Chinese Immigration Act
Citation: A government poster announcing the Chinese Immigration Act, 1923. Document. Library and Archives Canada, Item number 190281. https://recherche-collection-search.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/Home/Record app=fonandcol&IdNumber=190281&q=E010833850-V8&ecopy=e010833850-v8
The Chinese Immigration Act, an excerpt from 1923, which is a discriminatory, exclusionary bill against Chinese immigrants in Canada. The bill even covers people with Chinese heritage who were born in Canada, including immigrants who immigrated to Canada. They were required to register with a designated government department and have a photographed identification card, otherwise, they would be fined, detained, or deported. Of course, this identification card was not a document of legal status in Canada, and the Chinese were not protected by their legal rights (such as voting rights, economic rights, etc.). The Chinese Immigration Act was passed on July 1, 1923, which is the same day as the Dominion Day event, which commemorates Canada's federal holiday. The Chinese community calls it the "Day of Disgrace" and refuses to participate in the Dominion Day event from the year. It is estimated that only 15 Chinese immigrants entered Canada between 1923 and 1946 when the law was finally repealed. The de facto suspension of Chinese immigration had a significant impact on Canada's Chinese community.
Bibliography: CHRISTOPHER CHEUNG."reflecting on the 1923 Chinese Exclusion Act” Canadian Geographic. MAY 19, 2023. https://canadiangeographic.ca/articles/reflecting-on-the-1923-chinese-exclusion-act/
Citation: Men reading posted newspapers in Chinatown. Photograph. Courtesy of City of Vancouver, CVA 260-316. https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/governments/multiculturalism-anti-racism/chinese-legacy-bc/history/discrimination/federal-exclusion-act
(The picture above shows a Chinese man reading a newspaper in Chinatown at the time. it is not clear to see the exact contents of the newspaper, but the newspaper is written vertically, so it is probably in classical Chinese.)
Beyond simply depriving Chinese immigrants of legal status, the Chinese Immigration Act, or the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1923, led to the separation of many Chinese Canadians from their families, and some people due to this Act never see their families again. That was because the families(wives and children) of Chinese men living in Canada were not able to come to Canada. They were mostly workers or related to the Canadian Pacific Railway, and there were significant people whose families were in China. It has been a lonely life for men who had to be separated from their wives and families for many years. Above all, because of this law, the elderly and the unemployed were advised by authorities to return to their home countries, and it was at the cost of labour and sacrifice to the Canadian Pacific Railway.
Bibliography: Stanley, Timothy J. 2024. “The Chinese Immigration [Exclusion] Act, 1923 and the Structure of Anti-Chinese Racism in Canada.” Canadian Ethnic Studies 56 (2): 7–30. doi:10.1353/ces.2024.a934419.
Citation: Certificate of payment of head tax. [textual record]. R12115-0-5-E, MG55/30-No116, Volume number: 1. https://recherche-collection-search.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/Home/Record?app=fonandcol&IdNumber=106434&q=head%20tax&ecopy=e011154448_s1-v8
Between 1881 and 1884, over 17,000 Chinese immigrants arrived in Canada to build the Canadian Pacific Railway, and later consistently accommodated Chinese immigrants to maintain the railroad. However, with the Canadian Pacific Railway (1881-85)construction completed, the government imposed a head tax of $50 on all Chinese nationals attempting to enter Canada through the Chinese Immigration Act of 1885. The head tax was raised to $100 in 1900 and $500 in 1903 as part of an additional attempt to ban Chinese immigrants. The Electoral Franchise Act of 1885 also disqualified all Chinese immigrants from voting in federal elections. These workers were necessary for the workforce but were considered undesirable as citizens of Canada because of their country of origin. They had to live in an unequal and discriminatory social gaze and carried economic burdens with lower wages and taxes.
Bibliography: Government of Canada. “Significant events in the history of Asian communities in Canada”. May 1, 2024. https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/campaigns/asian-heritage-month/important-events.html