St. Andrew's Day - Gung Haggis Fat Choy style

St. Andrew is the patron saint of Scotland.  St Andrew was one of Jesus' twelve disciples and he lived and worked as a fisherman in Galilee. He was the brother of Peter, another of Christ's disciples.

A few days ago... Maggie Shiels of the BBC Radio Scotland program "Scotland Licked" asked me if I had any plans for St. Andrew's Day.  I had to confess that I hadn't thought about it.  But I promised I would celebrate now that she had brought it up.

So... how did Toddish McWong celebrated St. Andrew's Day?  By forgetting to wear my kilt - but with the freezing temperatures and yesterday's snowfall still hanging around the upper elevations, I didn't dare. 

St. Andrew was a fisherman, so for dinner I ate fish.  Well actually it was sushi, and it was during a meeting for the Save Kogawa House committee.  Next I went to see the musical show celebrating the music and dance of South Africa, called Umoja, "the spirit of togetherness."  Amazing! Filled with incredible songs, drums, music and dance... I will write my review later.

The most important thing I did on St. Andrew's Day was go to my favorite drinking establishment in Vancouver - Doolin's Irish Pub, where we celebrate "Kilts Night" on the first Saturday of each month. My buddy Rod and his brother Rick were my drinking partners as we celebrated with Guinness.  We had the Irish Nachos made with potato chips... covered with cheese, sour cream, onions, diced tomatoes...

Doolin's is fun - the waitresses all wear short plaid skirts, and I recieved greetings from Evan the manager, Christine Van, the promotions manager, and Jenny our waitress.
Bear,Me, Dallas and Raphael at Kilts Night
Vancouver really doesn't celebrate St. Andrew's Day.  There's a mention in the Georgia Straight by Jurgen Goethe about a limited release Scottish Ale by Granville Island Breweries.  A few of the local Scottish societies are having St. Andrew's Day dinners.  But nobody's invited me yet.  Maybe they're afraid I might bring my accordion.

It was way back in 1955 on St. Andrew's Day in 1955, 21 Scottish Canadians groups finally opened the United Scottish Cultural Centre at Fir and 12th Avenue in Vancouver. (In July, 1986, the centre would move into a new home at 8886 Hudson in Marpole.)  Apparently there was a party there on Nov 26th, Saturday Night - but nobody told me. 
- Joe McDonald on flute
Mad Celts was providing the entertainment - and Joe McDonald band leader is my regular piper for Gung Haggis Fat Choy.... and he didn't tell me!

Chinese Head Tax: Protest in Vancouver Chinatown

We chanted loud and proud.  We walked up Pender St and down Keefer St.  We were interviewed by radio, TV and newspaper journalists.  We waved at the Primeminister. We were ordinary Canadians who just happened to be Chinese.  We were descendants of head tax payers and we were supporters of a cause.  We were senior citizens, we were Baby Boomers, and we were Generation X.  We were all asking for an apology and for redress.

Somehow on Saturday, I ended up being a protest organizer.  I have never done this before.  Yes, I have organized  Chinese Robbie Burns dinners for 600, and organized dragon boat races for thousands.  I have been an advocate for mental health, cancer programs, Terry Fox Runs, dragon boat and Chinese Canadian issues - but never before have I picked up a megaphone and urged the crowd to chant "Apologize Now" - nor direct a crowd in a peaceful demonstration when the Prime Minister was arriving at an event.

I woke up Saturday morning, and went down to Home Depot to buy some correplast to make placards.  I arrived at the Chinese Cultural Centre courtyard at 10:45am and Sid Tan, shouted out "The power of two!" to onlooking media types.  I immediately asked Sid for the markers he promised and started making signs, as Sid would shout out "The power of Three", and "Now we are Four!"  Our crowd would grow steadily to 50, then 60, and more. People would bring banners and signs saying "BC Coalition of Head Tax Payers and Descendants", "Head Tax Redress is only Fair", and "NCCC Doesn't Speak for Me."

My signs were little history lessons which said:



It was great to see so many people out on Saturday.  Lots of cameraderie despite not being able to speak English or Cantonese to everybody... but it didn't matter... there were lots of smiles.  We tried our best to translate English and Cantonese for each other.  We shared our stories and we helped each other out.

Vancouver Sun took pictures.  Epoch Times, Sing Tao and World Journal all showed up at the Chinese Cultural Centre courtyard.  There were security guards at the CCC Multipurpose Hall who did not let our Coalition in the doors.  the NCCC had invited many Chinese community organizations and their members from across Canada - but they did not invite our group or the Chinese Canadian National Congress which had registered over 4000 individual head tax payers and descendants.  So we protested and we asked Minister of Multiculturalism Raymond Chan to come speak with us and answer our questions.

Lots of onlookers came by and asked us questions.  We explained the facts.  They said they sympathized with us.  We saw some of the conference goers peering out at us from behind the doors.


We spontaneously decided to take it to the streets and marched up Pender St, across Main St, then down Keefer St. and back to the CCC Courtyard.  All the while a Global TV cameraman filmed us and interviewed Sid Tan - event organizer. 

We decided to take a little break and get some buns and water for everybody.  This is when the police arrived and started asking us what we were doing.  Very calmly and politely we told them, as we continued updating our signs in anticipation of the Prime Minister's arrival.  We changed some of the signs to read "Liberals Sold us out!"  "PM Martin breaks his promises." 

In front of the SUCCESS front, I was interviewed by Toronto Star and CKNW 98 Radio.  Sid was interviewed by many more... CBC television was there... The PM's security tried to move us back from the front entrance and off to the side -but we pretty well held our ground. More and more people showed up.  People I never expected to see in a protest.  People from many aspects of the community.  Very respectable people.  And we shared our signs, smiled and chanted some more.

We moved to better line up along the street and make sure the PM saw our newly renovated signs when his limosine pulled up.


When Prime Minister Paul Martin did show up, there was a lion dance with drums banging loudly.  PM Martin was quickly hustled into the SUCCESS building where he shook hands with boy scouts then went into the meeting to speak to the NCCC and the organizations they had gathered to highlight their ACE program for redress - which neither apologizes nor gives individual reparation.

Outside we chant some more, sign up more names on the petition, exchange phone numbers.  I grab the megaphone and thank everybody for coming.  I announce that "We were interviewed by the Vancouver Sun, Toronto Star, Global TV, Ming Pao, Sing Tao, Fairchild and many more.  We have demonstrated that we are a community.  We have asked for apology and redress.  And we have been heard!  Congratulations everybody!"

It was an exhilerating day...
I hope some pictures of the event come our way soon....

See Alex Mah's short video film of the event:

On November 26, 2005, government compliant groups met at the Chinese Cultural Centre in Vancouver to put forward a "no apology, no compensation" agreement-in-principle between the National Congress of Chinese Canadians and the Liberal federal government represented by Multiculturalism Minister Raymond Chan.

Individuals and community groups, representing head-tax payers, their spouses, descendants and supporters organized a leafletting and information line at the conference and subsequent photo opportunity attended by Prime Minister Paul Martin at the SUCCESS complex in Chinatown.

Head Tax Protest: Redress: and a good time was had by us...Saltwater City reporting

Sid Chow Tan is the organizer of the BC Coalition of BC Head Tax Payers and Descendants.  He wrote this e-mail describing Saturday's protest outside the NCCC conference at the Chinese Cultural Centre. This was the conference where the NCCC had flown their members from across Canada and put them up in hotels with money from a $100,000 grant.  Basically photo ops with Raymond Chan and Prime Minister Paul Martin. Hopefully they don't use the head tax redress payments for their conferences and organizational costs.

Sid writes below:

Yo all

Simply, the soul-suckers could not face us. The Prime Minister did not glance at us. The Multiculturalism Minister and National Congress people snuck out other doors. Set-up started at 10:30am. We remained together at the CCC square, picking up numbers. A half an hour into leafletting, we were a hundred and more. I'm hoping photos will start coming in.

We could not attend the NCCC meeting and so held our  own. Placards appeared. After occupying the square for an hour, the group spontaneously decided on walk through Chinatown with Global TV. We went up Pender onto Main, down Keefer and back to the square.

This was a visual feast and galvanizing moment. We took up a collection and got buns and water, Some socializing and gabbing and a decision was made to welcome the Prime Minister at 2:00pm at SUCCESS. The group halved to the hardy.

Then somehow, we started picking up people, practised our chanting and started to have fun. If nothing else, it was already a successful day. 

At SUCCESS, the media following the PM started showing up. We stared to suck up coverage with chanting and our numbers. Then a big loud lion dance.

The PM was inside in three eye blinks, looking straight ahead. There was quite a crowd by now. We spent another half hour petition signing, answerings the public's question and doing alot of smiling and laughing.

The day exceeded my expectations by ten-fold. We got the names and numbers of a lot of supporters. Lot's of multi-tasking. I can't begin to thank all the people.

Our banner looked good and most were feeling fine. We tried to do group building and definitely sucked up media. At our level of organisation, much more can be and will be done. We can have much hope and inspiration at what our seniors and their families accomplished today. This is only the end of the beginning. The legislation lasted over three generations. It may take that long for a just and honourable redress.

The subject line says it all. More later.

Take care. anon Sid

Head Tax Redress: Gabriel Yiu and Raymond Chan speak on CBC Radio Early Edition

Gabriel Yiu and Minister of State (Multiculturalism) Raymond Chan were both interviewed on CBC Radio Early Edition this morning by host Rick Cluff.  They spoke about the current head tax issues.  My comments are in italics.

