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Chinese Head Tax : (What Stayed the same ~
Discrimination for another…
Chinese Head Tax :
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Definition ~ The Chinese head tax was a tax introduced by the Canadian government to discourage Chinese immigrants from coming to Canada, Tn 1900 there was a $50 tax applied to every Chinese immigrant coming into Canada. The tax was later raised in 1903 to $500 which would be the equivalent of 2 years pay for an average worker. A lot of immigrants could not come to Canada due to the high price of the tax this was the main purpose of the tax. Another reason for this tax being implemented was Caucasian workers being scared that their jobs will be taken away by Chinese immigrants as the Chinese got paid half or one-third of their Caucasian peers.
Underlying Cause ~ The Canadian Government needed money
The Canadian government just finished building the Canadian Pacific Railway and needed funds to help support the cost of the railway. They chose to tax Chinese immigrants and collected approximately $23 million which in today's money would be $334 million. By taxing the Immigrants it solved the need for money and caucasian Canadians worrying about their jobs
Most Important Cause ~
The most important cause of this event is the underlying cause of racism, racism was a leading factor to implement the tax. This was primarily due to Caucasians Canadians fearing for their jobs as more and more Chinese immigrants were coming to Canada. They also got heavily discriminated by not being allowed into certain areas and they were treated very poorly amongst their peers. They also got paid either 1/3 or 1/2 of what their Caucasian peers would make.
Underlying Cause ~ Chinese immigrants being used to build the railway before the head tax was announced
The Canadian government recognized that a lot of Chinese workers were helping to build the Canadian Pacific Railway so they decided to introduce the tax right after the railway was built. So Chinese immigrants would still be happy and finish their work then right after they taxed any new immigrants thinking of coming.
Immediate Cause ~ Chinese immigrants had to pay a tax to enter Canada
An Immediate cause of this event was that the Chinese immigrants coming to Canada had to pay a tax to enter. In 1900 the tax was $50 but the Canadian government saw that immigrants are still coming in, so in 1903 they raised the tax to $500. Which was equal to two years’ pay making it significantly harder for immigrants to pay.
Immediate Cause ~ Chinese immigrants would be sent back if unable to pay the tax
A lot of the Chinese immigrants thinking they could make a decent living in Canada were sent right back from the port if they were unable to pay the tax. Not even giving them the chance to work and slowly pay the tax.
Indirect consequence~ The head tax discouraged Women and Children to come to Canada causing a bachelor society
Since the tax did not exclude women and children it discouraged women and children from coming to Canada because they seemed it would not be worth it to pay the tax as they cannot work. This created a bachelor society meaning a community with mostly men among the Chinese community.
Most Important Consequence ~
The most important consequence of this event would be the indirect consequence of the psychological effect on Chinese immigrants. This is very important because Chinese immigrants had to face many hardships by being discriminated against and not being treated the same as their Caucasian peers. This was a social injustice against the Chinese immigrants and the Constant fear of being deported for no reason besides the fact they are Chinese was constant stress they had to face for many years.
Indirect consequence ~ Chinese Immigrants were constantly scared of being deported
As discrimination is a leading factor for the tax it worried Chinese immigrants that they would be deported, as officers would find any reason to deport a Chinese immigrant from Canada.
Direct Consequence ~ less Chinese immigrants would come to Canada
Due to the very expensive head tax and later an all-out ban on Chinese immigrants, not a lot of Chinese immigrants could come to Canada because it didn’t make financial sense to come. If they tried to immigrate in 1903 they would be forced to pay $500 which was equivalent to two years of pay before expenses.
Indirect consequence ~ Chinese communities couldn't expand
Since there weren't a lot of Chinese immigrants coming into Canada it slowed down the development of the Chinese communities within Canada. This made it that the immigrants that were in Canada didn't have a large presence and remained a small minority which leads to the immigrants facing discrimination and not being welcomed in certain public areas.
Underlying Cause ~ Racism against Chinese immigrants
Chinese immigrants came to work hard labour jobs that others wouldn’t. During 1885 while building the Canadian Pacific Railway Caucasians Canadians were not happy that Chinese Immigrants were taking their jobs. So they pressured the Canadian Government to do something about it.
Indirect consequence ~ Psychological effect
The mental strain of being a Chinese immigrant in Canada between 1900-1950 was affecting the immigrants physiologically because they were constantly discriminated against by Caucasian Canadians by not letting them into certain areas or places and the stress of deportation was not healthy for their mental health.
Continuity and Change ~
Twenty years after this event, the Canadian government decided to end the head tax and completely ban Chinese immigrants from coming to Canada. In 1947 It was repealed although The discriminatory way of the immigration process was not completely changed until 1967. As a whole, the event did bring a positive change for this minority group because the Canadian Government invested 24 million in 2007 to educate the public of the wrongdoings the government committed towards Chinese immigrants. after all this time the government recognizes that the immigrants came to Canada to help support the Canadian economy and help grow Canada economically and by spreading diversity between the communities within Canada. At the time Canada did not recognize this and since Caucasians were a majority they had to favour that community with thinking with an open mind.
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