A few weeks before the centenary of its adoption, the 1er July 1923, the Chinese immigration lawdubbed the Chinese Exclusion Act and tinged with racism, has entered Parks Canada’s register of national historic events.
Announcing the recognition Monday in Ottawa, Minister responsible for Parks Canada, Steven Guilbeault, said the Canadian government recognizes “the tragic injustice Chinese Canadians have suffered, while providing an opportunity to reflect on the importance of combating anti-Asian racism”.
In a few words, this law, which was applied until 1947, prohibited the entry into the country of people of Chinese origin. This had impacts across the country, including in Montreal and elsewhere in Quebec.
In fact, in the metropolis, the number of Chinese residents rose from 2730 in 1931 to 1819 in 1951, reports an article on the website of the City of Montreal.
Accompanied by an entrance fee
It should be remembered that this law was also preceded by the establishment of an entry tax in Canada for immigrants from the Middle Kingdom.
“The Exclusion Act, combined with a head tax, has resulted in a strong imbalance in the proportion of women in Chinese-Canadian communities. They forbade them from joining their husbands there,” recalls Winston Chan, organizer of the Asian Heritage Month celebrations in Montreal.
“One of the reasons for the adoption of this law is that at the time, people thought that there were too many immigrants and feared that society was no longer white,” he continues, adding that this has “caused a lot of trauma in the community”.
“Unknown part of history”
The Chinese community welcomes the Canadian government’s decision. “I think this national historic designation will allow [de faire connaître] more about this little-known part of Canadian history in order to better understand the marginalization of the Chinese community in Canada,” added Mr. Chan.
This passage in Canadian history is also at the heart of the exhibition. swallow the mountains by Karen Tam, which is presented until August 13 at the McCord Stewart Museum.
Other national historic events classified by Parks Canada include the participation of Canadians in the Korean War, the Underground Railroad which allowed enslaved American blacks to find refuge in Canada, the discovery of the insulin, Expo 67, the Stanley Cup, the birth of the Dionne “twins”, etc.