You can hear the interview on-line
http://www.cbc.ca/bc/story/bc_chan-head-tax20051128.html


Gabriel Yiu said the following:

- Chinese Canadian community response so far is one-sided. On Sat, Fairchild Radio & Channel M's open-line shows (3 hours), not a single caller supported Liberal's handling of the matter. 

(The issue has actually been very hot in the Chinese media for the past 2 weeks – Mainstream media has been slow to explore in-depth issues or to give more than a wire story except CBC Radio.)

- On Sunday,  Sing Tao (page A2), one of its headlines said "Martin gives political promise, will apologize to Chinese if elected". 

(This headline is translated from the Chinese - and was attributed to NCCC chair Ping Tan, who said this to the NCCC conference.  The Liberal position is that an acknowledgment is as close to an apology as Chinese Canadians will get.  Martin is clearly politicizing the issue.  It has already been debated in standing committees at parliament.  Only the NDP and Bloc Quebecois debated against the language that the Liberals and Conservatives are trying to ram through as Bill C-333 put forward by Conservative MPs Inky Mark and Bev Oda.  NDP MP Margaret Mitchell first tried to resolve head tax issues in the 1980’s.)

- CCNC has been working on the Headtax Redress for over 20 years and it represents over 4000 Headtax payers and they've been shut out of the government settlement.

(Chinese Canadian National Council formed after the 1979 W5 issue when it was recognized that a national voice for Chinese Canadians was needed. CCNC was also the organization that started registering headtax payers and descendants since 1984.  The NCCC has not claimed that they have registered any head tax payers.)

Raymond Chan basically attacked Gabriel Yiu next stating:

- Gabriel Yiu is not only a commentator, he is a NDP
 candidate

(FACT: Gabriel Yiu has been a Chinese media commentor for many years and has also contributed to mainstream media such as the Vancouver Sun, CBC Radio, Ming Pao and many others. Yiu is NOT a candidate in the upcoming federal election, but did run in the provincial election as an NDP candidate – same colour as Ujal Dosanjh before he joined the federal Liberals to become a Senior Cabinet minister compared to Chan’s junior portfolio.)

- Gabriel Yiu is misleading the community
(How is presenting the views of the community misleading?  Chan must be desperate to resort to personal attacks rather than to feature the facts).

- Chan denied any community opposition and said the settlement is well represented by a great many Chinese organizations

I was one of 75 people protesting on Saturday outside on the NCCC conference at the Chinese Cultural Centre and at SUCCESS when Prime Minister Paul Martin arrived.  We chanted, and we held up placards and were interviewed and filmed by Vancouver Sun, CKNW 98, Global News, CBC TV News, Ming Pao, Epoch Times, Sing Tao.

Guess Chan wasn’t listening when many of the organizations listed on the Liberal press release complained that they did not give NCCC permission to use their names, or wasn’t aware that NCCC national chair Ping Tan severely critized NCCC director Tsai Fung Chan Lee for openly criticizing NCCC's approach, and urged its executive chairman Ping Tan and the federal government to reconsider their approach to the Head Tax issue.

Raymond Chan is WRONG on many facts!
I believe that Raymond Chan is seriously misleading the public. He listed a number of organizations such as the Chinese Cultural Centres of Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver, and SUCCESS - an immigrant services organization.  The directors of these groups are primarily  immigrants who arrived in Canada since 1967, not actual head tax payer descendants.  These groups are interested in the cash grab that is available to them - not for rightful redress to head tax payers.  Chan lists a number of projects for these organizations such as "museum projects, youth education, restore historical building to remember railroad workers, Toronto Cultural Association wants to build momentuum for their centre."  All these projects should be eligible for already existing programs in Canadian Heritage or Multiculturalism.

The $23 million originally collected from original head tax payers was further worked off by themselves and their descendants who basically gave up years of their lives to pay for initial loans to pay for the tax.  They lived separated from families over generations. The total impact from 1885 to 1947, then further until 1967 when restrictive immigration laws were relaxed, may never be totally known.

Chan also said the Chinese Canadian veterans are almost all head tax payers.
WRONG! most were born in Canada, and many were head tax descendants, and guess what? They weren't even allowed to fight for their country until England asked Canada for Chinese speaking soldiers, and even then Chinese Canadians still couldn't vote in Canada.  The veterans have always asked for only an apology - not for compensation.  Jan Wong of the Globe & Mail reported on Saturday that the veterans were pulling out because no apology is being given.

Chan says that the government cannot look at ethnic redress issues in isolation - "We have to worry about, we have to consider all the other claims by other ethnic groups that have claims to the government..."
WRONG - the Chinese head tax is a unique situation, because only ethnic Chinese were taxed from $50 to $500 from 1885 to 1923 when Chinese immigration was banned until 1947, and then very limited until 1967.  No other ethnic group was taxed for immigration nor excluded, at consideral cost to community and families.

Chan says that a "responsible" government cannot give away individual compensation for a past wrong such as head tax.  WRONG! In 1988 the Progressive Conservative federal government under Prime Minister Brian Mulroney signed a Redress package with Japanese Canadians that included $21,000 individual compensation.  The CCNC and the BC Coalition of Head Tax Payers are simply asking for a Tax refund of what the government acknowledges was wrong.  The United Nations in 2004 asked Canada to apologize and make individual reparations, which New Zealand did.

Chan says the Chinese Community has never come together like this before: 
WRONG!  In 1979, Chinese ad-hoc committees sprouted up across Canada to protest CTV's W-5 program which aired a misleading story called "Campus Giveaway." It was the CCNC that grew out of this unified movement.

Unfortunately Gabriel Yiu did not get a chance to dispute Raymond Chan's statements.  Chan repeatedly said that Gabriel Yiu was "lying" and "misleading the public" when it was clearly  Raymond Chan who is out of touch with the community and needs to take Chinese Canadian history lessons.  I recommend Paul Yee's "Struggle and Hope: The Story of Chinese Canadians." It's a good easy read written for young adults.

You can find my name listed on the bottom of page 85 just above Raymond Chan's in the Chronology: The Chinese in Canada.  Raymond is listed for being an MP appointed to Secretary of State for Asia Pacific Affairs whereas I am listed for being awarded the Simon Fraser University Terry Fox Gold Medal for my personal battle with cancer and for efforts to create racial harmony.

Please ask CBC Radio to present more in depth stories on Head Tax Issues where the interviews can clarify their positions and also include the actual descendants of head tax payers - not just the more recent immigrants of the "Chinese community". 

The CBC Radio Early Edition Talk Back phone number is 604-662-6690.

Globe & Mail: Jan Wong writes on Chinese head tax and Grandpa Wong

I first met Jan Wong in Beijing in October 1993.  I found her at her Globe & Mail Beijing bureau chief office, and we talked about Terry Fox, Canada, her American husband, Svend Robinson getting kicked out of China - and me speaking at the Terry Fox Run at the Canadian embassy in Beijing.  Jan is very cool.  She has written the books Jan Wong in China and Red China Blues, describing her time as the first Canadian foreign student in Communist China.

The following is her story in the Globe & Mail.

"Give the money to us" - Who gets the $2.5 Million federal payout announced this week for Chinese Canadians.  Jan Wong reports on a taxing question.

Globe & Mail

By JAN WONG

Saturday, November 26, 2005 Page M2

What would Grandpa Wong think?

Last week, the National Congress of Chinese Canadians thought it had a good news story. In the wake of similar federal agreements with the Italian and Ukrainian communities, the congress triumphantly announced it had beaten out two other Toronto-based organizations to negotiate a $12.5-million payout from Ottawa for the head tax once levied on Chinese immigrants when they entered the country.

But then reporters began asking awkward questions. Why did the deal exclude an apology? Why was there no compensation to those who paid the head tax? And why, on the eve of a federal election, was so much money going to a single organization that sent out squads of volunteers to campaign for a Liberal candidate running in Toronto's Chinatown in the last election?

Ping Tan, a Toronto lawyer who heads the NCCC, started getting tetchy. He publicly scolded Linda Tse, a Fairchild Television correspondent, when she asked several pointed questions at his press conference. "You don't ask questions like that," he snapped.

Toronto First Radio, a Chinese-language station with a popular suppertime call-in show, never got invited to the press conference in the first place.

No wonder. A few weeks earlier, the host of the show, Simon Li, had posed this loaded question to listeners: Do you think this is a sponsorship scandal in the Chinese-Canadian community? "A majority of callers said the only difference is it is taking place in the Chinese community, not Quebec," says Mr. Li, 25.

One major difference is that no one is suggesting that any criminal conduct has occurred. It's a harsh comment, meant to reflect concerns about Liberals favouring their supporters, but it demonstrates how divisive the issue of head-tax redress has become among Chinese Canadians.

Further complicating matters, the government, which could fall as early as Monday, this week downplayed any suggestion of a done deal with the NCCC. A spokesman for Raymond Chan, multiculturalism minister, said on Tuesday that his department was merely "reviewing" the application from the organization.

But on Thursday, Mr. Chan did sign an agreement in principle with Mr. Tan -- for just $2.5-million. And a multiculturalism program under his purview provided Mr. Tan's group with a $100,000 grant for airfare, hotels and meals for a national conference this weekend in Vancouver to discuss how to spend the money.

So far, Mr. Tan says, the group has no specific plans for the payout money. But one thing is certain: It won't be used to compensate the families of Chinese Canadians who paid the tax, in compliance with the government's stipulation that no individual redress payments be made.

Officials with Mr. Chan's office, who say that the NCCC is the only organization that actually applied for redress money, issued a press release that included a list of dozens of community groups that support the deal. But one organization listed -- a Chinese-Canadian veterans group called Army, Navy & Air Force Veterans in Canada -- disassociated itself from the congress, specifying it wants an apology as part of the government's settlement.

