Category Archives: Canadian Identity

Picture of Toddish McWong appears in Vancouver Sun article about Jason Kenney's views on Canadian identity, diversity and not giving money to specific immigrant cultural groups

Leave a reply


“Toddish McWong”- the creator of “Gung Haggis Fat Choy.” 
What are Canadian values?  and Canadian diversity?

Who makes them: Canadian citizens? Immigrant Canadians?

or Jason Kenney – minister of citizenship, immigration and multiculturalism?

Jason Kenney is the federal minister of citizenship, immigration and multiculturalism.  He presided over the Chinese Canadian Head Tax redress, that resulted in Prime Minister Stephen Harper giving a parliamentary apology for a racist tax but only gave an ex-gratia payments that recognized less than 1% of head tax certificates, because it was limited to only surviving head tax payers and spouses… most have long since died since Margaret Mitchell first brought up the the issue of Head Tax Redress in the Canadian Parliament back in 1984.

Recently, Jason Kenney waded into the discussion about Canadian identity, and immigration language classes, when he talked with editors at the Calgary Herald:

New Canadians, says Kenney, “have a duty to integrate.” Further, he
says, “We don't need the state to promote diversity. It is a natural
part of our civil society.”

To that end, the government has
sensibly ceased funding programs such as heritage language classes. Why
should the federal government pay for children to learn the language of
the country their parents and grandparents come from? It's the family's
responsibility to teach children about their heritage, including the
language.

The original story appeared in the Calgary Herald on March 20th.

Kenney right person for immigration minefield
http://www.calgaryherald.com/columnists/Kenney+right+person+immigration+minefield/1409011/story.html

The same story appeared in the Ottawa Citizen on March 30th (with comments)

Kenney stands for Canada
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/technology/personal-tech/Kenney+stands+Canada/1443307/story.html

Today, the same story appeared in the Vancouver Sun on April 1st, with a new title:

Immigration minister is right to stand up for Canadian values.
http://www.vancouversun.com/opinion/blogs/Immigration+minister+right+stand+Canadian+values/1451075/story.html

But this time, it appeared with a picture of Todd Wong aka “Toddish McWong” with the caption:

Now, that's heritage: 'Toddish McWong' combines Robert Burns Night and Chinese New Year.

I have to be flattered that my picture has appeared in the news media. 

But while the original story never mentioned “Toddish McWong” or “Gung Haggis Fat Choy,” a picture of Wong is used mainly to capture the reader's attention and draw them to the article. 

But I am a bit confused as to what the picture is meant to represent?

Is it because:

1  “Being Canadian means being everything to everyone who comes to our shores?”

2 – “People want to define Canada by how many politically correct contations this country can do to accomodate others?”

3 – “New Canadians have a duty to integrate,” says Kenney. “We don't need the state to promote diversity.  It is a natural part of our ciivl society.”

The article, by Naomi Lakritz of the Calgary Herald, goes on to share Kenney's views that: “the government has sensibly ceased funding programs such as heritage language classes [other than english or french].” 

“I think it's really neat that a fifth generation Ukrainian Canadian can speak Ukrainian… but pay for it yourself,” Kenney says.  Kenney's right… it is neat.  If you can speak your family's mother tongue, your life is just that much more enriched.  But such immersion in heritage shouldn't come at the expense of you identifying yourself as a Canadian first… and it certainly shouldn't come at Canadian taxpayer's expense.”

The article also goes on to give an example of how Kenney says that a grant for language training to the Canadian Arab Federation will not be renewed: “The government should support moderate mainstream voices, not people on the fringe.” 

The Gung Haggis Fat Choy events that I have created since 1998 have never received any federal grant money. 

I am a fifth generation Chinese Canadian that speaks better French than Chinese. 

I am a descendant of Chinese head tax payers.

I have travelled to Oak Bay in Nova Scotia, walked the Plains of Abraham in Quebec, stood on Point Pelee in Ontario, skiied in Banff Alberta, visited totem poles in Haida Gwaii, and even stood on the corner of Portage and Main in Winnipeg during windchilled Winter. 

I have been the guest speaker at a Terry Fox Run in Beijing, China.

By creating Gung Haggis Fat Choy events, my aim is to recognize both the pioneer histories of Chinese Canadians and Scottish Canadians, as well as the future of Canadians born with these shared ancestries.

I believe that culture evolves, and is not stagnant.

I believe that all Canadians should read “How to Be a Canadian” by Will Ferguson and his brother Ian Ferguson.

If it is a Canadian value to laugh, make fun of ourselves and not take ourselves too seriously, then maybe this book should also be mandatory reading when all new immigrants apply to become Canadian citizens, along with learning English or French.

And that's what Gung Haggis Fat Choy also encourages us to do… laugh and make fun of ourselves, by flipping stereotypes of Scottish and Chinese tradional customs into juxtapositions of cultural fusion.

Photos from 2009 Gung Haggis Fat Choy: Toddish McWong's Robbie Burns Chinese New Year's Eve Dinner

Leave a reply

Gung Haggis Fat Choy is always a wonderful event for photographs.  Special thanks to our incredible photographers Patrick Tam, Lydia Nagai and VFK.

If you like their photos, please contact them and purchase them.  We have asked them to put “water marks” on their photos, so that we will advertise and promote them.

They help us with our event, because they believe in the community work and social consiousness raising that we do.

DSC_3928_103489 - Mayor Gregor Robertson doing the honours by FlungingPictures.
A wonderful job by everybody last night –
Veteran Gung Haggis performers Joe McDonald and Heather pronounced last
night as “The Best Gung Haggis Dinner yet”

And Dr. Leith Davis
(Director of Centre for Scottish Studies, Simon Fraser University) said it was the best Burns Supper she had ever attended – and she just
spent 2 weeks in Scotland for Homecoming Scotland!

