Alex C.
Vancouver, British Columbia
Vancouver Heritage Fair
Chinese Immigration Act
My project is on the Chinese immigration to Canada past and present. It talks about the head tax and what is happening now with Mainland Chinese people immigrating to Canada.
What was the most interesting thing you learned about your topic?
I find what is happening right now very interesting with current Chinese immigration to Canada causing a rise in housing prices. This is fascinating to me because it is similar to why the head tax was put in, the head tax was put in because people were afraid that Chinese people were taking their jobs. Right now, some people are not happy that Chinese immigrants are making housing prices more expensive. I also did not know any of this so it was interesting to learn.
What important lessons have you learned that you want to share with other Canadians?
I just want other Canadians to know what happened and not forget the past. They should know that we were not always a country that accepted all immigrants no matter what race they were. I think it is important to learn from the past so that we do not make the same mistakes again.
How would you compare your life today to the lives of those studied in your project?
As a person of Chinese heritage I know that Chinese people are treated a lot better today in Canada. The changes in laws and ways of thinking now make everyone equal and your race does not matter. Currently there are more rich Chinese people that can afford to live more comfortably.