Another group listed is, in fact, one of the toughest critics of the deal -- the Chinese Canadian National Council, which has lobbied since 1984 for direct head-tax redress. "We want something for the head-tax payers and their families," said Victor Wong, executive director, whose group didn't apply for the federal money because it disagreed with the government's conditions. He says the council plans to file an injunction to stop the payment to the Congress, and stage protests today in Chinatowns in Toronto, Montreal, Edmonton and Vancouver, where Prime Minister Paul Martin is expected to meet with Mr. Tan and other congress officials.

Mr. Tan hopes his organization will eventually see even more money. "This is the initial funding," he says. "We have an agreement to negotiate for more."

In this pre-election flurry of feel-good largesse, the federal government bypassed the one group formed to represent the victims, the Ontario Coalition of Chinese Head Tax Payers and Families. The group has signed up 4,000 payers and their families since the 1980s. It estimates that only a few hundred head-tax payers, at most, are still alive.

Like the callers to Mr. Li's radio show, the head-tax coalition alleges that another Liberal scandal is in the making. "They will transfer $12.5-million of taxpayers' money to political cronies," Susan Eng, the coalition's co-chair, said at a press conference last week before the lower amount became public.

Pressed at the time for specifics about cronyism, Ms. Eng came up short. But at Mr. Chan's Liberal nomination meeting last Sunday in Richmond, B.C., congress members and officials packed the hall, including many who didn't live in the riding, according to several witnesses.

So what would Grandpa Wong make of all this? He and other family members of mine paid a total of $1,300 -- about $23,600 in 2005 dollars, according to the Bank of Canada inflation calculator -- to enter Canada. Grandpa Wong and my grandmother each paid $500 in 1915. My other grandmother, who arrived in 1902, paid a lower head tax, $100, as did her stepson and daughter-in-law. Her husband, Grandpa Chong, arrived in 1881, before Ottawa dreamed up the tax. One of about 9,000 coolies recruited to build the Canadian Pacific Railway, he paid a different tax -- after the last spike was driven in -- to stay in Canada and find a new job. But that's another story.

Canada discriminated against aboriginals, Japanese, Germans, Italians and Ukrainians, to mention just a few. The government devised regulations to keep out Africans, Indians, Jews and a host of other non-Aryan types. But only the Chinese were singled out for a punitive admission fee -- and issued receipts. From 1885 to 1923, more than 82,000 Chinese immigrants to Canada paid an estimated $23-million to the government. (In 1923, the head tax was replaced by the Chinese Immigration Act, the Orwellian name for a law that barred virtually all Chinese immigration until its repeal in 1947.)

My grandparents might have had a claim for redress, but they died decades ago. Even if I wanted repayment of their $23,600, it would probably work out to the price of three Starbucks lattes by the time I finished divvying it up with my zillions of cousins, second cousins, their children, and their children. The rest would go to lawyers and accountants -- oh, wait; we have a dozen of those in the family, too. The point is, we're all here and flourishing; thank you, Canada. But I can't and shouldn't speak for others.

Jack Chong, a retired postal sorter, has kept his father's $500 head-tax receipt, dated April 9, 1914, and numbered 87126.

"We want the government to say they were wrong, to apologize," said Mr. Chong, 73. "Why don't they give the money to us? Instead, they throw the money to the Congress."

For 91 years, Har Ying Lee's family has also kept her father's head-tax certificate. Mrs. Lee, 69, said her father worked as a laundryman, briefly returning home to marry and start a family.

The Chinese Immigration Act forced him to leave them behind when he came back to Canada. Mrs. Lee said her father saw her once when she was an infant, and not again until she was 22 and had arrived as a bride in Canada. "My mother is still alive. She's 97," said Mrs. Lee. "My father told me it took him so long to come up with the head-tax money that he hoped my mother would have a long life to get the money back. She wants the head-tax money back. We need direct compensation from the government."

George Lau, a thin, energetic man, is a co-chair of the Ontario coalition of head-tax payers. His father paid the head tax in 1924. Now, at 74, Mr. Lau fears time is running out for redress. He points out that Mr. Tan came to Canada from Malaysia as a student in 1968, after the era of the head tax. "They were not impacted," said Mr. Lau, speaking of people like Mr. Tan. "They shouldn't be given sole responsibility for handling this money."

A Common Man's Guide to Loving Women Firehall Arts Centre November 11 to December 3, 2005 written by Andre Moodie directed by Denis Simpson starring Awaovieyi Agie, Kwesi Ameyaw, Peter John Prinsloo and Hayden Thomas Where can you find four sexy black men, who are hip, urbane, and live in Vancouver's trendy Yaletown neighborhood? Well... believe it or not - at the Firehall Arts Centre on the corner of Cordova St. and Gore St. in the Downtown Lower Eastside. Denis Simpson directs the Andrew Moodie play "A Common Man's Guide to Loving Women. Set designer Derek Butt has created a beautiful urbane condominium that every person would want to live in. A wide screen tv with a kick-ass sound system, complimented by a very cool dining set complete with clear acrylic chess set. This is not some "gangsta crib in the 'hood."   more »

I am Canadian:  I take the oath at Canadian Citizenship court.

"O Canada, I stand on guard for thee...."

It was my first time at Canadian citizenship court.  As a 5th Generation Canadian, I really never had a reason to go.  My parents were born in Canada, my grandmother was born in Canada.  My great-grandmother came to Canada as a baby in 1899. My great-great-grandfather came to Canada in 1896.

Eighty people stood in the room, some holding Canadian flags, some wearing Canadian lapel pins.  Citizen court judge Sandra Wilking presided, and give an inspirational speech about what it means to be a Canadian.  She talked about the responsibilities about becoming a Canadian, and giving back to this new country.  She acknowledged that some people came from countries that were ravaged by war, while others came from countries at peace - but all have come to Canada for a better life.

At the end of her address, each row stood up in turn stating their name and raising their right arm.  Then we all stood up together and took an oath to serve Canada.  We next sang O Canada.

Then, Judge Wilking introduced me to the people about to be sworn in as citizens, as a member from the Canadian Club.  She also introduced me as a 5th Generation Canadian who works tirelessly in community service, and as an arts advocate.  Then she did something she almost never ever does.  She gave me a plug for Gung Haggis Fat Choy!  Judge Wilking just thinks my multicultural Robbie Burns Chinese New Year dinner is a most Canadian event, and that every Canadian should attend.  You could see the smiles on people's faces, and the stifled laughters at her description of haggis won-ton, and the blending of Scottish and Chinese cultures into something uniquely Canadian.

I introduced myself as a director of the Canadian Club founded in 1906 to emphasize Canadian culture and identity when Canada was still very "British" in nature and manners.  But through the years, the Canadian Club has honoured Canada's best and brightest, it has nurtured its cultural evolution, as new waves of immigration have added to our cultural mosaic.  We have addressed the hurts of Quebec separatism, American imperialism, and First Nations issues.

I invited everybody to become active participants as Canadians.  Next, I thanked Judge Wilking for her inspirational address and shared with everybody in the room, that Judge Wilking had been an immigrant from South Africa, and she spoke true about committment to our communities, because she had been the first Chinese-Canadian woman to serve as a Vancouver City Councillor.  I hoped that everybody could be as inspired by Judge Wilking as I have been.

It was a wonderful day.  It was great to be part of helping people become Canadian citizens.

I AM CANADIAN!

"This is almost exactly what happened with Japanese Canadian redress. My new/old novel, "Emily Kato" (a re-write of Itsuka and just published) describes the panic when government tried to pull the rug out from the redress movement. But we did stop it." wrote Joy Kogawa to me in an e-mail....   more »

Head Tax issue: Todd's letter to the editors of the Vancouver Sun

To Kirk LaPointe
Managing Editor, Vancouver Sun

Hello Kirk,

Thank you for taking seriously my comments about the Sun's coverage of Canadian issues that just happen to have Asian names and faces behind them, and not just to feature Asian faces at Chinese New Year time.

I am a 5th generation Canadian, my picture and activities have been featured in the Vancouver Sun many times since 1993, for my Gung Haggis Fat Choy events, for being awarded the SFU Terry Fox Gold Medal, and for speaking as a Terry's Team member for the Terry Fox Run as a living cancer survivor.

I believe that the Vancouver Sun can offer a different perspective to the Chinese head tax issue.  I want to know what real community leaders such as Bob Lee, Milton Wong, David YH Lui, Lori Fung, Roy Mah and Bev Nann have to say.  Their pioneer forefathers all likely had to pay the head tax, their families were isolated by the Chinese Exclusion  Act.  These people have recieved the Order of Canada and or the Order of BC.

I want to hear from architect Joe Wai, writer Wayson Choy, historian Jim Wong-Chu.  How about "white" people that are important members of the Chinese community such as Dr. Jan Walls or Dr. Edgar Wickberg.

Kevin, here is the link to my blog article postings on Chinese Canadian Head Tax redress
http://www.gunghaggisfatchoy.com/blog/ChineseHead
TaxissuesGimWongsRideforRedress

What does writer Joy Kogawa think about the Chinese head tax redress issue.  Joy and Roy Miki both worked on the Japanese Canadian redress campaign and both are listed in Almanac's 100 Greatest British Columbians.

Here's a letter to me from Joy Kogawa below

Regards, Todd Wong


June Callwood, Dr. Joseph Wong, Michele Landsberg, and many other people of conscience have added their support to the Ontario Coalition of Chinese Head Tax Payers and Families plus the Chinese Canadian National Council. The strenuous efforts of these organizations to have the Head Tax redress resolved in an honourable manner have thus far been thwarted by the federal government.