Congratulations
to everybody.  The energy was brilliantly contagious and fun.  There
were lots of nice surprises in the program, with the Mayor reading a
Burns poem, a treatise on the details of scotch drinking, Parks
Commissioner Stuart Mackinnon singing A Man's A Man For A' That, and
hip hop artist Ndidi Cascade coming up from the audience to rap a verse
of Burns' Address to A Haggis.

But it was the performances by
Silk Road, Joe McDonald, Adrienne Wong, Jan Walls, Tommy Tao, Rita
Wong, Catherine Barr, Heather Pawsey & DJ Timothy Wisdom, Bob
Wilkins & the Gung Haggis Fat Choy pipe band,  supplemented by
Alland & Trish McMordie with Don Scobie from Seattle… and an
immortal address by Dr. Leith Davis – that knocked the audience over!

With wonderfully warm co-hosting from Gloria Macarenko and Catherine Barr….

And strong support from stage manager Charlie Cho, and sound technician Carl Schmidt.

Many
Many thanks…. to helping rise funds for Historic Joy Kogawa House,
Asian Canadian Writers' Workshop/Ricepaper Magazine and Gung Haggis Fat
Choy dragon boat team.

We will have some pictures available for you soon.

Thank yous and Blessings to
everybody!
Toddish

Patrick Tam – Flunging Pictures 
www.flunging pictures.com

DSC_3928_103489 - Mayor Gregor Robertson doing the honours by FlungingPictures.

661 – 20090125 – Robbie Burns’… – Patrick Tam photo set.

Lydia Nagai – Lydia Nagai Photography
www.lydianagai.com

IMG_0525 by Lydia Nagai.

Gung Haggis Fat Choy 2009 – Linda Nagai photo set.

VFK Photography

GHFC 2009 VF3_4418.JPG by vfk.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/24064901@N00/sets/72157613036584552/

GHFC 2009 VF3_4664.JPG by vfk Silk Road Music performing in front of life-size photos of Nellie McClung, Mungo Martin, Emily Carr and Todd Wong – courtesy of Royal BC Museum.- photo VFK

 Tips To Help You Start Living Healthy In 2022

2 Replies

 

Different Healthy Foods

We’re all encouraged to live a healthy lifestyle, but what does that involve and how do we get there? Health doesn’t just entail eating right or exercising. True health incorporates other areas we might not give much thought to, like positivity and self-care. Here, we share with you seven fantastic ways you can get healthy – and stay healthy – in 2022.

1. Follow a Balanced Diet

The saying “everything in moderation” really goes a long way. A healthy diet full of a variety of fruits, vegetables, proteins, grains, nuts and healthy fats helps to keep our bodies and minds in proper working order. There are foods you’ll want to limit, though. Processed foods might taste great, but they often carry a hefty amount of salt which can trigger high blood pressure and heart disease.

2. Embrace Positivity

Negative people or situations can trigger disordered eating and low moods. Look at the people in your life and the things that take up your time, and if something or someone brings you a lot of negative feelings, it might be a sign you need to cut ties. At the same time, work to let go of negative self-talk. A positive self-regard leads to a more positive lifestyle. Visit https://www.wtkr.com/brand-spotlight/best-weight-loss-pills.

3. Keep Moving

Exercise has been proven to lower the risk of disease, increase bone density, and even help us live longer. But how much is enough? The general recommendation is to engage in 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity every day.

4. Know Your Stats

Having an idea of your overall health can help you identify areas you might need to improve. A blood test is a simple way of pinpointing any concerns. Your doctor can recommend particular things you might need to monitor or check, like your blood pressure, blood sugar levels and cholesterol.

5. Stay Hydrated

Without enough water, our bodies are unable to function normally, remove waste, and transport nutrients and oxygen. Adults need, on average, three litres of water a day. If you lose more water due to exercise, heavy perspiration or frequent urination, you will need to drink more regularly.

6. Talk About It

With mental illnesses like depression on the rise, more people find themselves feeling isolated and alone. Talking to a trusted friend or health professional about how you’re feeling can offer you the help you need to restore positive mental health.

7. Stop Smoking

Smoking is an addictive behaviour that carries no health benefits. Smokers are at greater risk of serious health issues, including lung disease, heart attack and stroke. Your family and friends can also be affected by inhaling second-hand smoke. It’s never too late to quit, and there are many support options available to help you give up smoking.

Westender: Gung Haggis celebrates Canadian interculturalism – article by Jackie Wong

Leave a reply
West Ender newspaper celebrates Chinese New Year and Robbie Burns Day with a profile on Todd Wong aka “Toddish McWong”

Jackie Wong interviewed me last
week, and asked me about my early years growing up in East Vancouver
and North Vancouver. This is a very nice interview that addresses some
of the cultural identity issues I faced growing up, that has led me to
creating Gung Haggis Fat Choy as an expression of BC's Scottish and
Chinese pioneer history.

Todd Wong established the annual Gung Haggis Fat Choy dinner — a merging of Chinese New Year and Robbie Burns Day celebrations — in 1998. It now draws over 500 people. “People leave [the dinner] saying, ‘That is so Canadian,’” he says.

Todd
Wong established the annual Gung Haggis Fat Choy dinner — a merging of
Chinese New Year and Robbie Burns Day celebrations — in 1998. It now
draws over 500 people. “People leave [the dinner] saying, ‘That is so
Canadian,’” he says.

