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Post by helen on Mar 23, 2010 2:04:53 GMT -5
In the Shadow of Gold Mountain by Karen Cho - NFB www.nfb.cawww.nfb.ca/film/in_the_shadow_of_gold_mountain Filmmaker Karen Cho travels from Montreal to Vancouver to uncover stories from the last living survivors of the Chinese Head Tax and Exclusion Act, a set of laws imposed to single out the Chinese as unwanted immigrants to Canada from 1885 to 1947. Through a combination of history, poetry and raw emotion, this documentary sheds light on an era that shaped the identity of generations. |
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Post by tchow on Aug 20, 2011 0:06:27 GMT -5
On the cut off date Feb. 2006 only 20 of the original head tax payers, or less than 1% was officially recognized. Our own MP Raymond Chan was one of those who opposed the need of the Canadian government to right past wrongs. go figure.
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Post by douglaslam on Aug 22, 2011 1:48:06 GMT -5
A big thank you to Helen for finding this link. I've been trying since 2006 to see Karen Cho's documentary on the Head Tax Redress. I asked my local library and the multicultural broadcaster SBS to buy or show the DVD, but to no avail. Now, I can see it any time , anywhere. Thank heavens for the world wide web.
At the time of the apology, the internet was rife with misinformation. One site mentioned a medal being struck to commemorate the occasion and present to head tax payer families. I wrote to the Canadian Consulate here, I made phone calls and email to a prominent Chinese Canadian community organisation which was pushing for an apology and compensation . I wanted to find out as much as I could about the the head tax apology. Unlike the kindred spirit of the Siyi forum, where advice and help are generous and forthcoming, that particular Chinese Canadian community organisation did not even see fit to reply my email enquiry. I wonder why they bother to advertise their email address.
My take on the head tax is that my grandfather was a head tax payer. I mentioned it in my past postings. His poll tax certificate shows the year 1914. It was in Oct. / Nov. 1973 that I was charged with the onerous responsibility to escort and return grandfather to grandmother in Hong Kong. I undertook the journey from Hong Kong. At the time, I was aware GF was in a state of dementia, and cut a long story short, he was kept in Vancouver against our collective will by another member of the family. GF also had a paper son ( his nephew actually) in Vancouver, he was unable and reluctant to intervene. I was the only one who had the language skill, time, and an Australian passport which required no visa to enter Canada. And most important of all, I had the moral authority to wrestle GF away for he was held virtually incommunicado.
To this day, it remains the best thing I had done for the family's peace of mind. Grandfather deserved to be cared for in his final years. He had been a most capable and unselfish provider to all. We owed him so much.
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