Media Release: November 24, 2005  -  For Immediate Release

Government Bungling Confuses Canadians on Chinese Head Tax/Exclusion Redress: 4,000 Head Tax Payers and Families Call for a Just and Honourable Redress Now


Vancouver – The federal government is poised to sign an agreement with the National Congress of Chinese Canadians (NCCC) that humiliates and disrespects the few remaining Head Tax payers and their spouses.  Community groups say the NCCC is not representative of the Chinese Canadians calling on the government to engage in a genuine process of redress and reconciliation.  Only good faith negotiations with representatives for the last surviving Head Tax payers and spouses who are in the 90's or older will bring about the long overdue reconciliation and healing.

“We would all agree that Canada is a better country today because of the legacy of the Japanese Canadian redress. In that light, we respectfully request that the Prime Minister review the deliberations taking place regarding Bill C-333 and re-engage in negotiations with active participation of all Chinese Canadian communities,” said Grace Eiko  Thomson of the National Association of Japanese Canadians.  “Only a just and honourable settlement can bring about a healing process leading to full participation and pride in Canadian citizenship.”

Since 1984, over 4,000 Head Tax payers, spouses and families, each with Head Tax certificate, registered with the Chinese Canadian National Council (CCNC) to represent their claim to the Government.  The CCNC was not consulted about the agreement because the government set preconditions of "no apology" and "no compensation". This was unacceptable to those seeking direct individual acknowledgement, recognition and a tax refund.

"Paul Martin is doing the same to the aboriginal community at the First Minister   Conference: luring native elites and chiefs into accepting a dollar cap for a Ten Year Plan without consultation with grassroots groups and victims of residential schools,” said Bill Chu, chairperson of Chinese Christians in Action and Canadians for Reconciliation.  “It is shameful that a Chinese group (NCCC) with little history of fighting for Head Tax redress bypassed consulting the victims and is willing to accept whatever small funds offered with no intent of paying the actual victims."

“As Canadians, we should have the courage to face our past wrong-doings including the imposition of head tax and the Chinese Exclusion Act.  We should also urge our government to redress the head tax payers and families,” said Thekla Lit, a human rights and peace activist.  “Before anyone or group benefits from the money established because of the injustice to Chinese pioneers, they have the moral obligation to ensure the head tax payers, spouses and families get their refund of head tax first."

"The Chinese head tax redress has been dragged on for over a quarter of a century.  We shouldn't rush to an unjust settlement because of a upcoming election, said Gabriel Yiu, current affairs commentator.  “By shutting out the Chinese Canadian National Council, who represents over 4,000 redress claimants, the Liberal government is adding another disgraceful chapter to our national history."

“There is much anger and frustration at the federal government.  Before his election to the Commons, current Multiculturalism Minister Raymond Chan supported Head Tax payers, spouses and descendants at Chinese Canadian National Council meetings,” said Sid Tan of the B. C. Coalition of Head Tax Payers, Spouses and Descendants, director of CCNC and a grandson of  a Head Tax payer.  “His proposed agreement with the NCCC is unethical and humiliates the very people who overcame the racist legislation to enable him to serve in public office.”

The B. C. Coalition of Head Tax Payers Spouses and Descendants are head Tax payers, their surviving spouses, descendants and supporters.  They are joined in their demand for a just and honourable redress now by the Ontario Coalition of Head Tax Payers and Families, Chinese Canadian National Council, Chinese Canadian Redress Alliance, the Association of Chinese Canadians for Equality and Solidarity Society and the Metro Toronto Chinese and South East Asian Legal Clinic.

Go to www.headtaxredress.org to sign the on-line petition to stop the proposed agreement between the federal government and NCCC.  Without proper consultation with the over 4000 Head Tax payers and families registered with CCNC, any agreement on the on the Chinese Head Tax/Exclusion redress and reconciliation will be unethical.


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Sid Tan, co-ordinator  604-433-6169
B. C. Coalition of Head Tax Payers, Spouses and Descendants

CBC Radio story on Head Tax issue - interview with Sid Tan of BC Coalition of Head Tax Payers and Descendants CBC Radio has a story on their website Compensation deal reached on Chinese head tax

Last updated Nov 18 2005 01:12 PM PST CBC News

Ottawa is set to pay millions of dollars in compensation to descendants of Chinese workers who were charged a head tax to enter the country. The government has agreed to acknowledge the tax was discriminatory and will pay $12.5 million into a new foundation. The agreement comes following negotiations with the the National Congress of Chinese Canadians, a group appointed to negotiate redress. CBC ARCHIVES: A Tale of Perseverance: Chinese Immigration to Canada "We have concluded the negotiations and now we are looking forward to signing the agreement with the federal government as soon as possible," said Pin Tan, of the Congress. The federal government imposed a $50 head tax on Chinese immigrants in 1885 after Chinese workers were no longer needed to work on the Canadian Pacific Railway. The amount was raised to $500 in 1903. In 1923 the head tax was replaced by the Exclusion Act, which barred Chinese immigrants from the country altogether until 1947. The tax was the equivalent of about two years' wages at the time. About 80,000 Chinese were singled out. It wasn't fully repealed until 1967. "The cabinet has approved an acknowledgment, commemoration and education program to make sure that Canadians understand those issues, those wrong things that were done to the communities in the past," said Raymond Chan, Minister of State for Multiculturalism. However, some head tax payers and their families are upset with the deal. The Ontario Coalition of Head Tax Payers and Families, which is representing 4,000 of them, is questioning why it has been shut out of negotiations with the government. It is demanding individual payments to Chinese who were charged the tax. "We think that no money should go out until it is settled," said Susan Eng, of the coalition. "There is widespread opposition in the Chinese community." INTERVIEW: The Early Edition's Rick Cluff speaks with Sid Tan, the Vancouver co-ordinator of the Head Tax Payers Coalition. The group is planning to sue the government to stop the deal. It says every Chinese-Canadian who paid the price for decades of discrimination should be given the chance to be heard. The Congress said it is willing to hear proposals about how the money should be spent. But the Canadian Taxpayers Federation is opposed to any money being paid out. "The danger is that it fosters other groups to come forward and also demand compensation and tax money," said John Williamson, of the Federation. "We'd kind of get into a cycle whereby it's one group after another."

Darn.... but I forgot to tell Maggie that we mix bamboo shoots and water chestnuts in with the haggis for the won ton and the spring rolls.  Makes it good and crunchy.  mmmmm..... crunch crunch - good!
And we mix in maple syrup to the sweet and sour sauce.  Sometimes a bit a Drambuie or scotch too.

My friends always get asked by the media if the haggis is any good.  My Grand-Uncle called it "dandy" - and we always point out that tripe and chicken's feet are always part of Chinese "dim sum" lunch.  "Dim Sum" actually means "little bit of heart", "touch the heart", or "close to the heart" - so the idea of eating Sheep's organs mixed with oatmeal is not such a revolting idea to regular Chinese food dinners.

My girlfriend also said that I forgot to tell Maggie, that my Bear Kilts "Maple Leaf" tartan kilt is made of synthetic polyviscous material.  This makes it perfect for summer when I go dragon boat paddling in the local Vancouver saltwater.

Gim Wong with Jack Layton above right.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NOVEMBER 22, 2005

NDP CALLS ON GOVERNMENT TO PROVIDE FAIR DEAL FOR CHINESE HEAD TAX PAYERS

OTTAWA – NDP Leader Jack Layton along with his caucus colleagues, House Leader Libby Davies (Vancouver East), Immigration Critic Bill Siksay (Burnaby-Douglas) and MP Peter Julian (Burnaby-New-Westminster), urged the Prime Minister to find a compromise and fair deal for all Chinese Canadian head tax payers and their families, today.

“These families deserve an apology and real respect from this government,” said Layton. In a letter to the Prime Minister, the Federal NDP questioned the government’s reasoning in allocating $12.5 million for a redress project to a single organization without including thousands of head tax payers, their families and their representatives.

“It is completely inadequate for this government to exclude at least 4000 head tax payers, their families and descendants through a lump sum agreement with only one organization,“ said Davies.

$12.5 million has been allocated to Chinese Canadians through the Acknowledgement, Commemoration and Education (ACE) Fund, established for communities affected by wartime and similar past measures. The government is expected to announce Wednesday that it will sign over the entire allocation to the National Congress of Chinese Canadians, despite calls from several other organizations, such as the Chinese Canadian National Council, to be involved in any commemorative, educational or other key measures that may arise from the fund.

“At the forefront of the redress movement is the Chinese Canadian National Council, which represents thousands of head tax payers and their families,” said Layton, “but if this deal goes forward in its current form, CCNC will have no say in how the funds will be spent.”

“The Prime Minister should remember his responsibility to find a course of compromise that will address the needs of the diverse community of Chinese Canadians that deserve to be acknowledged here,” said Julian.

“Finding a compromise to address the injustices committed against Chinese immigrants to Canada over a period of decades should be this government’s first priority,” added Siksay.

The Canadian government collected $23 million from Chinese Immigrants to Canada between 1885 and 1923.

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For more information, please contact:

Jack Layton – Karl Belanger: (613) 995-6767
Libby Davies – Leanne Holt: (613) 992-6036
Bill Siksay – Sonja vanDieen: (613) 996-5599
Peter Julian – Henri Sader: (613) 992-4215

_____________________________________________
From:   Julian, Peter - M.P. 
Sent:   November 23, 2005 10:45 AM
Subject:        Bill C-333, Chinese Canadian Recognition and Redress Act
Importance:     High

Thank you for contacting my office with your concerns about the government amendments to Bill C-333, Chinese Canadian Recognition and Redress Act.

