Multi-media project to raise awareness of Chinese head tax
Rick Walker, LIDC video producer, 604.764.8388 (cell); 778.782.8454; walker@sfu.ca
Simon Fraser University will receive $200,000 from the federal government to fund a multi-media project designed to raise awareness of the Chinese Head Tax and other measures that restricted Chinese immigration between 1885 and 1947.
Parliamentary secretary Alice Wong announced the funding today on behalf of citizenship, immigration and multiculturalism minister, Jason Kenney, during a press conference at SFU’s Vancouver campus.
SFU’s Learning and Instructional Development Centre (LIDC) will use the money to create a comprehensive and interactive education program, tentatively entitled Reconciliation Day, for B.C. high school students.
Funded under the government’s Community Historical Recognition Program, the program will examine the impact of the head tax imposed on Chinese immigrants and highlight the contributions of the Chinese-Canadian community to building Canada.
“This funding is part of an ongoing process of reconciliation in which the Canadian government recognizes a wrong from the past and is doing something about it,” says LIDC video producer and project coordinator, Rick Walker.
“One of our key goals is connecting the younger generation to the older generation to make sure that younger Chinese-Canadians are aware of their heritage and issues involving their evolving identity.”
The project will include:
- A multi-media learning package including a modular DVD, teachers’ guide and lesson plans, as well as propaganda posters, pamphlets and other non-video components such as head-tax certificates, biographies, still images and government policy documents.
- A media-rich website complementing the learning package with compressed versions of the video material as well as historical photographs, archival documents, selected biographies and an immigration policy timeline.
- A master video documentary created from the video material for educational screenings and broadcast purposes.
- A two-part evaluation plan to examine the program’s impact.
SFU will distribute 100 DVD packages to 95 public secondary schools and five private schools in Metro Vancouver. Fairchild TV will also air the video documentary.
The Vancouver immigrant-aid agency S.U.C.C.E.S.S. will serve as a project liaison with the Chinese-Canadian community.
Comments
Comment GuidelinesWhy are we choosing to remember this. It was a long time ago, get over it. I am sick of this PC garbage and I am especially not happy withe the removal of the crosses in the Simon Fraser emblem.
If we really wanted to be fair what about the Canadian soldiers who were captured by the Japanese on Christmas Day 1941 while defending Hong Kong. The Japanese murdered all of the patients in the military hospital and raped and murdered all of the nurses. The Canadians suffered terrible atrocities in the POW camp especially at the hands of the Kamloops Kid who was hung after the war for treason.
The Japanese government still refuses to apologize to the Canadians for the mistreatment of the prisoners.
And you want us to feel sorry about a head tax. Give me a break.
I am very interested in the way how SFU handles it. Many keep silent but they keep their eyes open. Hoping that SFU will not be disappointing.
Good to see that in the midst of the most stifling economic climate since the 1980's, our government is still managing to find more useless ways to appropriate taxpayers money.
Larry, what does what Japan did have anything to do with this CHINESE HEAD TAX project?
You are comparing Apples to Oranges. Perhaps this part of history does need to be remembered, because without it, a certain part of Canada will remain oblivious to the root of Canada's racism.
I regret to see a project with such a noble cause is being received by animosity. Lots have happened during wars, I agree with you Jeff those have nothing to do with what this project is dealing with.
An apology is not concrete without rectifying the wrongs... this is not a compensation. This is meant to be educational for Canadians to learn about their own history and benefit from it. It is neither "uesless" nor wasting money. It's like saying he International Center for Education about Auschwitz and the Holocaust at the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum should've never been built.
Hi Rick.
Steve here from back in your Trebas days. My wife is Chinese, Vancouver born, and we were just looking over the Dominion of Canada paper work that her grandfather and great grandfather had to pay to enter into Canada. 1862 on is dated... and I find it deplorable that Canadian's who are not white are often considered immigrants by a large majority of white's. You'll also find image's of Karen's family in Chemainus (Ning Chang)
http://www.northcowichan.bc.ca/siteengine/activepage.asp?PageID=82
I applaud any effort to raise awareness!
Cheers
Steve
Mark Cervantes
I think this is a great idea! Will SFU's library get a copy of this as well? I would be interested in seeing this.