BY: ANIKA MOLINO
Chinese immigrants working on the CPR
Canada has a long history of immigration and is known as one of the most diverse countries in the West. Some of the oldest groups of immigrants along with Europeans were Chinese people who came across the sea for a better life and to build the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR). But what was the CPR to Canada and more importantly to Chinese immigrants? I learned about the CPR and the involvement of the Chinese immigrants at an age far too young to fully understand the history of it. From then on the history of these Chinese immigrants was largely neglected in my school’s curriculum (the Canadian curriculum).
Education is essential and important to start early, though the history of Chinese immigrants and the CPR ended after only a week of learning about it. Continuing to educate yourself on history is important in shaping a more diverse world view through the lens of another in time. In this article I hope to explore the dark history of the CPR and shed more light on the involvement of Chinese immigrants.
The Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway or CPR, was a transcontinental and transnational (linking Canada and the US) railway that extended from the Eastern to the Western side of Canada. It was meant to physically unite Canadians across the country and make exporting goods and trade more efficient. Completed on November 7, 1885 the CPR is known to be one of Canada’s greatest engineering achievements, paving the way for the use of steamships, airlines, oil and gas exploration, hotels, etc. The CPR in a way established Canada as an official country since it was a promise to provinces such as British Columbia, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island that they would have a way to connect and trade with the rest of Canada. Today the CPR still stands as a railway but was separated into five different railways that connect Canada to the United States, and trades in the Toronto and New York stock exchanges (1).
Due to the CPR extending from coast to coast, the construction of it was bound to interfere with Indigenous lands. Many written and oral treaties were signed between the government and Indigenous groups to allow the construction of the railway. But many groups such as the Cree and Blackfoot faced horrible consequences. The government decided to push the Cree and Blackfoot people into reserves in the north by ridding them of their food sources such as the buffalo through the innocuous buffalo hunt. As Maher describes it in “The ‘iron road’ that brought ruin and death”: they were essentially starved into submission (6).
Chinese Immigrants' Involvement
The size of the CPR required a mass amount of help, so Canada decided to recruit workers outside of its borders. Thousands of labourers were involved in the construction of the railway, many of which were Chinese immigrants (around 15,000) (1). The demand for workers was high and Canada needed fast and cheap labour leading to an influx of Chinese immigrants in the late 1880s, who were a crucial part of the construction. Chinese immigrants, who were determined to leave war and poverty in their home country left for Canada. Yet, once landing in Canada these immigrants faced harsh working conditions, institutional racism, marginalization, discrimination, unfair pay, and more.
The Chinese workers worked primarily on the B.C. segment of the railway and were tasked with the most dangerous jobs on-site. They cleared roadbeds with dynamite, handled explosives to clear rocks, tunneled through holes, etc. It was grueling work for the amount they were paid ($1 per day) working six days in a week compared to their white co-workers ($2.50 per day) who did not have to pay for their own food, transportation, medical care or clothing either. This left the Chinese immigrants little money to send back to their family in their home country or the funds to see to them. The harsh work and living conditions led many to die from disease, winter colds, on site accidents, and malnutrition. Around 600 Chinese workers died during the railway's construction (3, 4). They worked long hours during the day, did night tunneling and put down tracks for a country they hoped would give them a fresh start.
Discrimination against Chinese immigrants or any other person of colour was not an uncommon occurrence, but soon the Canadian government at the time truly felt that these workers were temporary. Once the CPR was completed, the government immediately established the Chinese Immigration Act. The purpose of this Act was to suspend immigration from Asian countries, particularly China by establishing a head tax on Chinese immigrants wishing to come to Canada (1, 3). Before the completion of the CPR, Chinese immigrants would have to pay a $50 head tax for them to be able to live in Canada. Then in 1900 it raised to $100 and again in 1903 to $500 to further discourage immigration.
“It was an attempt to basically discriminate against the Chinese…it was a way to alter the flow of migrants to the new Canada to be weighted towards European and in particular British migrants.” -Dr. Henry Yu, The Chinese head tax and the Chinese Exclusion Act (5)
According to the Canadian Museum for Human Rights in their article “The Chinese head tax and the Chinese Exclusion Act”, the Chinese were the only group in Canadian history to have to pay a tax because of their country of origin. In 1923, the government of Canada passed the Chinese Exclusion Act, which banned the immigration of Chinese people until 1947 (5). After all the effort Chinese Canadians put into the CPR, the Canadian government still seeked to discourage immigration from non-white countries to have a “white Canada”. Chinese Canadians have not gotten nearly enough credit for their sacrifices and contributions to Canada’s advancement as a country.
Despite the great accomplishment of the CPR in construction, innovation, and uniting Canada as a whole, history will not forget the accomplishments and the hardships of the Chinese Canadians, who made the CPR and the unification of Canada possible. Having a diverse country does not excuse the occurrence of racism and discrimination. We must learn and continue to learn about our history and not neglect key groups who contributed to the formation of a country.
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