BC NDP Caucus member Libby Davies has brought forward several amendments to this Bill to try to ensure that Head Tax Payers and their families were properly represented.  Unfortunately, the Liberal and Conservatives representatives on this committee voted against all amendments that the NDP has put forward on this Bill.

You can rest assured that my Caucus colleagues and myself will continue to push for changes to this Bill that will acknowledge the mistakes the past government made by imposing this tax, and for the Bill to be more inclusive of Head Tax Payers and their families.

Yours sincerely,

Peter Julian, MP
Burnaby-New Westminster
Tel: (613) 992-4214  Fax: (613) 947-9500
Tel: (604) 775-5707  Fax: (604) 775-5743
TTY: (613) 992-4249
CEP 232/SCEP 232

Chinese Head Tax: NCCC Director Openly Reprimands NCCC for Mishandling Head Tax Issue

The following article appeared on November 19, in Ming Pao, under a
photograph of Tsai Fung Chan Lee, Har Ying Lee, and Jie Jun Zhang Yan.

NCCC Director Openly Reprimands NCCC for Mishandling Head Tax Issue

NCCC director Tsai Fung Chan Lee went public in her opposition to NCCC, openly criticizing NCCC's approach, and urged its executive chairman Ping Tan and the federal government to reconsider their approach to the Head Tax issue.

Tsai Fung Chan Lee is also the chairwoman of the Association for
Promoting  Chinese-Canadian Friendship (Zhong Jia Lian Yi Hui). She stated yesterday that for many years NCCC has done a good job promoting friendship between China and Canada.  However, it has handled the Head Tax issue in inappropriate
ways.

She states that it was the Head Tax payers who actually paid, if the
government is to redress the Head Tax issue in anyway, the money should go to the payers and their families. It should be up to the payers and their families to decide whether to donate the money to the community or to keep the money. It should be their choice.

Mrs. Lee said, her own father-in-law and elder brother-in-law had been
Head Tax payers. When her father-in-law could not afford to pay any more Head Tax, his wife was forced to stay in China to look after two sons, and for forty years led a widow's existence with a living husband. It was clearly a tragic story of tears and hurt.

Mrs. Lee clearly states that she is going public and speaking up in the hope that Ping Tan, NCCC, and the federal government would do some clear thinking, and reconsider the way the Head Tax issue is being handled.

Also, Jie Jun Zhang Yan, founder of the Association of Guangzhou High School Alumni In Canada, states that she is puzzled by the federal government's attitude towards Canadians of Chinese descent. She cannot understand why compensation cannot go to the victims - the Head Tax payers. She appeals for the government to appoint a government spokesperson to explain the government stand.

This Saturday, Naomi's Road, the Vancouver Opera Touring Ensemble production of Joy Kogawa's children's story plays at Nikkei Centre in Burnaby - just off Kingsway. It's a wonderful production, full of hope and tears, great singing, staging and acting.   more »

Letter to the Vancouver Sun : Chinese head tax redress Bill C-333 is an affront to justice

RE: The liberals bungle a great opportunity to do the right thing.
By Brad Lee
Saturday Nov 19th, page C7

Bill C-333 is an affront to justice

I am a 5th Generation Chinese Canadian.
Bill C-333 is an affront to justice and Canadian values.

Every year my WW2 vet grand uncle writes to the government asking for an apology.  Ain’t going to happen.

Raymond Chan is making secret deals with the National Congress of Chinese Canadians –this group does not accurately represent actual head tax payers nor their descendants - the Chinese Canadian National Council does.  Chan and the NCCC are basically all immigrants that came to Canada after 1967.  The head tax was last paid in 1923, before the Chinese exclusion act closed the doors until 1947.  These guys just want the $12.5 million.

1 - Chinese had to pay the head tax - no other ethnic or racial group was taxed.
2 - We endured over a century's worth of racial discrimination and prejudice.
3) The government is ignoring us, and speaking to immigrants who did not pay the head tax.

The majority of head tax descendants are multi-generational Canadians who all speak English, eh? – Why is Chan only talking to Chinese media?

It’s time for all Chinese-Canadians to wake up and protest.  Register on-line as a headtax descendant.  The liberals are giving away OUR money that our ancestors sweated for.

Todd Wong aka "Toddish McWong"

www.gunghaggisfatchoy.com

Hello Scotland:  Toddish McWong calling!  I talk with Maggie Shiels for BBC Radio Scotland.

This morning I donned my kilt and headed down to the CBC Radio studios, where I was connected to BBC Radio Scotland's Maggie Shiels, host of the program Scotland Licked!

Maggie has a wonderful Scottish lilt to her warm and friendly speaking voice.  She asked me questions about the origins of how Gung Haggis Fat Choy started up, how I managed to create haggis won ton, and what I do with Robbie Burns' famous "Address to a Haggis."

It's all about the food, doncha know....  and the stories behind the people who make it happen! 

"You love to tell the stories, Todd!" exclaimed Maggie, when I  told her how  I bumped into Iain Drummond in Vancouver, a man who organizes  the Burns Dinner for the Royal Vancouver Yacht club, when I was knocking on doors  looking for my lost cell phone.  When I told him his name sounded familiar and asked if he had ever attended my Gung Haggis Fat Choy dinner, he stated that he had always wanted to and invited me in to open up a bottle of 6 Isle blend of Scotch Whiskey.... very smooth.

Maggie tells me that St. Andrew's Day is coming up soon on November 30th, and did I have any plans to celebrate?  Not quite sure what St. Andrew is the patron Saint of... I assure her that I hadn't made any plans yet, but now that I know about it, I will be sure to do something for St. Andrew's Day.  But knowing that St. Cecilia Day was coming up (Nov 21), I told Maggie that I would be playing my accordion for the patron Saint of Music.

If you want to listen to the upcoming interview live - you can set your computer to BBC Radio Scotland
Check out www.gunghaggisfatchoy.com and I will let you know when the program actually airs.  Scotland Licked! runs at 11:30 to 12 noon Scotland time which would be 3:30am in the morning!  But they will have it archived on their website, so you can listen to it at your leisure.

Eastside Culture Crawl - I am no longer a culture crawl virgin

There were people everywhere when I went to 1000 Parker Street on Saturday afternoon, as part of the Eastside Culture Crawl.  And this is only one of 37 building sites where 59 artists had opened their studios to the public.  No wonder it takes 2 whole days and 1 whole evening to explore.  There are so many people in the building, the crowds have to move at at snail's pace - no wonder it is called a "crawl."

My main priority was to visit my cousin Janice Wong who is a visual artist concentrating on monotypes.  Janice has been really busy for the past two months also promoting her book CHOW, which includes recipes from her father's chinese food restaurant in Prince Albert + stories about her family and our shared ancestors.

We talk with Janice's husband George, as Janice talks to some of the many friends that drop in to visit.  Huge canvasses line the studio walls priced at $1000 and up, as well as little ones for only $175.

We wander in and out of the many studios where I bump into Arleigh Wood.  Arleigh is half Japanese and she is combining visual art with a zen approach, integrating her East and West cultures. Crows and circles dominate her work.  I spot a photograph of a Japanese man on a fishing boat - she tells me that it is her grandfather.  We have a good chat - I tell her what I am up to, and promise to introduce her to Ricepaper Magazine.

 When I walk into artist Michael Fitzsimmon's studio, his paintings are luminescent with his own mix of special paints that glow as if they have lights inside them.  Check this out!

Send a letter to the federal Liberal government to protest the unfair redress to head tax payers and descendants

http://www.headtaxredress.org/

Here is my letter.

I am a 5th Generation Chinese Canadian.
And I will NOT vote Liberal if Bill C-333 goes ahead.
I will tell all my friends and family to do the same.

Chinese Canadian pioneers are being discriminated against 3 times over.

1 - Chinese had to pay the head tax - no other ethnic or racial group was taxed.
2 - We endured over a century's worth of racial discrimination and prejudice.
3) The government is ignoring us, and speaking to new immigrants who did not pay the head tax.

The Government must recognize that it was a Liberal government that brought in the Head Tax, and it was a Liberal government that is ignoring the Canadian born descendants of the head tax payers.

The Government’s actions to date have been to silence and ignore head tax families and groups representing them who refuse to accept the Government’s preset conditions of  “no apology, no compensation”  for 62 years of legislated racism;

Tthe Government is poised to allocate $12.5 million from the ACE Program to the Congress, so that funds will be distributed through only the Congress, to resolve the Head Tax and Exclusion Act issue, despite loud opposition from head tax payers and families across Canada who declare that the Congress is not representative of Chinese Canadians, WE, the Undersigned, state that Government’s process of appointing the Congress is anti-democratic and that any payment to the National Congress of Chinese Canadians is illegitimate without proper consultation with head tax payers and families.

THEREFORE, the Government MUST:
STOP any and all payments from the ACE Program to the Congress; and immediately commence negotiations with head tax payers and families and their legitimately appointed representatives.
     