Credit: Doug Shanks

NEWS: Gung Haggis celebrates Canadian interculturalism

http://www.westender.com/articles/entry/gung-haggis-celebrates-canadian-interculturalism

Posted By:
Jackie Wong

01/22/2009 12:00 AM

Growing
up in East Vancouver in the 1960s, Todd Wong was one of many children
who had a surname in common with his classmates at Laura Secord
Elementary School. But when his family moved to North Vancouver when he
was 14, Wong’s Chinese ancestry distinguished him from his classmates
for the first time. “Suddenly, the only other Wong in the entire school
was my brother,” the 48-year-old librarian recalls over tea at a
Chinatown diner. “The other kids would ask if I was Chinese or
Japanese, because they didn’t know the difference at the time. I kept
being asked about Chinese culture because nobody else knew about it.”

Wong’s family has lived in Vancouver for five generations, and he
was raised in what he describes as a “Canadian” household. But it was
his immediate family’s move to North Vancouver that spurred him to
further explore his ancestry. His great-great-grandfather, Reverend
Chan Yu Tan, immigrated to Canada in 1896, and was part of Canada’s
vast pioneer history in which Chinese-Canadians are frequently
overlooked. “I’m one of the invisible-visible minorities,” he says.
“The Chinese culture I grew up learning from my families really doesn’t
exist anymore. [My ancestors] came over when China was still an
Imperial Qing dynasty.”

Wong’s curiosity about his family history led him to start
introducing Chinese New Year celebrations to uninitiated friends as
early as Grade 12. Years later, in 1998, he hosted a private dinner
that combined celebrations for Chinese New Year and for Robbie Burns
Day, the annual Scottish celebration marking the birthday of that
country’s national poet. The event gained momentum over subsequent
years as a restaurant-hosted fundraiser for Wong’s dragon boat team.

Word of the innovative celebration travelled fast, and within a few
years an annual inter-cultural celebration known as Gung Haggis Fat
Choy became a highlight on Vancouver’s cultural calendar, and has grown
to host as many as 590 attendees.

In 2008, Wong received a B.C. Community Achievement Award from
Lieutenant-Governor Stephen Point and Premier Gordon Campbell, and, as
part of B.C.’s 150th anniversary celebration, a life-sized photographic
rendering of Wong, also known as “Toddish McWong,” was installed at the
“Free Spirit” exhibition at the Royal BC Museum. Previous to earning
provincial recognition, Gung Haggis Fat Choy was the inspiration for an
annual cultural festival on SFU’s Burnaby campus, and was the subject
of a 2004 CBC television special.

“The Gung Haggis dinner is inclusive and it recognizes every part of
every person, and I think that’s important,” says Wong. “We don’t have
to be one or the other. We can be everything, all at the same time. I
don’t think we have a lot of events that speak to that.”

This year’s event, on January 25, rings in the Year of the Ox at
Floata Seafood Restaurant in Chinatown. Inter-cultural dinnertime
performers include the Scottish/Chinese Silk Road Ensemble,
multilingual opera soprano Heather Pawsey, DJ Timothy Wisdom, and
rapping bagpiper Joe McDonald. The Gung Haggis Fat Choy dinner is a
10-course traditional Chinese banquet that also features haggis, the
traditional Scottish dish that is a Robbie Burns Day favourite.
Proceeds from ticket sales go to the Historic Joy Kogawa House Society,
the Asian Canadian Writers’ Workshop/Ricepaper magazine, and the Gung
Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat team.

“It’s about hybridization — Haggis wonton, haggis lettuce wrap —
where we purposefully put haggis in Chinese cooking,” says Wong.
“People leave saying, ‘That is so Canadian.’”

While Wong often finds himself “running to catch up” with the
momentum Gung Haggis has created over the years, the event shows no
signs of slowing down. It’s even spread to Seattle’s Chinatown, where
150 attended the first event there in 2007. “People are continuing to
discover the spirit of Gung Haggis Fat Choy,” he says. “It’s something
everyone can participate in. I would like to see Gung Haggis dinners
across the country. I think that’s how you contribute to Canada being
better. It’s the good-heartedness of how you describe Canadians, and
that openness to other cultures.”

The “good-heartedness” Wong describes as a trademark of his event
also translates to political points on the municipal scene. At the 2008
Gung Haggis dinner, Wong notes that the 10 Vancouver city councillors
who were later voted into office in the November municipal election
were at the event, including Gregor Robertson and a kilt-wearing
Raymond Louie. This year’s special guests include Musqueam elder Larry
Grant; Leith Davis of the SFU Centre for Scottish Studies; Jan Walls,
formerly of SFU’s International Communications program; and
poet-translator Tommy Tao. This year’s Gung Haggis dinner is also the
only dinner in the province to feature one of 250 limited-edition
bottles of 37-year-old Famous Grouse scotch, made in a limited batch
for Robbie Burns celebrations around the world.

“We’ve always attracted people who are good-hearted and open to
interculturalism,” Wong says proudly. “That’s the Vancouver I see. We
want to create the Vancouver we believe in.”

For more information on Gung Haggis Fat Choy and to buy tickets, visit www.GungHaggisFatChoy.com 

Georgia Straight: Why Canada will never have an Obama, except maybe Todd Wong

1 Reply
2008_Dec 033 by you.

I didn't expect to be in the same Georgia Straight Headline as Obama… but maybe because it's because I am a person of colour?

re: Why Canada will never have an Obama, except maybe Todd Wong

http://www.straight.com/article-197382/why-canada-will-never-have-obama-except-maybe-todd-wong

I told the Georgia Straight's Pieta Woolley –
that it was author Terry Glavin who first told me about bi-racial Gov. James
Douglas's vision for a British Columbia that could welcome people from
every corner of the world… that it was Douglas who invited Black
Americans from San Francisco when he heard that were being
discriminated against…

BC's history is not the two solitudes
of English and French – but it is the 3 pioneer cultures of First
Nations, Scottish, and Chinese.  But we have had to go through the
Potlatch Law, the Chinese Head Tax and Exclusion Act, the Komagata
Maru, the Internment of Japanese Canadians – before we could understand
ourselves and our future.

