Chinese Canadian vets fought for their freedom
Re Remembrance Day We owe a debt of gratitude to Chinese Canadian war veterans from World War II who not only fought for this country but also to be part of it. Many Chinese Canadian war veterans are the children of Chinese who paid a head tax of up to $500 to enter this country between the completion of the national railroad in 1885 and 1923, and before the government imposed the even more racist Chinese Exclusion Act on Dominion Day ( July 1) in 1923. Like their neighbours, they enlisted from cities and small towns across Canada. Often, entire families enlisted. When war broke out in Europe, many young Chinese men and women volunteered for service in the Canadian military despite not having the right to vote in the land of their birth. But when war also broke out in Asia, the government introduced a policy to disallow active service by Chinese Canadians, including a ban on conscripting them.
At the time, the Canadian government feared that allowing military service by ethnic Chinese volunteers would weaken the Exclusion Act and give Chinese Canadians an argument to win back the right to vote and obtain full rights of citizenship. Despite continued racism against Chinese in government policies, Chinese Canadians became a valuable asset to the Allies in the war in the Pacific. Shortly after major British army defeats in Malaysia and Singapore, the Special Operations Executive branch came calling. The SOE made a special request to Ottawa to recruit Chinese Canadians who would operate behind enemy lines and carry out reconnaissance and sabotage missions against the Japanese.
After the war ended, a young Chinese law student, Kew Doc Yip, teamed up with Jewish lawyer Irving Himmel to launch the case that resulted in the repeal of the Exclusion Act and the granting of full citizenship rights to Chinese Canadians. They won their case, in part, because of the Chinese Canadian veterans’ contributions to the war effort.
Despite these contributions, the Canadian government has failed to apologize for past injustices and to provide redress for its racist policies. Dora Nipp, member, Ontario Coalition of Head Tax Payers and Families, Toronto