24 Hours:  One step closer to redress and apology

Here;s an article from today's 24 Hours on the continuing saga of Chinese Head Tax redress.

March 27, 2006

One step closer to redress and apology

CHINESE HEAD TAX

By
JOHN PIGEON, 24 HOURS

The
Chinese Canadian National Council (CCNC) announced Saturday that a meeting with
Canadian Heritage Minister, Bev Oda, was a step
towards redress payments and an apology from the federal government to Head Tax
payers, their spouses and descendants.

“The
throne speech on April 4 will include a statement regarding Head Tax
redress,” said B.C. coalition spokesperson Bill Chu.

Chu
attended the meeting in Ottawa,
which also saw government officials hinting towards a formal apology on behalf
of the Canadian government to be carried out on Canada Day.

The
CCNC also emphasized the importance of including Chinese Canadian history in
Canadian social studies curriculums across the country.

“I
encourage the government to take a serious stance on education, meaning that
education is not just about educating our own,” he said.

A
sentiment echoed by Head Tax descendant Cynthia Lam.

“We
have lost at least two or three generations of our community who had to live
with that kind of discrimination,” she said. “It really touches your
heart to see how they live even today.”

Most
of the surviving Head Tax payers are now nearing the age of 100.