Chinese Head Tax redress: Why is the federal government not negotiating with head tax payers and their descendants?
This message is from my friend Sid
Tan, who is spokesperson for BC Coalition of Head Tax Payers Spouses
and Descendants. I too, am a descendant of head tax payers.
My mothers' father and grand father paid the head tax. Sid's
message follows:
Why doesn't the National Congress of Chinese Canadians want to talk to English-language media?
This information is from a Chinese-language media advisory.
It looks like NCCC doesn't want English-language media there. It's
2:30pm at Chinese Cultural Centre Friday November 18.
I plan to be there around 2:00pm with Gim Wong and perhaps Linda Jang.
We're not sure we will be let in. I have probably written more on
this than most of the reporters there.
There will be a meeting of the BC Coalition of Head Taxpayers, Spouses
and Descendants at 1:30pm on Sunday November 20 at the Quan Lung Sai
Tong (164 East Hastings Street).
This is Charlie Quan's association and he and Gim Wong suggest we
consult with the group for our next steps. Hope you can attend and
please circulate to those who support a just and honourable redress for
the Lo Wah Kiu (old overseas Chinese).
Take care. anon Sid
Go to www.headtaxredress.org and sign petition and read following for current news.
Ontario Coalition of Chinese Head Tax Payers and Families And Chinese Canadian National Council
For Immediate Release
November 17, 2005
Chinese Canadians Condemn Secret Deal
Toronto: Groups seeking redress of the Head Tax and Chinese
Exclusion Act are calling on the Canadian Government to put an end to
secret deals once and for all. The Chinese Canadian National Council,
Ontario Coalition of Chinese Head Tax Payers and Families and BC
Coalition of Head Tax Payers, Spouses and Descendants urge the Canadian
Government not to empty the Acknowledgement Commemoration Education
Fund (ACE Fund) before talking to the victims of 62 years of legislated
racism: the Head Tax payers and families.
The National Congress of Chinese Canadians today announced that it has
negotiated a deal with the government for the payout of $12.5 million
and that the agreement will be signed on November 23rd. Apparently this
has the backing of Minister of Multiculturalism Raymond Chan’s office.
“It’s outrageous that Minister Chan would say publicly on CBC that he
is still open to negotiations with other groups while concluding a
secret deal with his political cronies,” said Susan Eng, Co-Chair of
the Coalition. “What part of “Gomery” do they not understand?”
“This issue has been absolutely churning in the Chinese language media
so we would be surprised that the Prime Minister and his Government
have missed the vocal opposition among Head Tax payers and families and
throughout the community.” said Victor Wong, Executive Director of the
Chinese Canadian National Council. “We call on Prime Minister Martin
not to repeat the mistakes of the past and enter into good-faith
negotiations with the Head Tax payers and families.”
“We are indeed shocked and angry to hear of this apparent sell-out,”
Sid Tan of the BC Coalition of Head Tax Payers, Spouses and Descendants
said today. “Is Minister Chan hiding behind the language barrier to
silence his critics in the hopes that the wider community will never
hear about it? The Minister has seriously bungled this case.”
The Ontario Coalition of Chinese Head Tax Payers and Families consists
of Head Tax payers, their surviving spouses and descendants. They
are joined in their demands for redress of the Head Tax and Chinese
Exclusion Act by the Chinese Canadian National Council, Chinese
Canadian Redress Alliance, the Association of Chinese Canadians for
Equality and Solidarity Society, Metro Toronto Chinese and South East
Asian Legal Clinic, BC Coalition of Head Tax Payers Spouses and
Descendants.
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For further information, please contact:
Susan Eng, Coalition Co-Chair, (416) 960-0312
Victor Wong, CCNC Executive Director, national@ccnc.ca, (416) 977-9871
Sid Tan, BC Coalition of Head Tax Payers Spouses and Descendants, (604) 433-6169
Ontario Coalition of Chinese Head Tax Payers and Families And Chinese Canadian National Council