It
has taken 150 years for us to finally understand the multicultural/
intercultural vision that Douglas wanted for BC, instead of BC as a
“White Man's Province” in the years that followed Douglas.

The Obama presidency in the United States is historic.  He has a vision to bring people together, to move beyond racial divides, perceived stereotypes and the cultures of blame and “otherness.”

My own life views have been shaped by growing up as a multi-generational racial minority in Canada.  I have learned about the discrimination and hatred faced and overcome by my ancestors, since the time my maternal great-great-grandfather Rev. Chan Yu Tan arrived in 1896, as a Methodist lay preacher for the Chinese Methodist Church of Canada.  Similarly, my paternal grandfather also faced many challenges arriving in Canada in 1882 at the young age of 16.

But I have also learned about the importance of communities working together.  My life path has involved me with many community organizations such as Canadian University Press, Hope Cancer Health Centre, Terry Fox Run Organization, Canadian Mental Health Association, Chinese Cultural Centre, Dr. Sun Yat Sen Gardens, Asian Canadian Writers' Workshop, Vancouver Asian Heritage Month Society, and many many more.

In the past few years, I have learned much about Robert Burns' views on social justice, equality, political change, speaking up for others, love of life.  These are as important today as there were 250 years ago in Burns' time, or 150 years ago in Douglas' time.  Maybe it's actually more important today, because we have the choice to embrace our responsibilities or to take them for granted.  We have the choice today, to choose to be selfish or community minded.  We have the choice today –  not tomorrow – not yesterday, but the choice is today –  to make a difference or not.

Why Canada will never have an Obama, except maybe Todd Wong

By Pieta Woolley

Yesterday (January 20), the world’s most powerful man placed his hand on Lincoln’s Bible and became the 44th president of the U.S. Next week, on a dark day in Ottawa, Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s government will present a budget, and a coalition led by Michael Ignatieff, Jack Layton, and Gilles Duceppe might take the opportunity to bring it down.

While the U.S. has its super-leader, Canada has the old, clichéd
“crisis in leadership”. Looking south, it’s easy to feel, well, a
little jealous.

So, who is Canada’s Barack Obama? Who can lead us out of years of deadlocked minorities?

I argue that not only is an Obama figure not waiting in the wings; he or she simply can’t exist here.

Here’s why: Obama represents the high-minded ideals of the 1791 U.S.
Bill of Rights, while Canada treats our history like yesterday’s soup
cans.

Americans love their history. In his inaugural speech—really, in every
speech—Obama took every opportunity to join his personal story to the
greater story of the United States. It’s an easy connection to make.
For Canada to breed an Obama, we have to have a better picture of what
Canada means, and promote someone who’s comfortable tying his or her
own story to Canada’s not-always-glorious history.

As a kid, Obama grew up without a dad around, in relative obscurity. He
is the biracial son of an African immigrant and a white-bread Kansas
hippie, and was raised by his grandmother in Hawaii. Now he’s
president. That speaks to opportunity.

Think quick: what document was Canada built on? If you guessed the British North America Act of 1867, you’re right. It’s not exactly stirring stuff.

Frankly, it would be difficult to know if someone came along who
represented the early ideals of Canada. He or she must speak English
and French and respect the authority of the Queen’s representative, but
apart from that, it’s pretty fuzzy.

So who is Canada’s Obama? Justin Trudeau’s name
has been floated, but there’s a couple of problems. First, he’s
Canadian royalty—the son of a prime minister, he has been immersed in
privilege forever. Second, he’s a white guy. Third, he hasn’t
established a career for himself yet, beyond teaching high school
French. Sure, he’s a young dad, charismatic, attractive, and extremely
well-spoken, but he’s already entrenched in party politics. And that is
Obama’s magic. He seemingly came out of nowhere.

Here’s my nominee for an Obama in Canada: Todd Wong, the founder of Gung Haggis Fat Choy.

The wildly charismatic Vancouverite is a leader in bridging cultures
in an unpretentious, original way. His Gung Haggis Fat Choy event has
been replicated all over the world. A fifth-generation Chinese
Canadian, Wong also lobbied to save Joy Kogawa’s childhood home and for head-tax redress. He organizes dragon-boat teams.

But what’s sold me on Wong as Canada’s Obama is that he’s a Vancouver
library assistant. It’s a humble job, but it’s a little like Obama’s
background as a community organizer. At least the way Wong does it.

On the picket line in 2007, he played his accordion and organized a strike reading series with Hiromi Goto, Stan Persky,
and others. At Gung Haggis Fat Choy, politicians from every party come
out for deep fried haggis wontons. He describes the event, to be celebrated this year on January 25 at Floata Seafood Restaurant in Chinatown, as something that “represents Canada in the 21st century”.

“Anyone in that room could be part of your family,” he told the Straight.

Here’s where it falls apart. Wong has no interest in politics.

“If I get into politics, I wouldn’t be able to do the kind of community service work I do now,” he told the Straight.

That may be true, Todd. But I, for one, think that as prime minister
you could be one wicked Obama-esque orator, reinvigorate our connection
to history, and offer a fresh face to represent the new Canada.

