401 Burrard Building is now named the Douglas Jung Building
Art Calderwood, son of Douglas Jung, speaks on behalf of the family, about his father, and thanks the committee, ministers and community for the honour accorded to his father. Art also paddles on the Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat team, and we had several team mates there to support him.- photo Todd Wong.
Douglas
Jung is a Chinese-Canadian hero… and finally being recognized as a
Canadian hero. 50 years ago on June 10th, 1957, he became Canada's
first elected provincial or federal politician, when he became the
Member of Parliament for Vancouver Centre. On September 7th, 2007, the federal office tower at 401 Burrard St. was named the Douglas Jung Building
http://news.gc.ca/web/view/en/index.jsp?articleid=348829
It was a great bringing together of the Chinese Canadian community
leaders. Milton Wong, Bob Lee, the first Chinese-Canadians to become
university chancellors in BC, Dr. Wallace Chung, Joe Wai, Art Lee,
Judge Randall Wong and his wife Bev, David Wong architect, Walter Quan,
Jim Wong-Chu, Faye Leung, head tax activists such as George Jung, Elwin
Xie, Fanna Yee, city councillor Raymond Louie, former city councillors
Tung Chan and Maggie Ip, Kelly Ip, Ramona Mar… the Jung family…
and of course the Chinese Canadian veterans, with filmaker Wesley Lowe,
who directed and produced the Douglas Jung film biography I Am The Canadian Delegate.
Speeches were given by the Honourable Jason Kenney, Secretary of State (Multiculturalism and
Canadian Identity) and the Parliamentary Secretary James Moore, on
behalf of the Minister of Public Works and Government Services Canada,
the Honourable Michael M Fortier.
A 10 minute excerpt of the film I Am The Canadian Delegate was shown by film maker Wesley Lowe. The film premiered on television in May, on both Channel M, and the Biography Channel. Lowe said that Minister Jason Kenney was so taken by the film, that it was shown across Canada to help celebrate Asian Heritage Month in May.
After the film, Art Calderwood, son of Douglas Jung was introduced. Art thanked everybody involved in the naming process, and especially Wesley for making the film. It was a very tender speech in which Art invoked the humbleness of the Chinese Canadian veterans and especially his father and uncle, but it also spoke to the important place that Douglas Jung and the Chinese Canadians like him have in the history of Canada.
Douglas Jung's son Art Calderwood is paddling on Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat team, and we had several team members there to support him. Here are Stuart Mackinnon, Steven Wong, Hillary Wong and Todd Wong – each a multi-generational Canadian whose families have long ties to the history of BC.
some of my pictures available at:
Sep 7 2007, Douglas Jung building, 1907…
More about Douglas Jung
Jung became a WW2
enlisted soldier for Canada when he was 19 years old. He helped
recruit other Canadians born of Chinese ancestry, at a time when Canada
would not grant them full citizenship rights or voting privileges.
These young Canadians were given one of the toughest assignments by the
British Command, Operation Oblivion, suicide missons behind enemy
lines. Fortunately the war ended before they were deployed, but some
Chinese-Canadians saw action in New Guinea.
After the war, Jung
went to law school, after the Chinese Canadians helped secure the
repeal of the infamous “Chinese Exclusion Act” that banned Chinese from
entering Canada from 1923 to 1947. He became elected as a
Conservative MP in 1957, and was soon appointed by Prime Minister
Diefenbaker to lead the Canadian legal delegation to the United Nations.
see more Douglas Jung bio at
http://www.burmastar.org.uk/jung.htm
Douglas Jung – Veterans Affairs Canada
DOUGLAS JUNG – SOLDIER, LAWYER, POLITICIAN