The Head Tax issue isn't going away….

I was interviewed by CBC Radio's Jackie Wong Sunday morning, only hours after I posted my blog article.  Jackie informs me that:  “There is a clip with comment from Sid and a voicer with you and Sid on
the head tax application deadline set to air on CBC radio news tomorrow
morning. Newscasts are on the hour, I believe.”

Sid Tan will be interviewed live on CBC Radio's Early Edition at 6:15am and CTV Canada
AM at 7:00am

Sid also writes that there is a mistake in the article below:

“There are 150 people in hopper for approval. How could anyone know how many eligible claimants have not

applied?”

Take care.    anon   Sid


Time is up for victims of Chinese head tax to apply for sympathy

 payment
By Marco Morelli – THE CANADIAN PRESS

VANCOUVER _ With the deadline looming Monday, many Chinese Canadians
who were forced to pay Canada's controversial head tax in the early
1900s have not applied for a federal redress payment.

There could be up to 150 people who have not yet applied for the
$20,000 payment, said Victor Wong, executive director of the Chinese
Canadian National Council.

“We've been doing some outreach to try and get those people to
apply,'' Wong said.

It's taken a long time to get the word out to people, especially
because most of them are seniors or living in rural Canada, he said.

Sid Chow Tan, president of the Head Tax Families Society of Canada,
said he once had to physically take a woman down to get some of her
documents notorized to make sure her application would get approved.

Monday marks the application deadline for people looking to collect
the compensation payment promised to them by the federal government.

Wong said the council had spoken with the government to extend the
deadline for a few more months, but he is unsure if they will get
their wish.

In 2006, Prime Minister Stephen Harper made an official apology to the
Chinese community for the injustice.

“For over six decades, these malicious measures, aimed solely at the
Chinese, were implemented with deliberation by the Canadian state,''
the prime minister said in his speech.

“This was a grave injustice and one we are morally obligated to
 acknowledge.''

Since the announcement, over 650 living Chinese head-tax payers,
spouses and people who were in a relationship with a Chinese head-tax
payer have come forward across the country to claim the compensation.

Wong said he suspects there are many more applications as many as
150 already in progress.

Although the federal government has been offering the payments to
anyone who was an actual head-tax payer or a spouse, Wong said the
payments do not include another 3,000 families whose relatives have
passed away.

“We are still pressing the government to include those families to
the redress announcement,'' he said.

Tan echoed Wong.

“While 82,000 Chinese paid the head tax, the federal government's
package provides no direct compensation to head-tax families without a
surviving head-tax payer or a surviving spouse of a head-tax payer,''
he said.

“The issue is closure with respect and dignity for Chinese head-tax
families and all Canadians.

“This begins when the government recognizes the redress is incomplete
and undertakes good-faith negotiations with representatives of
excluded head-tax families,'' Tan said.

In 1885, to restrict the immigration of Chinese people to Canada, the
federal government introduced a bill requiring a $50 payment from
anyone of Chinese origin entering the country.

In the early 1900s, the tax was increased to $500, the equivalent of
two years worth of wages for a Chinese labourer for the Canadian
Pacific Railway at the time.

Despite the head tax, over 82,000 Chinese people emigrated to Canada
between 1885 and 1923.

Then, in 1923, the federal government passed the Chinese Immigration
Act excluding all Chinese people from entering Canada until the act
was repealed in 1947.

Len Westerberg, spokesman for Heritage Canada, the civil servant in
charge of issuing the compensation, said the deadline is not going to
be extended.

But “if someone was unable to apply for reasons beyond their control,
the Minister of Canadian Heritage can exercise her discretion and
accept an application received after the deadline,'' Westerberg said.

“Monday is only the deadline for receiving applications, so anything
that's in process will still be processed,'' he said.

Heritage Canada requires photo identification, proof of Canadian
citizenship, proof of permanent residency, a death certificate of a
tax victim for those applying on behalf of their spouse and a head-tax
certificate number to accompany an application form.

Indo-Canadians are one of BC's largest and most influential immigrant groups.  We have had an Indo-Canadian premier, union leaders, and even the husband of one of BC's biggest rock stars.