So, how about it?

Chinese Canadians that inspired me in 2008

2 Replies

Canadians, for the most part, seek acupuncture as an alternative medicine, one that can enhance Western medicine practices. However, for more than 3,000 years, Chinese medicine has used acupuncture as a primary means of balancing life energy flow, or qi, to improve overall health and wellness. Acupuncture can provide relief from chronic pain and provide a host of other health benefits as well. 

Here at Integrated Medical Solutions of Knoxville, our integrated medical team focuses on whole-body health and takes a holistic approach to our patients’ well-being. People of all ages in Knoxville, Tennessee, and nearby communities benefit from our natural approach to back pain, headaches, arthritis, and other common problems.

Increased energy

Do you feel tired all the time, struggling to meet the demands of everyday life? If you often feel tired, acupuncture may be just what you need to restore your energy balance. 

In fact, one study investigated the effects of acupuncture treatment on people suffering from chronic fatigue. The researchers found that the group who received acupuncture treatments reported a significant decrease in fatigue compared to the group who didn’t undergo acupuncture. If you feel chronic fatigue make sure to try out meticore.

You don’t have to suffer from chronic fatigue to enjoy increased energy levels, either. Nearly anyone can benefit from having their energy flow optimized through acupuncture. 

Decreased blood pressure

According to a recent study, acupuncture was found to be an effective supplementary treatment for people with high blood pressure. Researchers discovered that acupuncture helped significantly lower blood pressure in a group of people taking antihypertensive medication.

This is good news for the nearly 75 million adults in the United States who suffer from high blood pressure, which is a major risk factor for heart disease. While you have many options to help lower your blood pressure, including changing your diet and taking blood pressure medication, acupuncture can enhance and complement your efforts. 

Improved digestion

Do you suffer from chronic acid reflux or irritable bowel syndrome? Acupuncture may be able to offer natural relief from these and other common digestive issues. 

Experts in Chinese medicine assert that digestive issues are the result of an imbalance or disruption in the flow of energy. Acupuncture can help restore both balance and energy flow to relieve digestive problems. 

Decreased stress and anxiety

Stress is a common problem for many Americans. Acupuncture can relieve stress and anxiety by stimulating your nervous system to release biochemicals so you feel a sense of calm and well-being. Stress usually leads to chronic back pain, in order to treat most of it visit https://www.riverfronttimes.com/stlouis/erase-my-back-pain-reviews-2021-whats-new/Content?oid=34768096.

Acupuncture is also being investigated as an alternative treatment for depression. Researchers say that the insertion of the needle may help restore the flow of neurotransmitters and hormones to lift your mood. 

Georgia Straight: Kevin Chong writes an intercultural love story about a Chinese guy and his Jewish non-girlfriend

Leave a reply

Intercultural Love Stories… or almost-love stories do happen.

Once upon a time, I had a non-girlfriend who was half-Jewish, half-Caribbean.  Then we dated.  Then we didn't.

Today, I still listen to Leonard Cohen music.  I have friends who have Jewish ethnicity. And I have a girlfriend who claims we share the same cultural identity – multi-generational Canadian.  But she doesn't have any Chinese DNA.

Writer Kevin Chong has written an interesting Christmas time short story for the Georgia Straight that traverses multi-ethnic cultural definitions.  Afterall… Love knows no boundaries, right?  In the end, we are all Canadians in love… or out of love.

No Christmas at the Happy Panda

By Kevin Chong

What’s an angsty Chinese guy to do when his wry Jewish non-girlfriend leaves him lonely during the holidays?

Ellie
Simmons didn’t wear makeup and had thick, sideways-sprouting hair that
was the colour of dark chocolate. She slouched around campus in a
leather trench coat, smoked hand-rolled cigarettes, and drove an
unreliable Mazda GLC. It was 1994. We were 19 when we first met outside
the university library. She made fun of me for reading a collection of
poetry by Leonard Cohen. “Guys only read poetry to impress women,” she
said with her characteristic scorn. “You would do better if you wore a
clean shirt and looked me in the eye.” 

Read the story at: http://www.straight.com/article-176244/no-christmas-panda

YES to Coalition Rally in Vancouver

2 Replies
2008_Dec 022 by you.


A YES rally for the Coalition of the Liberal/NDP/Bloc Quebecois opposition to lead Canada's government was held Thursday at the Vancouver Trade and Convention Centre.

2008_Dec 010 My Friend Charles Demer with his friends holding a YES sign.

2008_Dec 020

Vancouver City Councilor Heather Deal was the first of guest speakers.  Standing beside were where councilor-elects Geoff Meggs, Andrea Reimer and Ellen Woodsworth.

2008_Dec 026

Next to speak was Liberal MP Herb Dhaliwal.

2008_Dec 033

NDP MP Peter Julian gave a rousing talk.

Yes Coalition Rally in Vancouver

Yes Coalition Rally in…

Vancouver Sun: Chinese hardship is found in half-competed railway tunnels

Leave a reply

My friend Bill Chu is doing lots of work to build reconciliation and recognition of shared history between Chinese-Canadian and First Nations groups, as well as to recognize the importance of the BC pioneer history both groups have contributed to.

In a letter to me about the topic of Chinese-Canadian Heritage Week and the recent “150 Years in Golden Mountain” Awards Gala, Beill wrote to me stating “The measure of success of
any such major events is whether the participants treat it as entertainment or can
carry it to the next level (or whether they can even walk away seeing a next
level).”

He also reminded me that “However we need to steer away from relying on a
colonial interpretation of Chinese history and treating that as the real stuff. “

His continued activism has resulted in two articles. 

