Bill and Sue-On Hillman
Present
CHINESE IN CANADA
An Epic Journey Across Three Centuries

REFERENCES AND TIMELINE
www.hillmanweb.com/chinese/references.html

THE TIES THAT BIND
https://www.mhso.ca/tiesthatbind/
https://www.mhso.ca/tiesthatbind/content/nyt_articles.pdf
BUILDING THE CANADIAN PACIFIC RAILWAY: BC
www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/governments/multiculturalism-anti-racism/chinese-legacy-bc/history/building-the-railway
KAMLOOPS CHINESE CEMETERY HERITAGE SITE
http://www.heroesofconfederation.com/Chinese_Cemetery/cemetery.html
VIDEO: Chinese Heritage: Nitro
https://youtu.be/EE3ISzalVuo
Now and Then: Chinese Railroad Workers Memorial
https://torontoist.com/2016/04/now-and-then-chinese-railroad-workers/
KAMLOOPS CHINESE HERITAGE SITE
http://www.heroesofconfederation.com/Chinese_Cemetery/cemetery.html
The Legacy of Chinese Railroad Workers
https://www.coquitlamheritage.ca/blog-pages/2020/7/30/the-legacy-of-chinese-railroad-workers
Constructing the CPR through the Shuswap
https://shuswappassion.ca/history/constructing-the-cpr-through-the-shuswap/
This retiree is painting the story of the Chinese workers who died building Canada's railways
www.cbc.ca/2017/this-retiree-is-painting-the-story-of-the-chinese-workers-who-died-building-canada-s-railways-1.3833212
Early Chinese Worker Militancy in BC
https://ourtimes.ca/article/early-chinese-worker-militancy-in-bc
The First Transcontinental Railroad: Did Your Chinese Ancestors Help Build It?
https://www.familysearch.org/blog/en/transcontinental-railroad/
Chinese Canadian Life On The Railway
https://tc2.ca/sourcedocs/history-docs/topics/chinese-canadian-history/chinese-canadian-life-on-the-railway.html
History of Chinese immigration to Canada
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Chinese_immigration_to_Canada
Chinese Canadian
https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/chinese-canadians
Working Conditions For The Workers
https://canadian-pacific-railway.weebly.com/working-conditions-for-the-workers.html
VIDEO: Chinese railroad workers and the CPR
https://youtu.be/pyYMsIhobvs
Pierre Berton and the National Dream
https://www.trha.ca/trha/pierre-berton-and-the-national-dream-part-9-of-10/
VIDEO: The Chinese were instrumental in building Canada's railway, but were no longer welcome after it was done.
Building the Railway
https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/governments/multiculturalism-anti-racism/chinese-legacy-bc/history/building-the-railway
CHINESE COOLIES BUILT CPR AND DEFENCES FOR CANADIANS
https://ccap.uvic.ca/index.php/chinese-coolies-built-cpr-and-defences-for-canadians
 

USA
Building the Transcontinental Railroad: How 20,000 Chinese Immigrants Made It Happen
https://www.history.com/news/transcontinental-railroad-chinese-immigrants
For over a century and a half: Chinese workers abused and superexploited in U.S.
https://www.workers.org/2021/03/55287/
 
 

TIMELINE OF CHINESE IN CANADA

Early 1880s – Around 15,000 Chinese workers are recruited from China to complete the last leg of the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) in British Columbia.

1885 -The Chinese Immigration Act of 1885 requires that virtually all Chinese entering Canada pay a Head Tax of $50 per person.

Mid-1880s – With the completion of the CPR, some Chinese people move east to Alberta and beyond in search of job opportunities.

1900 – The federal government raises the Head Tax to $100.

1903 – The federal government raises the Head Tax to $500.

1923 – The Chinese Immigration Act of 1923 (also known as the Chinese Exclusion Act) nearly bans Chinese immigration to Canada.

1939-1945 – China and Canada are allies during the Second World War. Chinese Canadians fight with the Canadian armed forces and Chinese Canadian communities raise funds for the war effort.
Five Chinese-Canadian soldiers who served with the South East Asia Command, England, 22 Nov. 1945. Credit: Sgt. Karen M. Hermiston / Canada. Dept. of National Defence / Library and Archives Canada / PA-211879

1947 – The Chinese Exclusion Act is repealed after the Second World War. However, some restrictions on Chinese immigration to Canada remained. Chinese Canadians are not allowed to bring their children over 18 to Canada.

1957 – Douglas Jung becomes the first Chinese Canadian Member of Parliament.

1967 – The federal government revises the Immigration Act issuing one set of rules for all applicants from all countries. Immigration to Canada starts to increase.

1979 – Chinese Canadians organize nationally to protest the racist depiction of Chinese Canadians in a story called “Campus Giveaway”. The protest results in the creation of the Chinese Canadian National Council (CCNC).

1984 – The CCNC launches a campaign to obtain redress for Head Tax payers and their families. More than 4000 payers, widows and their families sign up with the CCNC.

1988 – David Lam becomes the Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia; he is the first Asian Canadian Lieutenant Governor of Canada.

1994 -The federal government refuses to grant compensation to Head Tax survivors and their families.

1997 – Following 150 years of British rule, Hong Kong is handed back to Chinese control. Immigration from Hong Kong to Canada intensifies. Meanwhile, the immigrants from Mainland China increased quickly. The construction of Chinese-Canadian has changed.

1998 – Vivienne Poy becomes the first Chinese Canadian appointed to the Senate of Canada.

1999 – Chinese Canadian Adrienne Clarkson is appointed Governor General of Canada.

2000 – CCNC backs a class-action suit against the federal government arguing that the Chinese Head Tax and Exclusion Act contravened the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

2004 – A United Nations representative recommends that Canada strongly consider paying reparations for the Chinese Head Tax.

2005 – Chinese Canadian Normie Kwong is appointed Lieutenant Governor of Alberta.

2006 – Prime Minister Stephen Harper formally apologizes to Chinese Canadians for the Chinese Head Tax and Exclusion Act. The government offers $20,000 to living Head Tax payers and living spouses of deceased payers and pledges to establish funds to help finance community projects and education programs that acknowledge the impact of past war-time measures and immigration restrictions on ethno-cultural communities. They risked their lives to help build Canada’s railroad in the 1880s. But as soon as the work was done, Canada just wanted them gone. It was the beginning of a difficult history for Chinese immigrants to Canada. They struggled through the head tax, personal attacks and job discrimination. But the Chinese in Canada persevered. And today, Chinese-Canadians are an integral part of Canada’s multicultural society, forging their own cultural identities.