Chinese Head Tax

So on this Easter Sunday, as my family and I were getting ready to go out for some lunch, my dad was asking me whether or not my sister or myself had come across my maternal great grandfather's head tax certificate. Of course we only managed to get a hold of all of her old photo albums-- black and white pictures dating back to days where she worked in Newfoundland for Joey Smallwood, pictures of her and my great grandfather on what used to be McCaul back in the 50's, but no certificate. My aunt had been calling around seeing if we had it. I think my great grandmother probably threw it away. Luckily, my paternal great grandfather's certificate is safely stowed away with my family in Ottawa.

I've spent much of my day reading up on it because it dawned on me that I really didn't know that much about my family's history. I knew that we came to Canada a really long time ago, way back in the 40's and possibly earlier (from both sides of my family). I also knew a documentary was done on one of my Great Uncles who came to Newfoundland in search of my Great Grandfather when he was only 18 years old. I have distant family members relating stories in a video shown at the Museum for Civilization in Ottawa sharing what it was like to live in Newfoundland as a minority. Call me slow and stupid (which I often am), but I honestly never realized that we were also a part of that shameful period where the Canadian Government were ignorant and racist towards the Chinese, and where the Chinese people endured the shame in hopes of making a better life in Canada.

The CBC has a great indepth section about Chinese immigration to Canada and is a quick overview of the Chinese in Canada dating from 1788 to the present day. The Chinese Canadian National Association has been pressuring the government for a formal apology and compensation for the descendants of people who had to pay the fee to get into Canada.