Vancouver Sun: Half-completed tunnels tell of Chinese hardship, by Mary Frances Hill
http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/westcoastnews/story.html?id=89514f34-5230-4141-9178-c46f6513c554

Globe & Mail: Chinese-Canadian group wants gravesites preserved, by Jeremy Hainsworth
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080809.wgraves0809/BNStory/National/?page=rss&id=RTGAM.20080809.wgraves0809

Half-completed tunnels tell of Chinese hardship

Unfinished railway projects raise awareness of Chinese Heritage Week

Mary Frances Hill,
Vancouver Sun

Published: Friday, August 15, 2008

HOPE
– For many years, the elders of the Sto:lo Nation have whispered about
the ghosts that linger around the half-completed mountain railway
tunnels west of Hope.

The legend says unmarked graves nearby
contain the remains of Chinese men, Canadian Pacific Railway labourers
forced in the 1880s to enter the makeshift tunnels to light the
dynamite that would blast through the rock.

“When a tragic death
happens, the elders talk about the spirit staying behind,” said Sonny
McHalsie, cultural adviser at the Sto:lo Nation office. “They would say
the ghosts of Chinese workers were still there.”

Sonny McHalsie of Sto:lo Nation led railway tunnel tour.View Larger Image View Larger Image

Sonny McHalsie of Sto:lo Nation led railway tunnel tour.

Ward Perrin, Vancouver Sun

McHalsie
and Chinese-Canadian activist Bill Chu led a tour of the half-completed
tunnels on Thursday, hoping to raise public awareness of Chinese
history during Chinese Heritage Week.

“It's incumbent on the
Chinese community to do something,” said Chu, an organizer with
Canadians for Reconciliation, a group devoted to fostering peaceful
relationships with B.C.'s first nations people.

Chu has been
organizing events and tours to help educate B.C.'s Chinese-Canadian
people about aboriginal people and their communities.

The
tunnels, half-completed but abandoned after too many workers were
killed during blasting, stand six km west of Hope, on the north side of
the Fraser River.

In the 1880s, when more than 10,000 Chinese
workers came to B.C. to build the Canadian Pacific Railway, the Chinese
were used for their work ethic, but were often perceived by Caucasian
labourers as less than worthy colleagues.

If the thousands of
Chinese labourers who died didn't perish in the tunnels, they fell
victim to malnutrition, scurvy, and from lack of access to medical
treatment when they were injured or sick, Chu said.

“We're not
talking about avoidable accidents,” he said. “We're talking about
discrimination, and the attitude that the Chinese were not human
beings.”

Chinese CPR labourers were not only ill-prepared for
Fraser Valley winters, their wages were far below those of Caucasian
workers — a point that placed them in direct conflict with their
colleagues and exacerbated the discrimination against them.

A
month's salary of $25 would have to cover a Chinese worker's debt to
the steamboat company, clothes, a room rental, tools and fares.

It
was in that era that the racist phrase, a “Chinaman's chance” was
coined. It referred to the possibility that a Chinese member of a
railway crew blasting tunnels for the CPR line would come out of it
alive.

” 'A Chinaman's chance' was a derogatory phrase meaning 'no luck,' ” said Chu.

The
area surrounding the tunnels is a physical testament to the rugged
environment the Sto:lo Nation shared with the labourers, said McHalsie,
who has worked with researchers on local first nations history from the
University of B.C., Simon Fraser University, and the University of
California at Los Angeles.

Just last week, a UCLA researcher found an antique Chinese coin sitting on the edge of a Sto:lo subterranean dwelling.

No dig was needed: the piece was found in plain sight.

Much like first nations history, the history of Chinese labourers in B.C. must be re-appropriated and rewritten, Chu said.

mfhill@vancouversun.com

See video about this story at vancouversun.com/video

© The Vancouver Sun 2008

Victoria celebrates 150 years of Chinese Canadian History with a grand dinner and awards

Leave a reply

Chinese Canadian achievements feted at Victoria's Empress Hotel, attended by Hon. Norman Kwong, Sen. Vivienne Poy, Dr. David Lai, Dr. Wallace Chung and many others.

Photo Library - 2932 by you.

Hon. Norman Kwong, Lt. Gov. of Alberta, addressing the 150 Years in Golden Mountain dinner audience – photo Todd Wong

It was a night to recognize achievements in Chinese Canadian history, and it was best summed up by the Hon. Lt. Gov. of Alberta Norman Kwong.  He told a story about how challenging it was being the first Chinese in the Canadian Football League, and how the Calgary Stampeders had given up on him. 

“Don't ever give up,” he told the audience.  The he proudly showed his Stanley Cup ring and mentioned his four Grey Cup victories, “And I'm Chinese!” he said.

Photo Library - 2951
David
Obee and Lucinda Chodan, Editor and Editor in Chief of the Vicotoria
Times Colonist stand with Todd Wong, Victor Wong and Daniel Lee,
holding up copies of the 12 page insert titled Chinatown that
celebrated 150 years of Chinese Canadian Chinatown history – photo Deb
Martin.

Photo Library - 2956
Archival picture displays of Chinese Canadian history greeted the audience for the “150 Years in Golden Mountain” gala event – photo Todd Wong

The evening had began with a reception in the Palm Court of the Empress Hotel.  There were picture displays, music, food and mingling.  I was finally able to meet Amanada Mills, the chair of the Victoria Chinese Commerce Association, who I had communicated with for months, as well as Sinclair Mar, the chair of the 150 Years in Golden Mountain Celebrations Committee.  And I also finally got to meet Dr. David Lai, Victoria Chinatown historian, whom I have heard so much about over the years.

