METRO VANCOUVER – Scores of Chinese Canadians stood and applauded Monday night as they accepted a long-overdue apology from New Westminster for the racism and discrimination their ancestors suffered in the Royal City more than a century ago.
The formal apology, offered in both English and Mandarin, was the first to be offered by a municipal government in Canada for the injustices experienced by Chinese Canadians in the late 19th century and early 20th century, when New Westminster was the capital of B.C.
"The city of New Westminster formally apologizes to the Chinese community for its past actions, which resulted in discrimination and exclusion," Mayor Wayne Wright said, adding the city also acknowledges that the Chinese continue to contribute to the "development, growth and prosperity" of the city.
Afterward, Gim Wong, an 87-year-old airforce veteran, shook hands with the mayor and said he was "thrilled" that New West was willing to apologize, noting his parents had been "kicked around.
"Whatever benefit the Chinese ever got was always too little, too late," said Wong, who was born in Vancouver’s Chinatown and now lives in Burnaby. "I’m proud to be Canadian 110 per cent but today I’m proud to be Chinese."
The apology was prompted by a request from the Canadians for Reconciliation Society, which concluded New Westminster had been an “epicentre” of racism against the Chinese. The city had not only wiped out New Westminster’s Chinatown districts but had built New Westminster secondary school on top of a graveyard full of Chinese pioneers.
New Westminster city staff also found “discriminatory practices were commonplace” against Chinese Canadians between 1980 and 1926. In 1881, for instance, census data showed that 20 per cent of the non-aboriginal residents in B.C. were Chinese. Nonetheless, there was widespread legal and institutionalized discrimination against the Chinese, including restrictions on voting, employment and wage-earnings.
Bill Chu, chairman of the Canadians for Reconciliation Society, noted that New West was not the only city that had a policy that was discriminatory to the Chinese, but gave the city credit for being the first to apologize, saying the move was about “nation building.”
The apology is part of a continuing reconciliation initiative undertaken by the city of New Westminster, which is also considering a memorial at the former Chinese cemetery site at the school and plaques at the old Chinatowns in downtown New West. The city will also inform further excavations to unearth and protect historic artifacts that might be found in the old Chinatown districts, and explore ways of developing a museum exhibit to showcase its research on the past treatment of the Chinese.
"Our city is indebted to the Chinese who come here," Wright said after the meeting. "It’s necessary for us to do what’s right."
But Chu noted Monday’s apology is just the beginning and “this needs to be followed up with reconciliation at the grassroots level.”
“[The apology] is not going to touch everyone’s heart and every individual in B.C.,” he said. “We need to educate the general public about our shared experiences and history on this land … [this] is the beginning of the entire process leading to a communal awakening.
“I can’t see how thing can go on forever, suppressing a person’s history,” he said.
Wright said he wasn’t sure if the province or other municipalities would follow New West’s lead, but said the city is already working to move ahead with its plans to acknowledge the contribution made by Chinese Canadians.
Sid Tan, an activist who worked with New Westminster on the reconciliation as part of the Chinese Canadian National Council, didn’t attend the apology ceremony on Monday, saying he personally felt it “smacked of insincerity” and the reconciliation didn’t go far enough. It’s akin to a “feel-good project,” he said.
Tan noted New Westminster’s research ended in 1926 and therefore didn’t take into account of the Chinese Exclusion Act or the redress being sought now by family members who were affected by it, even though they may not have to pay the head tax themselves. “They’re doing a reconciliation but with who?” he said. “There are still people alive who were affected by this legislation and who are still pushing for full redress. There’s a lot of work to be done.”
But Wright said the city didn’t research beyond 1926 because it had enough information to move forward with an apology.
He said he was offended by any suggestions of political posturing. "You can’t buy integrity and you can’t buy an apology that isn’t sincere," he said. "What this should do is bring us closer to the Chinese community."
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