Media Advisory: November 7, 2005
Coalition marks 120th anniversary of completion of Canada's first transcontinental railway
TORONTO. The Ontario Coalition of Chinese Head Tax Payers and Families (Ontario Coalition) will host a commemoration of the 120th anniversary of the completion of the Canadian Pacific Railway at 12:30 pm EST today at the Monument to the Chinese Railroad Workers in Canada in Toronto.
"November 7, 2005 is a significant date in the history of Canada," Doug Hum, Co-Vice Chair of the Ontario Coalition said today, "It’s the 120th anniversary of the driving of the last spike in 1885 on November 7th at Craigellachie, British Columbia which completed the final railway link that joined Canada from the Atlantic to the Pacific Oceans."
At this event, the Chinese Canadian National Council (CCNC) will present the “Last Spike”, a "commemorative iron spike" received from celebrated Canadian historian and author Pierre Berton before his passing.
Through this precious gift to the CCNC, Mr. Berton recognized the early Chinese contribution to the building of Canada. “We are pleased to have the support of the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference,” Victor Wong, Executive Director of CCNC said today. “The union shares a common history with
the Chinese men who helped Canada achieve its National Dream – a railway linking the country from the Atlantic to the Pacific.”
To complete this final link, the Government of Canada had to
recruit thousands of Chinese workers mostly from Guangdong, China when almost no one else could be found or were willing to do the work. There was tremendous opposition to Chinese workers in British Columbia at the time which prompted the first Prime Minister of Canada, Sir John A. McDonald who being fearful that the completion of the railway might be jeopardized,
to lash out at opposition to Chinese workers saying that, "either you must have this labour or you can't have this railway."
"Immediately following the last spike in 1885, the Government of Canada in pandering to racist elements at the time, slapped a head tax on all Chinese immigrants to Canada," said Susan Eng, Co-Chair of the Coalition. "It began initially at $50, then was raised to $100 in 1900 and finally to $500 in 1903." This "Chinese Head Tax" failed to deter Chinese immigration which led the Canadian Government to finally close the door on almost all Chinese immigration by enacting the "Chinese Exclusion Act" in 1923 which was not repealed until 1947.
To mark November 7th, the Ontario Coalition of Chinese Head Tax Payers and Families is hosting a commemoration of Chinese railroad workers in Canada and a press conference to outline its plans for redress of the Head Tax and Chinese Exclusion Act. In attendance will be direct descendents of the builders of the railway that helped to build Canada.
The Ontario Coalition of Chinese Head Tax Payers and Families consists of head tax payers, their surviving spouses and descendants. They are joined in the campaign for Head Tax redress by the Chinese Canadian National Council, the Association of Chinese Canadians for Equality and Solidarity Society, Metro Toronto Chinese and South East Asian Legal
Clinic, BC Coalition of Head Tax Payers Spouses and Descendants, and other equality-seeking groups.
DATE: Monday, November 7, 2005
TIME: 12:30 p.m. EST*
LOCATION: The Monument to the Chinese Railroad
Workers in Canada at Blue Jays Way and Navy Wharf Ct. west of the dome stadium (Rogers Centre)
*The last spike was driven at 9:30 a.m. PST.
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For further information and to arrange interviews, please contact:
Doug Hum, Chinese Head Tax Payers and Families, Toronto, (416) 706-7886
Victor Wong, Chinese Canadian National Council, Toronto, (416) 977-9871
Sid Tan, BC Coalition of Head Tax Payers Spouses and Descendants, Vancouver, (604) 433-6169