Like Chinese-Canadians who have come from a diversity of geographical origins such as South African, Australia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, China, Guyana, Malaysia, Singapore, Brazil, The United States and Europe, the Vancouver Sun's 100 influential Indo-Canadians count their geographical origins as being from India, Pakistan, Malaysia, Kenya, Uganda, Fiji, Trinidad, Tanzania, England, Sri Lanka and Barhrain.

I am pleased to know many of the people listed.  Recently I was re-aquainted with MLA Harry Bains (whom I described as very inspiring) at the CUPE BC “workers of colour” conference where I also met MLA Raj Chouhan and UBC professor Sunera Thobani.  Also at the conference was Moe Sihota and the mother of basketball star Pasha Bains.  Ujjal Dosanjh has been a supporter of  the Chinese head tax redress campaign both as BC premier and as federal MP.  Both he and his wife Raminder Dosanjh are incredible movers in the community, and I was pleased to meet them when we met them asking for support of the Joy Kogawa House campaign.

I first met Manpreet Grewal, when we were both invited to give a welcoming gift to CBC Radio's Shelagh Rogers, when the show “Sounds Like Canada” moved to Vancouver from Toronto.  Charan Gill, I met way back around 1993 – he is always passionate about multiculturalism and fighting racism.  Ian Hannomansing used to live in my grandmother's West End apartment and started at CBC TV, when my cousin Joni Mar was still a TV news reporter alongside him back in the late 1980's.  I've also met Belle Puri at CBC, and Priya Ramu (who isn't listed).  I know Sandu Binning from many arts events such as Word on the Street and Asian Heritage Month.  At other community events I have met Wally Oppal and Aziz Khaki. My SFU sports psychology prof worked with and spoke about Emanuel Sandhu, so I felt like I knew him. 

But the person I probably know best is Harsha Walia, one of the organizational leaders of No
One is Illegal.  I am always amazed by the energy and friendly smile of
Harsha who always sends me her event emails (which I should post more
of).  You just know more great things are going to happen as this young activist keeps widening her field of influence.

On Oct 21st 2006, the Vancouver Sun published a controversial list of 100 influential Chinese-Canadians.  Now 17 months later, on March 29, 2008 the Sun takes a look at 100 influential Indo-Canadians.
http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=cde06cfc-6ad0-4456-a968-ea6fa42ba94b&k=38879

While the Vancouver Sun did an admirable job of stating that Chinese have been a part of BC since it's inception in 1958, and listing the achievements Chinese Canadians have made while also acknowledging the racist challenges they also had to face, there were problems with the list.  These problems were identified by bloggers such as myself, Chinese in Vancouver, and the Ugly Chinese Canadian.

The list of 100 influential Chinese-Canadians was considered controversial because the Canadianess of some of these Chinese individuals came into question.  For instance, the editor of the World Journal had only been in Canada for one year.  He was of Chinese ancestry, but was he Canadian?  The Sun explained their methodology in their article.  But many people in the community still had to shake their heads at the many amazingly influential Chinese Canadians that were left off the list such as Olympic gold medalist Lori Fung, architect Joe Wai and cultural engineer Jim Wong-Chu who really laid the ground work for Asian Heritage Month, Asian Canadian literature through the Asian Canadian Writers' Workshop and Ricepaper Magazine.  Here is my reply to the Vancouver Sun's 100 Chinese Canadians.
http://www.gunghaggisfatchoy.com/blog/_archives/2006/10/22/2437158.html

At my first glances of the 100 Indo-Canadian list, it appears that the Vancouver Sun took our constructive criticisms to task.  There is nobody listed as only having spent 1 year in Canada such as World Journal editor Han Shang Ping, or 5 years such as Weihong Song or 7 years for Sing Tao editor Victor Leung Mau Ho  The shortest time spent in Canada is artist Janail Singh's 8 years, ignoring the 6 years listed for Karimah Es Sabar because her bio also states she first came to Canada in 1988.  And nobody on the Indo-Canadian list appears to be 16 years old such as the listed golfer Eugene Wong.  Maybe these are small points, but the Vancouver Sun left off actor Kristin Kreuk, who plays lead actor Lana Lang on the hit TV series Smallville and whom I would argue has incredible influence not only as a covergirl for Neutragena skin care commercials, but especially as Superboy's girlfriend.