Send your own letter to www.headtaxredress.org

This past week CBC Radio host Mark Forsythe of BC Almanac, has been promoting his new book Almanac's 100 Greatest British Columbians. This is a BC Version of CBC television's The Greatest Canadian. The names are all listed by categories with no numerical value. BC's top ten literary writers include Joy Kogawa, George Bowering, Wayson Choy, Dorothy Livesay   more »

Organizers of the drive to preserve the childhood home of novelist and poet Joy Kogawa were jubilant after Vancouver City Council voted unanimously on November 3 to grant a 120-day demolition delay order to preserve the home and to recognize its historical and cultural heritage. The four month period will allow the Save Kogawa House Committee to raise funds to purchase the property and convert it into a major centre for Canadian and international writers.    more »

Publication: Vancouver Sun; Date:2005 Nov 19; Section:Observer; Page Number: C7

The Liberals bungle a great opportunity to do the right thing Brad Lee    Let this go down in history: Paul Martin’s Liberals had an opportunity to correct past injustices involving decades of legislated racism against the Chinese in this country.    Instead, they are bungling it.    In their headlong rush to purchase goodwill among voters ahead of an election, through multimillion-dollar deals in principle with the Ukrainians, the Italians and other groups close to political noliability settlements, the Liberals have cast aside the language and intent of true reconciliation and redress.    Witness Bill C-333, the so-called “Immigrants of Chinese Origin Exclusionary Measures Recognition Act,” now wending its way toward third reading in Parliament, after breezing through final amendments at the Liberal-dominated standing committee on heritage.    In just two meetings of the committee, a strange cabal of Liberals and Tories managed to do away with wording acknowledging the injustices of the head tax on Chinese immigrants, from 1885 to 1923, and the Chinese Exclusion Act (1923-1947.)    Historians who review the implications of Bill C-333 on social justice will not see words like “unjust,” “discrimination,” “racism,” nor any of their derivatives. Equally, they will see no evidence of “reconciliation,” “redress,” “reparations” or “compensation.”    Further investigation will show missteps by Martin’s Liberals in drafting amendments to the private member’s bill simply to avoid any hint of government liability. The backward reasoning for watering down the text and intent of the bill is that the head tax and Exclusion Act were legal at the time so the government bears no actual responsibility for what happened.    (Never mind that the $500 my grandfather paid to enter Canada, along with the varying amounts from more than 82,000 other Chinese, had generated $23 million by 1923 for government coffers. In contrast, non-Chinese immigrants were offered a quarter-section of land to settle here.)    “In each case the attorney-general of Canada, on behalf of the government of Canada, disagreed with the arguments made on the basis that what was done during the two wars, and either under the War Measures Act in the case of the Germans and Italians, and under a variety of immigration acts in the case of the Chinese, that all those measures were perfectly legal,” according to Canadian Heritage legal counsel Michel Francoeur.    Would Canadian justices trying the cases of genocide in war-torn countries, or even historians looking back at the roots of the Holocaust, accept this reasoning?    Adding insult to century-old injury, the Liberals have also insisted on naming a single group, the National Congress of Chinese Canadians formed in 1991 and hardly representative of the broader community, as the government’s sole partner on projects to recognize past “exclusionary measures.”    All this because the NCCC’s leaders have agreed to the Liberals’ position of “no apology, no compensation.” As well, due diligence on this group has been set aside in favour of political expediency. Meanwhile, the Chinese Canadian National Council, which has registered more than 4,000 head-tax payers and their families since 1984, has been refused a seat at the reconciliation table.    Our historians may note misgivings about Bill C-333 voiced by MP Libby Davies (NDP—Vancouver East) and echoed by Bloc Quebecois MPs Maka Kotto (Saint-Lambert) and Meili Faille (Vaudreuil-Soulanges.)    “As far as saying we can only name one organization because they’re the only ones who are willing to work with the government under the terms set by the government, I mean what is that about?” Davies asked.    “Is that how we do our business? That only if you agree beforehand that these are the terms you get to participate in the process. That’s not my understanding of parliamentary democracy.”    But with Martin’s Liberals it has always been about the money.    For weeks, officials at Canadian Heritage have been negotiating a $12.5-million payment to the NCCC in the matter of recognizing the imposition of exclusionary measures on Chinese Canadians.    According to Chinese media, the plan is for the prime minister to travel to Vancouver, after the first ministers’ meeting in Kelowna next week to announce the deal at the NCCC’s national conference.    Similar to a redress package unveiled last weekend for redress of the Italian Canadians over internment during the Second World War, there will be much handshaking and many smiles for the cameras. Martin might even repeat his comment that, “You know as well as I do it’s not enough to remember the past — you have to learn from it.”    Problem is, the prime minister and his party are still foggy on the details.    Brad Lee is Chinese-Canadian. His family has been in Canada for five generations. He lives in Toronto. MARK VAN MANEN/VANCOUVER SUN FILES Vancouver’s Charlie Quan displays, nearly 80 years later, the admission papers he paid $500 for in 1923.

Toddish McWong interview on BBC Radio Scotland for
Maggie Shiel's Scotland Licked!

Yes indeed, Toddish McWong is finally going to Scotland via the national airwaves of BBC Radio Scotland.  This past week I was contacted by BBC Radio producer Amraine Rasool. 

I will put on my maple leaf tartan kilt made by Bear Kilts, strap on my sporran also made by "Bear" himself, and arrive at the CBC Radio studios in downtown Vancouver at 9am, which is 5pm Scotland time. Maybe I will even take my accordion with me!

I will let you know when the program actually airs.
Scotland Licked! runs at 11:30 to 12 noon Scotland time which would be 3:30am in the morning!

Listen live to BBC Scotland

Here's an excample of
Scotland Licked’s Menu
Edition Two 14th November 2005

Welcome to BBC Radio Scotland's food magazine programme where I aim to whet your appetite and find out about the real people behind the food.  Far from being awash with celebrity chefs, Scotland Licked will be hooking up with the unsung heroes and heroines of the kitchen every week.  And through them I’m going to take you on a journey that will hopefully enlighten and entertain you about the different cultures and peoples that call this land home. And, naturally enough, I’ll be celebrating all that is good about Scottish cooking from handmade oatcakes to handmade humbugs. Come on a real culinary journey with me, Maggie Shiels, on Scotland Licked every Monday morning at 1130, I’m sure you won't leave unsatisfied!
Cheers,
Maggie

If you’ve got any foodie queries you’d like me to tackle, or if you know someone who deserves to have their culinary skill brought to light, then get in touch. Here are all the details you need – you can call, write or email the show.

Scotland Licked
Room 4144, BBC Scotland
Queen Margaret Drive
Glasgow G12 8DG
Tel. 0141 338 3500
scotlandlicked@bbc.co.uk

Todd Wong's choices for Vancouver City Council, Parksboard and School Board

It is election eve, and all the candidates are holding their breath.  Two evenings ago, I bumped into Ivan Bulic, manager for COPE, and he said "Only two more sleeps until election day."  Ivan was surprised to see me working at the  Information Desk at the Central Branch Library in downtown Vancouver.  "I thought you were a professional entertainer," he told me.

We talked briefly about all the changes at the Vancouver Public Library during the last 3 years.  The library is now more accessible with more hours into the evenings, and on Sundays year round at Britannia, Kitsilano, Renfrew and Oakridge branches as well as Central.  The library is no longer closed for the last week in August as in previous years under the NPA councils.  The present Library Board is also one of the best boards in recent memory under the guidance of chairperson Joan Andersen (also regional director of CBC Radio.)

While I was on my dinner break while working this evening at the Champlain Heights branch library, I was greeted by a Chinese woman handing out COPE pamphlets, then I heard my name called, and I greeted my friend, city councillor Ellen Woodsworth, still campaigning as the sun was going down at 4:40pm.

My choices are based on humanistic qualities and community values.  I also like values such as ability to act,  advocacy, and having a vision.  Are the candidates genuinely nice human beings, and interested in my areas of interest which are currently heritage, arts and culture? And most importantly have they ever attended a Gung Haggis Fat Choy or ACWW event!   The candidates listed below are mostly all people that I have met in person, and are not listed in any particular order other than group 1 and group 2 and reverse alphabetical order

First picks for councillor:
WOODSWORTH, Ellen COPE
ROBERTS, Anne COPE
LOUIE, Raymond P. Vision Vancouver
HARDWICK NYSTEDT, Colleen NPA
DEAL, Heather Vision Vancouver
CHOW, George Vision Vancouver
CADMAN, David COPE

Next picks for councillor
STEVENSON, Tim Vision Vancouver
LOUIS, Tim COPE
LADNER, Peter NPA
HARRISON, Heather Vision Vancouver
BASS, Fred COPE
ANTON, Suzanne NPA

For Mayor, I will simply state that I have been turned off by the negative comments and sniping.  I know both Sam Sullivan and Jim Green personally, and am glad to recieve greetings from both of them.  I've known Sam for a few years since we bumped into each other at a BC History and Genealogy exhibition at the Public Library, and he often attends GHFC and ACWW events.  I have known Jim only recently, but he has really helped us on the Save Kogawa House campaign, pushed for the Obasan Cherry Tree planting, announced to the Vancouver Arts Awards audience about Kogawa House and he has always come down to the Rememberance Day services in Chinatown.  I respect both men for their achievements and if you want my personal opinions - call me.

GREEN, Jim Vision Vancouver
SULLIVAN, Sam NPA

For Schoolboard - I had the pleasure to meet many of the present school trustees when I made a presentation to the board on behalf of the Vancouver Asian Heritage Month Society back in 2002.  Last week at the COPE Chinese Dinner fundraiser, I had the pleasure to talk with a number of them again.  I will admit my favorites are Allan Wong, Kevin Millsip, and Noel Herron.

BLAKEY, Allen COPE
BOUEY, Jane COPE
HERRON, Noel COPE
KENYON, Angela COPE
LEW, Conrad COPE
MILLSIP, Kevin COPE
REIMER, Andrea Green Party of Vancouver
WONG, Allan COPE
KENYON, Angela COPE

For Parks Board - Omar Kassis is a big fan of Gung Haggis Fat Choy, and I have even invited him up to read a verse of Robbie Burns poem "Address to a Haggis."  And I just discovered that Loretta Woodcock is a former dragon boat paddler - now I hope to get her onto the Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat team.

