Sid Chow Tan statement for BC Coalition of Head Tax Payers and Spouses meeting June 28, 2006 at SUCCESS, 28 W. Pender Street, Vancouver, BC

I acknowledge the Coast Salish First Nations whose traditional territory we are holding this meeting.

Dear Friends and Allies, Sisters and Brothers.

Thank you for coming out tonight and for making the long redress journey of the past twenty two years. Now we must walk a while longer towards a just and honourable redress. The government has always tried to divide head tax families. Despite this, we have achieved a small measure of success. Charlie Quan, along with surviving head tax payers and spouses will be receiving $20,000 and are content with the apology and return of money.

I personally rejected and ignored the apology. I did so because the government rejected and ignored our family’s claim for appropriate redress. The message from the government’s actions are clear. They have said they were wrong. They are sorry and they are keeping your money. The message from the government says too bad your parents or grandparents couldn’t survive twenty two years of foot dragging. Canadian taxpayers saved a lot of money though.

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Globe and Mail. Redressing the Chinese head tax. His father paid $500 to come to Canada. Almost 100 years later, Gim Foon Wong wants an apology. By PETER KENNEDY

VANCOUVER — Eighty-two-year-old Gim Foon Wong, sporting cuts and bruises from a recent motorcycle mishap, will resume his cross-Canada bike trip today in a bid to prove that it is never too late to put right an injustice. Despite a delay caused by yesterday’s pelting rain in Vancouver, Mr. Wong hopes to be in Ottawa by July 1 to press the case for a redress of an immigration tax that cost 81,000 Chinese immigrants $23-million between 1885 and 1923.

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THE CANADIAN REFUGEE CAMP. The resistance within Fortress North America

Saturday, February 5th
Noon-5pm. Rally 1pm
Vancouver Art Gallery. Georgia & Howe

Shattering the myth of Canadian multiculturalism and humanitarianism…

No One is Illegal is coordinating a “Canadian Refugee Camp” on Feb. 5, 2005. The camp will involve the participation from various community groups and organizations involved in historical and present struggle against Immigration Canada and racist border and immigration policies, while making the links to Canadian policies of corporate globalization and imperialism that result in mass displacement from lands in the Third World.

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