Ottawa imposed the racist tax on all Chinese immigrants between 1885 and 1923. On June 22, Prime Minister Stephen Harper apologized for the tax but refused to give more than “symbolic payments” of $20,000 to the 35 surviving head tax payers and 360 surviving widows.

In 1923, the Canadian government replaced the head tax with the Chinese Exclusion Act, which effectively banned all Chinese immigration until it was repealed in 1947.

A new organization, the Head Tax Families Society of Canada, was launched at the event. A campaign to sign petitions and a protest letter to the Canadian government was introduced.

“More than four thousand families of Head Tax payers, whose parents and grandparents are now deceased, remain excluded,” the protest letter states. This, it says, “is due to over 20 years of intransigence of successive governments unwilling to deal properly with the issue.”

“We’ve outlasted many prime ministers of this country—Trudeau, Turner, Mulroney, Campbell, Chretien, etc.—and we’ll continue until redress is complete and equality is achieved,” said Sid Tan in opening the event. Tan is a member of the British Columbia Coalition of Head Tax Payers, Spouses and Descendants.

The meeting was also addressed by Colleen Hua, president of the Chinese Canadian National Council.

Co-chair Grace Schenkeveld said the June 22 compensation package from Ottawa is incomplete. “Future generations will feel that they don’t deserve justice as the Canadian government is only offering compensation to head tax payers and spouses,” she said.
 
 
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