Who was born in Canada on the two lists? 25 Canadian-born-Chinese, and 18 Canadian-born-Indians.
The Vancouver Sun later added an addtional 12 names.  3 names are very influential in Chinese-Canadian history and culture but are not or Chinese origin:  Ed Wickberg, Colleen McGuinness and Graham Johnson (whom I have all known for many years).  Of the 9 Chinese Canadians added, including athlete Lori Fung, 2 were born in Canada.

Do these observations mean anything in comparison? 

Statistics can mean whatever the presenter wants, depending how they are organized.  When the Sun's initial list of 100 influential Chinese-Canadians came out, we argued that the Sun was trying to balance between the Canadian born, new immigrants, old immigrants, and Chinese language communities.  Does it make a difference if 26 Indo-Canadians have “Western” first names compared to 83 Chinese-Canadians?  Did Chinese-Canadians feel it was more important to “change” their names in order to fit in, or were they given both Chinese names and Western names?  Does it matter?  Does it influence how they as individuals or as a community are perceived?

There are lots of ways to read into such lists, but the most important thing is that the Vancouver Sun is recognizing the important legacy that Indo-Candians have contributed to BC both as pioneers and as new immigrants.  As a community they have given us political heroes, sports heroes, community heroes and musical heroes.  And they are ALL Canadians, for ALL Canadians to share, acknowledge and respect.

Ah… but who would I add to the list?  Who do I think is missing?  That's an interesting question!

The Georgia Straight wrote:
http://www.straight.com/article-139075/lets-expand-list-influential-people-south-asian-descent

In Vancouver, there are some people who go jogging or skiing in kilts… and even dragon boat paddling in kilts!  But Sinead and John Kerr go to the World Ice skating championships, performing in their kilts.

A brother and sister team from Scotland, they are 5 time reigning British champions, winning their 5th national championship in January 2008 amidst some controversial scoring giving them many deductions. 

At this past World Championships in Gothenburg Sweden, the Kerrs placed 8th in pairs.

According to a webpost for the 2005 Skate Canada event:

Maybe the music scared the judges who dropped them from
sixth after the original to seventh overall. The British champions train
in the Deeside rink in northern Wales where their coach, Joan Slater, a
former British champion and world silver medalist, is based which is
several hours drive from their home in Livingston. When possible, she
comes up to Scotland to the Murrayfield rink in Edinburgh nearer their
home. Talking of how they performed their routine, John said, “It’s
not bad. There’s still a long way to go.

Check out this video with plenty of views of John Kerr's swirling kilt.  It's probably the most looked under skirt since Katerina Witt's “Carmen” routine.

YouTube – Sinead Kerr John Kerr 2008 Euros OD

Sinead Kerr John Kerr GBR 2008 Euros – Original Dance, Folk …

6 min –

Canadian ice skaters landed 3 medals for the first time in years. 

Jeff Buttle won the first gold for a Canadian since 2003 when Shae-Lynn Bourne and Victor Kraatz won for ice dancing.  Elvis Stojko won men's singles gold in 1997. 

Winning silver in ice dancing were Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, while Jessica Dube and
Bryce Davison won pairs bronze Wednesday.

Patrick Chan, the 17 year old teenager who is Canada's current reigning Men's National winner  finished ninth in his World Championships debut.  Chan only last year had won silver at the World Junior Championships, and last November won gold at the Grand Prix in Paris.

Mira Leung finished 14th and Canadian nationals winner Joannie Frechette missed the podium at 5th.  But all is not lost…   There is good talk that this is Canada's strongest skating team in years, and Canada's hopes for Olympic gold in Vancouver for 2010 will be strong in ice-skating.  Bet that Vancouver's Chinese-Canadian community will strongly be following Vancouver born Leung, and Toronto's Chan.  Pretty amazing that these two are still teenagers.