Head Tax Families
On June 22, 2006, on behalf of the Government of Canada, the Prime Minister apologized in the House of Commons for the implementation of the Chinese Head Tax. As part of the apology and redress the Conservatist government decided to compensate the surviving Head Tax payers and surviving spouse of Head Tax payers only.
To date, this settlement, an ex-gratia payment, has only been available to 500 head tax families with a surviving head taxpayer or a spouse of deceased head taxpayer. This represents only about one half of one percent of all affected Head Tax families while thousands of head tax families across Canada seeking direct redress have been excluded and ignored by Stephen Harper’s government.
The implications of the Chinese Head Tax and Exclusion legislation continues to directly affect the Head Tax families of today. These laws impoverished families and halted all Chinese immigration from 1923 to 1947. Many families were separated for decades, some never to reunite. These elderly sons and daughters, many who live in Canada today suffered under the racist and discriminatory laws of Canada. For some, their memory of a father is a name and if fortunate, brief visits. An inclusive just and honourable redress is one that includes all those who were directly affected.
The objectives of the Head Tax Families Society of Canada are:
- to seek a just and honourable redress for all families affected by the Chinese Head Tax and the exclusionary Chinese Immigration Acts,
- to educate Canadians on the contributions of Chinese pioneers, and
- to promote racial harmony amongst all Canadians
The Head Tax Families Society of Canada believes an inclusive redress begins with the Three Manifests:
- The Government of Canada will recognize and acknowledge redress is incomplete;
- The Government of Canada will commit to good faith negotiations with Head Tax families currently excluded from the June 22, 2006 announcement and who are seeking direct redress; and
- The Government of Canada will act in the spirit of one certificate, one claim