DEGENOVA, Allan NPA
HERBERT, Spencer COPE
KASSIS, Omar COPE
LEHAN, Mel COPE
ROMANIUK, Anita COPE
WOODCOCK, Loretta COPE

Chinese Head Tax redress:  Why is the federal government not negotiating with head tax payers and their descendants?

This message is from my friend Sid Tan, who is spokesperson for BC Coalition of Head Tax Payers Spouses and Descendants.  I too, am a descendant of head tax payers.  My mothers' father and grand father paid the head tax.  Sid's message follows:

Why doesn't the National Congress of Chinese Canadians want to talk to English-language media?
 
This information is from a Chinese-language media advisory. It looks like NCCC doesn't want English-language media there. It's 2:30pm at Chinese Cultural Centre Friday November 18.
I plan to be there around 2:00pm with Gim Wong and perhaps Linda Jang. We're not sure we will be let in. I have probably written more on this than most of the reporters there.
 
There will be a meeting of the BC Coalition of Head Taxpayers, Spouses and Descendants at 1:30pm on Sunday November 20 at the Quan Lung Sai Tong (164 East Hastings Street).

This is Charlie Quan's association and he and Gim Wong suggest we consult with the group for our next steps. Hope you can attend and please circulate to those who support a just and honourable redress for the Lo Wah Kiu (old overseas Chinese).
  
Take care.    anon    Sid
 
Go to www.headtaxredress.org and sign petition and read following for current news.
 
Ontario Coalition of Chinese Head Tax Payers and Families And Chinese Canadian National Council

For Immediate Release

November 17, 2005

Chinese Canadians Condemn Secret Deal

Toronto:  Groups seeking redress of the Head Tax and Chinese Exclusion Act are calling on the Canadian Government to put an end to secret deals once and for all. The Chinese Canadian National Council, Ontario Coalition of Chinese Head Tax Payers and Families and BC Coalition of Head Tax Payers, Spouses and Descendants urge the Canadian Government not to empty the Acknowledgement Commemoration Education Fund (ACE Fund) before talking to the victims of 62 years of legislated racism: the Head Tax payers and families.

The National Congress of Chinese Canadians today announced that it has negotiated a deal with the government for the payout of $12.5 million and that the agreement will be signed on November 23rd. Apparently this has the backing of Minister of Multiculturalism Raymond Chan’s office.

“It’s outrageous that Minister Chan would say publicly on CBC that he is still open to negotiations with other groups while concluding a secret deal with his political cronies,” said Susan Eng, Co-Chair of the Coalition. “What part of “Gomery” do they not understand?”

“This issue has been absolutely churning in the Chinese language media so we would be surprised that the Prime Minister and his Government have missed the vocal opposition among Head Tax payers and families and throughout the community.” said Victor Wong, Executive Director of the Chinese Canadian National Council. “We call on Prime Minister Martin not to repeat the mistakes of the past and enter into good-faith negotiations with the Head Tax payers and families.”

“We are indeed shocked and angry to hear of this apparent sell-out,” Sid Tan of the BC Coalition of Head Tax Payers, Spouses and Descendants said today. “Is Minister Chan hiding behind the language barrier to silence his critics in the hopes that the wider community will never hear about it? The Minister has seriously bungled this case.”

The Ontario Coalition of Chinese Head Tax Payers and Families consists of Head Tax payers, their surviving spouses and descendants.  They are joined in their demands for redress of the Head Tax and Chinese Exclusion Act by the Chinese Canadian National Council, Chinese Canadian Redress Alliance, 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.

-30-
 
For further information, please contact:

Susan Eng, Coalition Co-Chair, (416) 960-0312

Victor Wong, CCNC Executive Director, national@ccnc.ca, (416) 977-9871

Sid Tan, BC Coalition of Head Tax Payers Spouses and Descendants, (604) 433-6169

Ontario Coalition of Chinese Head Tax Payers and Families And Chinese Canadian National Council

 

It is fitting that I bump into Colleen Hardwick Nystedt in Chinatown at the veterans ceremony on Rememberance Day. We discover a mutural love of Vancouver history and heritage. While checking out Colleen’s website I discover that she has been recognized by the Financial Post as “One of the 13 Most Important People in the B.C. Film Industry”, she received a “40 Under 40” Award for entrepreneurship from Business in Vancouver Magazine, as well as numerous other awards.   more »

Rememberance Day 2005 in Chinatown


Chinese Candian Veterans of Pacific Unit 280 pose with Vancouver mayor Larry Campbell, city counsellor Raymond Louie, and councillor candidates George Chow, BC Lee and Colleen Hardwick-Nystedt - photo Todd Wong

Rememberance Day, November 11, 2005

I watched the CTV television coverage of the cenotaph ceremonies of Vancouver’s Victory Square.  Afterwards I headed down to Chinatown to attend the 12:30pm ceremonies at the Chinese Canadian Pioneers Memorial at Keefer Street Triangle.


Uncle Daniel Lee is interviewed by Channel M News following the Rememberance Day ceremonies - photo Todd Wong

My Uncle Dan Lee is an executive with Pacific Unit 280.  I make a point of supporting him as one of our Chan family elders.  I actually like hanging out with the Pacific Unit 280 veterans.  I have known a few of them since I was very little, and most of them knew my father, and even my Uncle James Wong, who served with some of them in Australia and the Pacific Theatre. 

I have a lot of respect for these gentlemen who took some of the best years of their lives to offer it up for a country that wouldn’t even give the vote, even though they were born in Canada. 

"A real man would be wearing a kilt in this weather," says an approaching voice beside me as I stand at the memorial.  I turn to greet Mayor Larry Campbell, who smilingly recalls the fun he had attending my 2005 Gung Haggis Fat Choy dinner event.


Mayor Larry Campbell address the Chinese Canadian veterans group of Pacific Unit 280 - photo Todd Wong

The ceremony was fairly casual.  It was a small group attended by family and friends, as well as Chinese media, Mayor Larry Campbell and councilor Raymond Louie.  Also attending were city council candidates George Chow, Colleen Hardwick-Nystedt and BC Lee.  Speeches were made by Mayor Larry Campbell and MC Wesley Lowe.  A prayer was said and many pictures were taken. 

At one point some of the vets aske me "Todd - where's your camera."  I reply that it is broken.  Veteran Ed Lee gives me his camera and asks me to take some pictures for him.  "Oh look, Todd's got a camera."  And all seems right.


Veteran Ed Lee, executive member of Pacific Unit 280 lays a wreath at the memorial commemorating the sacrifices of the Chinese-Canadian pioneers as soldiers, and railway workers - photo Todd Wong

We all went to the traditional Rememberance Day luncheon at Foo’s Ho Ho Restaurant following, where they still serve up Cantonese homestyle cooking, like in the good old days of Chinatown.  The veterans all socialize and are glad to see each other and their family members and friends.  I  make sure some of the supporters are all seated. 

There are family members of one of the veterans, and the NPA candidates that I encourage to join me at a table.  Colleen Hardwick Nystedt agrees saying "As long as you're hosting." We make introductions, and I interrelate the issues and connect them to the veterans and Vancouver’s Chinatown history.  It turns out that Colleen's father was former city councillor Hardwick who organized some of the protests against Freeway development in Chinatown and the Strathcona neighborhood.  Heritage, veterans and family histories.  How wonderful that it all comes together in community.

I attended the COPE Chinese dinner fundraiser at the 200 seat Rich Ocean Seafood Restaurant last week on Nov 10th. This was the 2nd ever campaign fundraiser dinner I have ever attended and I am amazed by all the people that I know. I am sitting at table #19 with the musicians - the entertainment for the evening. It is because of me, they are here. Performers include Joe McDonal & Brave Waves, Sean Gunn & Keegan + myself!   more »

COPE hopes worker translates into votes

By Mike Howell-Staff writer
http://www.vancourier.com/issues05/112205/news/112205nn4.html

Maybe it's the great editorial that grabs attention. Maybe it's the design, which keeps getting better with each issue. Maybe, just maybe it's the 10 years of publishing, surviving in the Canadian mag industry (and outlasting some) that caught their eye.

Ten years in the magazine industry is no small feat. More like a small miracle. So CBC Radio's "Sounds Like Canada" shared Ricepaper Magazine's successes (and misses) with a national audience of 1.3 million listeners across Canada.

It was a great interview.  Listen to Jessica talk about how difficult it is to find kimchee in Halifax, and Jim talk about the "cultural engineers" that are turning Ricepaper into the hip and happening success that is so exciting.

Ricepaper was first on "Sounds Like Canada" back in January 2003, the same day Toddish McWong made his SLC debut. Shelagh co-hosted the 2005 Gung Haggis Fat Choy Robbie Burns Chinese New Year dinner that was a fundraiser for Ricepaper Magazine and the Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat team.  Ricepaper is published by Asian Canadian Writers' Workshop, for which I am a vice-president.

Ricepaper: the magazine for creative Asian Canadians

Office 604-879-5962
info@ricepaperonline.com
Media contact: Michelle Siu (604) 616-3588 or Jenny Uechi (604) 879-5962

The concert event went well today. About 100 people in the Alice Mackay Room, at the Vancouver Public Library + CTV coverage. Pretty good for very short notice. The event started with Harry Aoki and Alison Nishihara playing Pachabel's Canon on harmonica and piano. Then I welcomed everybody and explained what the SAVE KOGAWA HOUSE committee was all about. I also told people that we were very grateful for the Vancouver Opera Touring Ensemble gifting us with a performance. I had seen excerpts at a Roy Miki lecture, the Vancouver Arts Awards, and still I had tears in my eyes when I saw performances on opening weekend and just last week at the library.   more »

City Councillor Ellen Woodsworth runs for re-election in Vancouver

Ellen and her friend Alex, don the official Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat team shirt at the Alcan Dragon Boat Festival June 2005 - photo Ray Shum

I am pleased to know Ellen Woodsworth, Vancouver City Councillor, and to be listed as one of many endorsers on her website.  She has a long committement to social activism and is proud to be a descendant of J.S. Woodsworth, one of the original founders of the CCF party.