Photo Library - 2923
Todd Wong & Sen. Vivienne Poy – photo Deb Martin.

Senator Vivienne Poy is the patron senator of Asian Heritage Month
throughout Canada, and I first met her in Ottawa when I worked for
Vancouver Asian Heritage Month Society.  It's always nice to see
Vivienne, as her husband's late Aunt Cecilia had been married to my
grandmother's oldest brother Henry.

Photo Library - 2922
NDP leader Carole James & Todd Wong – photo Deb Martin

I chatted with Gabriel Yiu, news commentator, and Carole James, NDP Opposition Leader.  I asked Carole about her family ancestry, and she shared with me that her father was First Nations.  I thought it would be real cool if she became Premier, because then we would have both a Premier and Lt. Gov. of First Nations heritage!  I got to know Gabriel when we were both active on the Chinese Head Tax Redress campaign.  Unfortunately Jenny Kwan couldn't attend, as she is due with her second child in one month.

Many people traveled from Vancouver to attend this event.  I bumped into Tung Chan, executive director of SUCCESS.  We remarked that this was a great event and lamented that nothing of this scope was happening in Vancouver…. yet.

It was wonderful to see Dr. Wallace Chung and Dr. Madeline Chung of Vancouver.  They have given so much to the community in Vancouver, the Chinese Cultural Centre, the Vancouver Maritime Museum and the UBC Asian Library.  They are friends of my parents, and it was Dr. Madeline who delivered me as a baby many many years ago.

Photo Library - 2952
Deb Martin, Valerie Sing Turner & Todd Wong – photo Deb Martin

Actor/Writer Valerie Sing Turner was there with her family, as her father James Sing was an award winner.  I had last seen Valerie's family at the opening of her theatrical production of Malaysia Hotel, when I helped promote it through Asian Heritage Month, and also find her some sponsorship.

Photo Library - 2930
Victoria councilor Charlene Thornton-Joe with Todd Wong – photo Deb Martin

Charlene Thornton-Joe came over to our table during the dinner to say hello.  It was the first time I had met this Victoria city councilor, after reading about her efforts to preserve Victoria's Chinese heritage.

It was nice to speak with MLA Ida Chong, who brought greetings from the
Government of British Columbia, as Premier Campbell was in Beijing for
the Olympics.  Ida Chong is one of the 6 newest invitees (along with
me) to “The Party” exhibit at the Royal BC Museum, which features
life-size photos of almost 150 of BC's most colourful and interesting
characters.  Ida is the first Canadian-born MLA of Chinese ancestry.

150 Years in Golden Mountain Awards

My role at this dinner and awards evening  was to represent the Rev. Chan Yu Tan family along with my grand uncles Victor Wong and Daniel Lee.  We all sat at the same table, accompanied by Uncle Victor's wife Auntie Dorothy and my girlfriend Deb Martin.

Victoria Mayor Alan Lowe was the dinner Emcee, Hudson Mack of A-Channel was Emcee for the awards.

Norman Kwong, the Hon. Lt. Gov. of Alberta was invited to say a few official words of greeting, representing the Queen.  But instead he turned it into his acceptance speech for his award.  I guess there was some confusion, or else Mr. Kwong was very canny, because sadly there were no acceptance speeches allowed for the award recipients, as the program didn't allow for any on a very tight schedule.

But as each winner was escorted to the stage, there was a short video played on a large video screen with a voice-over, as pictures flashed before the audience.  It was a lovely gesture and helped to give meaning to each person's contributions to history and why they were deserving of the award.

Here's what the program said about the winner of the British Columbia Lifetime Cultural or Multicultural Award:

This award goes to recognize Revernd Chan Yu Tan who came to Canada in 1896 and ministered to the Chinese pioneers who worked on the railroad, searched for gold, and became shopkeepers and labourers in Victoria, Vancouver, Nanaimo and eventually New Westminster where he eventually retired.  Reverend Chan taught English to the Chinese and emphasized learning Canadian ways, espeically to his extended family.  His son Jack loved golf and was the first Chinese Canadian to serve on jury duty.  His youngest son Luke became an actor in Hollywood.  The four sons of his daughters Rose and Kate enlisted in the Canadian armed forces in World War II, eventually helping Chinese-Canadians gain the right to vote and later helped organize the Chinese Canadian Veterans Associations.  His four grandchildren who served overseas in World War II were Victor Eric Wong, and brothers Howard Lee, Daniel Lee and Leonard Lee.  A great grand-daughter Rhonda Lee Larabee became First Nations Band Chief and great grandson Todd Wong created the event Gung Haggis Fat Choy, a mixture of Robbie Burns Day and Chinese New Year.

Photo Library - 2936
Picture of Rev. & Mrs. Chan Yu Tan's 60th Wedding Anniversary, surrounded by their family and descendants – photo Deb Martin.

Photo Library - 2937
Rev.
Chan descendants Todd Wong, Daniel Lee, Victor Wong, stand beside
Celebrations Chair Sinclair Mar and Awards Emcee Hudson Mack from
A-Channel – photo Deb Martinev

Rev. Chan descendants Todd Wong, Daniel Lee, Victor Wong, stand beside Celebrations Chair Sinclair Mar and Awards Emcee Hudson Mack from A-Channel – photo Deb Martin

The evening's final award, the Golden Mountain Pioneer Legacy Award, was given in recognition to the Chinese Canadian Veterans.   Both my grand-uncles Victor Wong and Daniel Lee went to accept it.

