It was September 2010 and city council chambers were overflowing - for good reason. The city of New Westminster became the first municipality in Canada to formally apologize for its discriminatory actions toward Chinese Canadians in the past.
It was a step that some might say came too late - during the late 1800s until well into the early 1900s our city was one of many that took unfair advantage of Chinese immigrants. And for decades the descendants of those Chinese immigrants had lobbied for some recognition of their discrimination and some step that would not only acknowledge the treatment, but involve some form of reconciliation. It was also a step that stirred up a lot of feelings. Why should current residents, who had nothing to do with past abuses, be party to an apology? After all - that was before their time.
But the city leaders forged ahead and did the right thing. Now, a couple of years later, the provincial government is holding forums and gathering input as to what form a formal apology could take. Cynics will suggest that this move is a naked attempt to appease Chinese voters. We'd rather believe it is forged from a genuine intent to heal old wounds and move forward.
But that doesn't mean the government's action has been welcomed with open arms. Activists have said that mere words will not be enough, and are asking the provincial government to give refunds to descendants of those who had to pay the head tax to come to Canada. While the federal government did enact some compensation legislation in 2006, advocates say that the provincial government is still profiting from the ill-gotten proceeds from exploiting Chinese immigrants. The minister in charge of the apology forums says financial compensation isn't even on the table.
Is this the best position for the government to take? We don't know, what we do know for sure is we're delighted to see the whole history of Chinese immigrants become a trending topic. Too many people have no idea of this chapter in Canadian history - and that's not good.
