The Honourable Mr. Justice Randall Sun-Kue (Bud) Wong is the first Chinese Canadian to become a federally appointed judge in Canada. 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. 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. 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>. Justice Linda Lee Oland of Nova Scotia becomes the first Chinese Canadian to be appointed to the Court of Appeal anywhere in Canada. James Feng becomes the first Chinese lawyer born outside of Canada to be named to the Quebec Bar. Michael Yiu-Hee Chan is believed to be the first lawyer of Chinese descent to be called to the Saskatchewan Bar when he was admitted on March 25, 1966. James Mah Ming of Ponoka, Alberta, becomes the first Albertan of Chinese descent to be called to the Alberta Bar. On June 10, 1957, lawyer Douglas Jung becomes the first Chinese Canadian elected as a Member of Parliament for the riding of Vancouver Centre. British Columbia calls Margaret Gee to its Bar in 1955, making her the first Chinese Canadian woman to become a lawyer in the province. Andy Joe becomes the first Chinese Canadian to work as a lawyer in British Columbia, when he is called to the Bar in 1953. Gretta Wong Grant of London, Ontario, is the first Chinese Canadian woman to become a lawyer, when she is called to the Ontario Bar in 1946. Ms. Wong Grant set up the first Legal Aid Office in London.

James Feng

Quebec lawyer James Feng grew up thinking about ways to help other people. When he was a student he tried unsuccessfully to gain admission to medical school, before settling on studying law in Taiwan. He was given an opportunity to pursue more studies through a grant from the Canada Council and he moved to Montreal to pursue a Masters degree in law at McGill University in 1958.

“I was the first Chinese lawyer born outside of Canada in the Province of Quebec,” James Feng tells Road to Justice in an interview.

Feng encountered discrimination soon after graduating from his Masters’ program.  He and a classmate from England applied to stay on in Canada and look for employment. His British classmate was granted approval to stay within a month of her application, while his own application took several months. When it was processed, Feng received notice to leave Canada or face deportation.

“The only difference between me and this English girl was the colour of the skin,” says Feng, who went to Ottawa to seek an answer from the Minister of Immigration. Through his own persistence, he was able to meet with the Minister’s staff and receive assurance that his application to become a landed immigrant would be granted. He became a member of the Quebec Bar in 1968.

Watch the interview with James Feng:

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