Here's an excerpt from the program about the veterans:

“…After WWII, they concentrated efforts in a lobby for the franchise and other civil rights.  Sgt. Roy Q. Mah, the founding member and President of the Ethnic Associate Press of BC, Vice-President of Ethnic Press Federation of Canada nad owner-publisher-editor of the Chinatown News, went with a contingent of Chinese Canadian Veterans to Ottawa to lobby influential politicians and Members of Parliament. Their lobby was successful, and Paliament soon passed the bill giving Chinese Canadians both the franchise and citizenship.  On January 1st, 1947, Chinese Canadian full rights as Canadian Citizens, including the right to vote, were finally recognized.”

Photo Library - 2943Daniel Lee and Victor Wong stand onstage, as a picture of Victor Wong in India during WW2 is shown on the giant screen – photo Todd Wong

Uncle Dan and Uncle Victor proudly accepted the award, and the entire audience rose to give them a standing ovation.  They represented one of the most important moments in Chinese-Canadian history.  They both saluted the audience, the the applause grew louder.  I am very proud of my uncles, because I know about all the work and devotion they have to keeping the legacy of the Chinese Canadian veterans alive. 

Photo Library - 2949
Victor Wong and Daniel Lee, cousins and grandsons of Rev. Chan Yu Tan saluted the audience after accepting the Golden Mountain Pioneer Legacy Award on behalf of their fellow Chinese Canadian veterans- photo Todd Wong

Every November, Uncle Dan is out selling poppies in the streets of Vancouver and he is now 88 years old.  He has helped organize the Armistice Ceremonies in Vancouver's Victory Square for many many years.  Uncle Victor was interviewed for the CBC documentary Generations: The Chan Legacy, as he recounted stories about not only his grandfather Rev. Chan Yu Tan, but also about being in the service, and that he had been a part of a covert force behind enemy lines that were to be assigned suicide missions.  This is the legacy of the Chinese Canadian veterans – that even though the Canadian government wouldn't let them vote in the country they were born in, they were willing to lay down their lives to defend it.

Photo Library - 2964
Giles, Amanda Mills (VCCA Chair), Serena, Sinclair Mar (Celebration Chair), Deb Martin, Todd Wong shared thoughts and company after the event at The Empress Hotel's Bengal Lounge. – photo Deb Martin

More pictures at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/53803790@N00/sets/72157606697779094/

Here is a complete list of the awards:

The Golden Mountain Achievement Awards:
“…the recognize persons of distinction in the Chinese community or for being intrumental in the growth and development of Chinese culture and business…”'

Canadian Lifetime Individual Achievement Award
Dr. David See-Chia Lam

Canada Lifetime Public and Community Serivce Award
Ron Lou-Poy, Q.C.

Canada Lifetime Public and Community Service Award
Senator Vivienne Poy

Canada Lifetime Entrepreneurial Achievement Award
Hon. Norman L. Kwong

Canada Lifetime Entrepreneurial Achievement Award
James Alan Loo Sing

British Columbia Lifetime Entrepreneurial Achievement Award
Hok Yat Louie (post-humous), Tong Louie (post-humous), Brandt Louie, H.Y. Louie Co. Ltd, and London Drugs Ltd.

British Columbia Lifetime Public and Community Service Award
Sgt. Roy Quock Quon Mah (post-humous)

British Columbia Lifetime Cultural or Multicultural Award
Rev. Chan Yu Tan (post-humous)

Inaugural Golden Mountain Achievement Awards British Columbia:
“For recognition of persons or businesses, who are persons of Chinese descent or an organization having “Chinese” roots, who have excelled in their field of endeavor benefiting the Chinese Canadian communities or Canadian society.  These awards are to be for nominations in or related to British Columbia

BC Business and Entrepreneurial Achievement Award
H.Y. Louie Co. Ltd.

British Columbia Arts, Culture or Educational Achievement Award
Dr. Hua Lin

British Columbia Community and Public Service Award
Phillip J. Chan (post-humous)

British Columbia Online or Multi-platform Achievement Award
Mainstream Broadcasting Corporation

Inaugural Golden Mountain Roots Awards and All-Canadian Benefactor Awards:
“The 'Roots' awards are for recognition of distinguished work and dedication to preserving our heritage, culture, and or to advancing our economic impact or advancing business enterprises or projects or research, in or related to, or tied to Victoria BC and/or creating better understanding between Canadians of all backgrounds and/or advancing the entrepreneurial spirit emanating from our roots, Victoria, BC.  they are the safekeepers of our heritage and roots in Victoria, the first Chinatown in Canada.

Victoria, British Columbia Individual or Family Victoria Heritage Award
Don Yuen

Victoria, British Columbia Individual or Family Heritage Award
Dr. Yuen-Fong Woon

Victoria, British Columbia Corporate or Organizational Heritage Award
Fairway Market

Victoria “Roots” Community and Public Service Heritage Award
Dr. David Lai

Victoria “Roots” Community and Public Service Heritage Award
Lee Mong Kow Family

British Columbia All-Canadian Benefactor Award
&
Victoria “Roots” Community and Public Service Heritage Award
St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church

Victoria “Roots” All-Canadian Benefactor Award
Victoria Chinese Presbyterian Church

Golden Mountain Pioneer Legacy Award
Chinese Canadian Veterans

150 Years in Golden Mountain
http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/news/capital_van_isl/story.html?id=ee16c99d-5863-44a9-a0ba-09aac28a6ade

Pageant will tell tales of Golden Mountain
http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/news/story.html?id=867dcebe-097b-4652-9ac6-a4c65456d34c

Celebration Pageant
http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/news/capital_van_isl/story.html?id=ee16c99d-5863-44a9-a0ba-09aac28a6ade