marked the 120th anniversary of the completion of Canada’s first transcontinental railroad. As the railroads shaped this country, the importance of this anniversary cannot be overstated.

However, even now, the railroad has left a hidden legacy that needs redress. As any elementary school student knows, the railroad was built with Chinese labour. A total of 17,000 Chinese labourers were brought in, largely because they were considered to be reliable, hard working and were willing to work for half the wages of white workers. They were also willing to take on difficult and dangerous jobs. It is estimated at least four Chinese died for every mile of track laid due to exposure, explosions, scurvy or malnutrition.

For this heroic contribution, Canada will forever be indebted to its diverse Chinese communities. Many Chinese, however, cannot forgive what happened following 1885. With the completion of the railroad, the federal government feared a flood of Chinese immigrants. Hoping to maintain a “ white” Canada, the federal government imposed the now-infamous head tax on Chinese immigrants of $ 50. The move brought immense hardship upon the Chinese. Many men who had been in Canada for years could not afford to bring their families over and worked for years to pay the tax just to unite their families. Many lived separated from their families until their deaths.

Still, many persevered and over time Chinese communities were finding ways to cope with the tax. The federal government’s response? It raised the tax to $100 in 1900 and to $500 three years later.

Again, the Chinese persevered. From 1904 until 1923, 42,444 Chinese paid the tax and settled in Canada. The federal response? In 1923, the government passed the Chinese Exclusion Act that banned Chinese immigration to Canada completely until the end of World War II. For years after, Chinese Canadians referred to July 1 — then known as Dominion Day — as “ Humiliation Day.” A class- action lawsuit was launched by 400 survivors and 4,000 of their descendants asking for $1.2 billion in compensation and a formal apology. The lawsuit failed, as three courts ruled

the Charter of Rights, passed in 1985,

cannot be applied retroactively. All

three verdicts, however, noted the

goal of redress was worthy and suggested a political route.

And that’s where it stands today.

It’s tragic the glorious anniversary of the railroad should be swept up with such a shameful chapter in Canadian history. While full restitution is perhaps a step too far, the federal government needs to at least recognize the hardship its actions caused Chinese Canadians and invite them to begin working toward a resolution. This is an edited version of an editorial that appeared in the Sudbury Star.