By March 31, 2008, the Government of Canada had identified 785 surviving head tax payers and their spouses and paid them each $20,000 as compensation. Prime Minister Stephen Harper makes an official apology in the House of Commons to Chinese Canadians for more than six decades of legislated racism against them through the <i>Head Tax and Exclusion Act</i>. Ontario Superior Court justice dismisses a class action asking for compensation for the <i>Head Tax and Exclusion Act</i>, but also states that the Government of Canada has a moral obligation to redress Chinese Canadians. The Chinese Canadian National Council surveys the Chinese Canadian community and registers more than 4,000 head tax payers, their spouses and descendants and launches a campaign for an apology and redress. Two elderly Chinese head tax payers, Dak Leon Mark and Shack Yee, meet with MP Margaret Mitchell (Vancouver East) and ask for help in getting a refund and redress for the $500 head tax they both paid to enter Canada. With the proclamation of the <i>Charter of Rights</i> and Freedoms, the fundamental rights of all people in Canada are entrenched in our Constitution. Two elderly Chinese head tax payers, Dak Leon Mark and Shack Yee, meet with MP Margaret Mitchell (Vancouver East) and ask for help in getting a refund and redress for the $500 head tax they both paid to enter Canada. The Chinese Canadian National Council forms as part of the community's response to gross misrepresentation in a national news report. Chinese Canadian lawyer Kew Dock Yip teams up with Jewish civil rights lawyer Irving Himel to repeal the <i>Chinese Exclusion Act</i>. Kew Dock Yip, a son of Vancouver merchant Yip Sang, is called to the Ontario Bar, becoming the first Chinese Canadian lawyer. The <i>Chinese Exclusion Act</i> comes into force on Dominion Day in 1923. The <i>Chinese Exclusion Act</i> comes into force on Dominion Day in 1923. Further amendments to the <i>Chinese Immigration Act</i> quintuple the head tax on Chinese to $500 to discourage individual and family settlement in Canada. Amendments to the <i>Chinese Immigration Act</i> double the head tax on Chinese immigrants to $100. The federal government assigns the Royal Commission on Chinese Immigration and later levies a $50 head tax on all Chinese immigrants. The federal government assigns the Royal Commission on Chinese Immigration and later levies a $50 head tax on all Chinese immigrants. Further amendments to the <i>Chinese Immigration Act</i> quintuple the head tax on Chinese to $500 to discourage individual and family settlement in Canada. The driving of the 'last spike' into a railway tie at Craigellachie, B.C., marks the completion of the mainline of the CPR and connects Canada to British Columbia. Thousands of Chinese are recruited by the Canadian Pacific Railway to build the western section of the transcontinental railroad through the Rocky Mountains. Thousands of Chinese are recruited by the Canadian Pacific Railway to build the western section of the transcontinental railroad through the Rocky Mountains. The Fraser Valley Gold Rush in British Columbia attracts the first major migration of Chinese to lands that later become Canada. Kew Dock Yip, a son of Vancouver merchant Yip Sang, is called to the Ontario Bar, becoming the first Chinese Canadian lawyer. Amendments to the <i>Chinese Immigration Act</i> double the head tax on Chinese immigrants to $100. The driving of the 'last spike' into a railway tie at Craigellachie, B.C., marks the completion of the mainline of the CPR and connects Canada to British Columbia. The Fraser Valley Gold Rush in British Columbia attracts the first major migration of Chinese to lands that later become Canada. Chinese Canadian lawyer Kew Dock Yip teams up with Jewish civil rights lawyer Irving Himel to repeal the <i>Chinese Exclusion Act</i>. The Chinese Canadian National Council forms as part of the community's response to gross misrepresentation in a national news report. Prime Minister Stephen Harper makes an official apology in the House of Commons to Chinese Canadians for more than six decades of legislated racism against them through the <i>Head Tax and Exclusion Act</i>.

Acknowledgement

The Metro Toronto Chinese & Southeast Asian Legal Clinic (MTCSALC) wishes to thank the following individuals and organizations for their contributions to this project.  Above all, MTCSALC wishes to acknowledge the funding support from Community Historical Recognition Program under the auspices of the Historical Recognition Programs Directorate, Citizenship and Immigration Canada.  MTCSALC would also like to thank the CAW Social Justice Fund for its ongoing support throughout the Campaign for the Redress of the Chinese Head Tax and Exclusion Act and for the ongoing educational work with regard to the Redress Campaign including this website.

MTCSALC wishes to specially acknowledge the contributions of the following individuals/organizations:

Website Co-ordination and Content
Project Coordinator: Avvy Go
Principal Writer: Bradley Lee
Principal Researcher: Kelly Tran
Other researchers/writers: Ada Chan, Avvy Go, Jennifer Luong, Jun Chao Meng, Jennifer Wong
Website Advisory Committee Members: Constance Backhouse, Garry Chan, Clara Ho, Adrianne Liang, Dora Nipp, Walter Tom, Rick Wong

Website Design and Production
Production & Design: Irene Vandertop
Programming: Jonas Vorwerk
Website Research: Joanna Qiao

Video Clips
Cinematography and editing: Keith Lock, Evan Elliot, Adam DeViller
Additional editing: Richard Sibblies
Interviewees:  David Chong, Bill Chu William Dere, Mary Eberts, Susan Eng, James Feng, Amy Go, Avvy Go, Gretta Wong Grant, Bradley Lee, Dora Nipp, Justice Linda Lee Oland, Tommy Tao, Walter Tom, Gary Yee, Alfie Yip and John Yip

Translation Services
Winnie Jia Wei Chen, Grace Hsue, Roberto Jovel, Barbara Yang

MTCSALC would also like to thank the following individuals who have provided invaluable assistance with respect to documents, photos and other materials for the website: Landy Ing-Anderson, Ron Joe, Bradley Lee, Sharon Lem, Simon Li, Justice Linda Lee Oland, Tommy Tao, Gary Yee, Alfie Yip, Lynn Yip, Multicultural History Society and Joseph Wong.  Finally, MTCSALC would also like to thank CBC Radio, the Globe & Mail, Halifax Herald, Halifax Chronicle and the Toronto Star for permitting the use of its production and articles.  in addition, many of the archival photos contained in the website are part of a collection of the Library and Archives Canada .

This site was funded by the Government of Canada

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The “last spike” has been found!
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Canadian Government clawed back community fund to commemorate Chinese Head Tax and Exclusion Act
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