Victor Wong, executive director of the Chinese Canadian National Council gives an account of the event attended by CCNC president Colleen Hua. The event was covered by Citynews in Toronto.
It was an emotional moment for all of us who were present at the cheque presentation yesterday for Ralph Lung Kee Lee. Those of you who went to Ottawa on June 22, 2006 will remember Mr. Lee wheeling around Parliament and at our banquet that evening. He was one of 6 HT payers to receive an apology personally from PM Stephen Harper that day. Mr. Lee turned 107 yesterday and he is one of the oldest HT payers, if not the oldest surviving HT payer. And there he was surrounded by a huge extended family. MP Colin Carrie presented the cheque (and received the 30-second lobby on inclusive redress from each of us). Colleen, George and Doug spoke. Landy, Mr. Lee’s granddaughter, was the MC. We had a huge feast c/o Bright Pearl and the story was covered by City TV and various local and Chinese papers.
There’s another cheque presentation tomorrow in
Calgary …good luck to
Teresa and crew. There is an event on the book about the Three Chinese
Cuban-Generals in Vancouver today and tomorrow,
and in Montreal on March 17th and
Toronto on March
25th where we will be talking about HT redress (check below for more
details).
Cheers, Victor
Oldest Surviving Chinese Head Tax Subject Gets Compensation
Saturday March 10, 2007Saturday was Ralph Lee's 107th birthday, but for the Canadian, who just happens to also be the oldest surviving subject of Canada 's infamous Chinese head tax, it was also the day he finally got the compensation and apology he'd waited so many years for.
"Apart from the fact that I'm happy that grandpa's alive to receive the apology, it's a mixture of emotions," said grand-daughter Landy Anderson.
Fron 1885 to 1923 Chinese immigrants in Canada were charged a head tax. Lee himself paid $500, which at the time was two years pay for the young man.
"When he came over here he worked pretty hard to make a living," said daughter Faye Lee.
"He was only 12 years old and he had to work in a restaurant and wash dishes while going to school at the same time."
Lee was one of many in attendance last June in Ottawa when the Canadian government announced both the compensation and released an apology for the tax and the ensuing 24-year ban on Chinese immigration.
"On behalf of the people and government of Canada we offer a full apology to Chinese Canadians for the head tax and express our deepest sorrow for the subsequent exclusion of Chinese immigrants," Prime Minister Stephen Harper said that day.
That apology came with a $20,000 settlement offered to surviving head tax subjects or their spouses, though for some of their descendents that's nowhere near enough.
"It's a wonderful thing that there was an apology, and that redress has been given to surviving head tax payers and spouses, but this really only represents 0.6 per cent of the people who really suffered," said attendee Colleen Hua.
Currently only about 500 Chinese Canadians are eligible for the compensation. If the offer were extended to the families of those who paid the head tax - 3,000 people would be eligible.
The Chinese Head Tax