Ellen Woodsworth is one of the hardest working city councillors in Vancouver.  She has led the efforts to make Vancouver the co-host for the World Peace Conference next year,  fought for child and youth advocacy and childcare spaces in Vancouver, emphasized the importance of neighborhoods, the revitalization of Woodwards and the Downtown Eastside, increased emphasis for pedestrians, cyclists and transit users, increased arts funding, gender equality, cultural diversity, ethical purchassing, more festivals, and a more open City Hall.

The first day I met her was when she attended our Asian Canadian Writers' Workshop Community Builders Dinner.  I hosted the dinner and Ellen sat beside my father, making instant friends.  The next time I met Ellen was soon after, at a press conference where Mike Harcourt endorsed COPE mayoralty candidate Larry Campbell in front of the Chinese Cultural Centre.  I went down to say hello to Ellen and she introduced me to Raymond Louie and Allan Wong.  It was then that I learned more about Ellen's work with seniors and the Downtown Eastside.

The following year, Ellen and I were both panelists for the 2003 CARFAC National convention (Canadian Artists Representation/Le front des artistes canadiens).  I spoke about my experiences networking in the Asian Canadian arts community and developing opportunities for artists.  Ellen spoke about the City of Vancouver initiatives and programs for artists.  We immediately liked what each other had said and where each was coming from.

Since then we have kept in touch, sometimes helping each other network and bouncing ideas.  Ellen brought her father to my Gung Haggis Fat Choy Robbie Burns/Chinese New Year dinner and I seated them at my father's table.  They had a great time, and since I was learning about Ellen's passion for cultural diversity and her sense of fun, I invited her to join me for the 2004 St. Patrick's Day parade.  I offered Ellen the drummer's seat and she banged out a rhythm for CBC Radio broadcaster Margaret Gallagher to paddle by (see picture below), as our Taiwanese dragon boat float for Gung Haggis Fat Choy paddled along Granville Street, to the cheers of many people. The float was very popular last year, so the parade officials asked me again to create an entry emphasizing multiculturalism.

Ellen Woodsworth, Adrianna Ermie,  Margaret Gallagher and Dave Samis are all part of the Gung Haggis Fat Choy float. - photo Todd Wong


Ellen Woodsworth waving to the crowd during the St. Patrick's Day parade in Vancouver this year, Margaret Gallagher and Dave Samis paddle as part of the Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat float - photo Todd Wong


Waiting for the parade to start... Adrianna Ermie, EllenWoodsworth, Dave Samis, Margaret Gallagher and me - with the Chinese Lion Head mask - for the Gung Haggis Fat Choy multicultural dragon boat float. - photo by Trev Sue-A-Quan..

To help celebrate her May birthday, Ellen invited me to perform for the COPE fundraiser event Encouraging Women in Politics.  For this event I read her impressive bio, and then I carefully documented the significant achievements of her life, identified her values, her goals and her dreams... and crafted the words to fit the rhythm of my chosen form.... the Police song "Every Little Thing She Does is Magic."  I sang the words as I played my accordion, and I think I floored the audience. 

But this is how I feel about Ellen Woodsworth.  I really do believe that every little thing she does.... is magic.  Below is a photo of us at the close of the party event - you can tell I am the one wearing the skirt.... I mean kilt!


I was very pleased to be able to see her at work, when I made a presentation for the Save Kogawa House committee before the City of Vancouver standing committee on planning and environment.  Ellen asks critical questions and clearly summarizes impacts of the issues before council.  She spoke of the importance of having Kogawa House as a literary and cultural landmark for Vancouver, and its impact for our multicultural population and our future generations.

But more than just a hard worker - Ellen also knows how to have fun, and loves to explore and see all aspects of Vancouver.
She loves Vancouver dearly, its peoples, its heritage and its cultures -  and that makes her a wonderful city councillor.

Janice Wong's Book CHOW featured on CBC Radio North By Northwest with host Sheryl Mackay

This morning Janice Chow was interviewed by Sheryl Mackay on CBC Radio's North By Northwest, just after the news about 8:40am to 9am, Sunday Morning, Novemeber 13th.

CHOW From China to Canada: Tales of Food + Family, has been making all the local talk show rounds.  It is a unique book that blends together the recipes of her father's Chinese Restaurant "The Lotus" together with stories of how her great-grandfather Rev. Chan Yu Tan came to Canada, his 6 children and their integration into Canadian life, and growing up with her family in Prince Albert.  The book is a combination cookbook, family history, Chinese-Canadian history and memoir.

Janice described giving a book launch at Prince Albert, SK, at the site of her father's first restaurant called "Wings." She had never been there before, but the present owners had found boxes in the storage area containing menus and items from the original restaurant.
 
Chow is available for sale on Amazon.ca and was #132 of Amazon's top  10,000 selling books yesterday.  You can even flip inside the book for select pictures and quotes

Janice has also let me know that you can hear some of the past CBC radio interviews at archived bits, 20051021 is Shelagh Rogers, Week 43 is Don Genova.

Ricepaper magazine is Canada's only nationally distributed magazine covering Asian Canadian arts and culture. Editor Jessica Gin Jade and Publisher Jim Wong-Chu were interviewed on CBC Radio's Sounds Like Canada by Sheila Rogers on Thursday Morning. Jenny Uechi, writer and managing editor attended the November 12th Celebration and Awareness concert for Save Kogawa House. Jenny wrote: "Naomi's Road" a huge success at Vancouver Public Library!   more »

Here's the program for our special
Save Kogawa House
Celebration and Awareness Concert

November 12, 2005
Alice Mackay Room
Vancouver Public Library
350 West Georgia Street
Vancouver, BC

Presented by
Save Kogawa House Committee

The Save Kogawa House Committee welcomes you to this celebration of our 120-day moratorium on demolition of the childhood home of author Joy Kogawa.

This 1915 home at 1450 West 64th Avenue stands as reminder of the 1942 removal from their homes of men, women and children of Japanese descent. Joy’s memories of her happy life in this modest home in Marpole stayed with her throughout internment in Slocan and inspired parts of her 1981 novel Obasan and the children’s story Naomi’s Road, on which this opera is based.

The opera Naomi’s Road, which premiered on September 30 as Vancouver Opera’s second-ever commissioned original work, is now touring 140 schools and community centres throughout British Columbia.

On November 1, a graft of the cherry tree from Joy’s childhood home was planted at City Hall and Mayor Larry Campbell proclaimed the day Obasan Cherry Tree Day. On November 3, Vancouver City Council voted unanimously to pass an unprecedented order to delay demolition of Joy’s childhood home. This 120-day period allows us time to raise funds so that the house can be purchased and converted into a writers’ centre.

Charitable donations can be made online through the Vancouver Heritage Foundation website at http://www.vancouverheritagefoundation.org/Kogawa.html.

For more information, visit www.kogawahouse.com and www.gunghaggisfatchoy.com or contact
Todd Wong at gunghaggis@yahoo.ca or 604-240-7090 and Ann-Marie Metten at ametten@telus.net or 604-263-6586.

SAVE KOGAWA HOUSE
Celebration and Awareness Concert
 November 12, 2005
2:00pm         Introductions
2:05pm         Harry Aoki & Friends
2:25pm         Raymond Chow  Special Presentation
2:40pm         Naomi’s Road - Vancouver Opera Touring Ensemble
3:25pm         Questions and Answers
3:40pm         Closing Remarks and Thank You

Vancouver Opera Touring Ensemble

Cast and Crew
Naomi ………………………………………… Jessica Cheung
Mother, Obasan, Mitzi …………………………….….. Gina Oh
Stephen ……………………………………….…… Sam Chung
Father, Trainmaster, Rough Lock Bill, Bully …….. Sung Chung

Pianist: Angus Kellett
Stage manager: David Fuller

Music by Ramona Leungen
Libretto by Ann Hodges
Music director: Leslie Uyeda

Commissioned by Vancouver Opera, James W. Wright, general director

Running time is approximately 45 minutes.

Raymond Chow
Internationally recognized as an artist, Raymond Chow’s drawings of Vancouver, Victoria, Seattle, Portland, San Francisco and Los Angeles form a unique history of the heritage of the Pacific coast. Raymond is also a pianist and composer who has produced music for ballet, CD and video.

Harry Aoki
Harry’s personal story mirrors that of the role of 10-year-old Steven in the Naomi’s Road opera. Harry had to leave behind his beloved violin, when he was removed from the West Coast in 1942 because he is Japanese Canadian. Today Harry hosts First Friday Forum, a monthly evening of music and discussion at the Nikkei Centre in Burnaby.

Special Thanks to Vancouver Opera, Vancouver Public Library, Mayor Larry Campbell, Councillors Jim Green, Raymond Louie and Ellen Woodsworth, Vancouver City Council, Parks Commisioners Suzanne Anton and Heather Deal, Gerry McGeough, Diane Switzer, Vancouver Heritage Foundation, Heather Redfern, Marion Quednau, Jackie Byrn, James Wright, Paul Whitney, Ellen Crowe-Swords, Scott McIntyre, James Johnstone, Yosef Wosk, Alma Lee, Hitomi Nunotani, Asian Canadian Writers’ Workshop, Don Montgomery, Ricepaper Magazine, ExplorASIAN, Ross Bliss and the many writer associations across the country.