Watch
"I Am the Canadian Delegate" this coming Sunday, February 18th, on
Chinese New Year Day, Film maker Wesley Lowe recently completed the
documentary
biography on Douglas Jung, WWII Veteran and Canada's first Chinese
Member of Parliament.
There was a private screening on Sunday, February 5th, for a hundred politicians, funders, community leaders and veterans group. Lowe wrote to me and said "In addition to applause, there was a most unexpected response - tears, not only for the man but for a community."
In BC, it will air on Channel M at 9:00 pm.
Nationally, it will air on the Biography Channel at 8pm and 11pm Eastern Standard time.
I first met Douglas Jung at an mid 1980's Head Tax meeting at Strathcona Community Centre. Then, he seemed tall, and elegant with his white hair, wearing a turtle neck. He spoke very well and told the story about how Chinese-Canadians were pecieved both in Ottawa and the world. When he led the Canadian delegation to the United Nations. When he approached the desk marked "Canada" - he was motioned away, and was told that the Chinese desk was over there - this is for the Canadian delegate. Jung's reply was "I am the Canadian delegate."
Jung led an amazing life. He signed up as a soldier when Canada didn't want Chinese-Canadian soldiers. He was part of Operation Oblivion - Chinese-Canadians who were trained as commando troops to go behind enemy lines in Burma and Southeast Asia.
Returning to Canada, the Chinese Canadian veterans led the fight to gain the francise for Canadians born of Chinese ancestry, so we could have full citizenship rights and voting privileges.
Douglas Jung became the first Chinese-Canadian Member of Parliament in 1957 for Vancouver Centre. He ran as a Progressive Conservative because the Mackenzie King Liberals had passed the Exclusion Act and wrote the secret memorandum discriminating against Chinese, and keeping them out of the Candian Armed Forces during WW2, until Great Britain and Churchill asked Canada for soldiers who spoke Chinese.
Jung recieved many honours during his lifetime, including both the Order of BC, and the Order of Canada.
Here are links for Douglas Jung O.C.
Order of BC Biography - Douglas Jung
Douglas Jung - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Burma Star biography: Jung
