Objective Conditions
The Chinese Immigration Act of 1923, often referred to as the Chinese Exclusion Act, effectively closed off Chinese immigration to Canada . Although immigration from most countries was controlled or restricted in some way, only the Chinese were so completely prohibited from immigrating. Before 1923, Chinese immigration was already heavily controlled by the Chinese Immigration Act of 1885. Established on July 1, 1923, the Chinese Exclusion Act banned Chinese immigrants from entering Canada except for merchants, diplomats, and foreign students.
After the Canadian Pacific Railway was built, many Chinese were forced out of the job since there were many Chinese competing for the limited amount of jobs. Many of the Canadians and other nationality people were forced out the job due to the many Chinese.
Largely as a result of the exclusion of the Chinese between 1923 and 1947, but also because of the large volume of immigration in recent years, the Chinese-Canadian population continued to be predominated by those born outside the country. Despite its long history in Canada, therefore, the community has some social and linguistic features characteristic of more recent immigrant groups. As family immigration increased in the 1950s, the Canadian-born segment of the population grew from 31 percent in 1951 to 40 percent ten years later. However, the large volume of Chinese immigration in the late 1960s and thereafter substantially increased the foreign-born stock. As a result, Canadian-born Chinese began to decline in relative terms to 38 percent by 1971 and to 25 percent in the next decade, and they only increased again to 29 percent in 1986 as the population base of first-generation Chinese expanded enough to produce a new generation. The total Chinese population in Canada more than doubled between 1971 and 1981 and almost doubled again during the following decade. By the time the 1991 census was taken, 652,645 persons claimed their ethnic origin as Chinese. These changes suggest that, since the 1960s, immigration played a larger role in total population growth than natural increase.
After the Canadian Pacific Railway was built, many Chinese were forced out of the job since there were many Chinese competing for the limited amount of jobs. Many of the Canadians and other nationality people were forced out the job due to the many Chinese.
Largely as a result of the exclusion of the Chinese between 1923 and 1947, but also because of the large volume of immigration in recent years, the Chinese-Canadian population continued to be predominated by those born outside the country. Despite its long history in Canada, therefore, the community has some social and linguistic features characteristic of more recent immigrant groups. As family immigration increased in the 1950s, the Canadian-born segment of the population grew from 31 percent in 1951 to 40 percent ten years later. However, the large volume of Chinese immigration in the late 1960s and thereafter substantially increased the foreign-born stock. As a result, Canadian-born Chinese began to decline in relative terms to 38 percent by 1971 and to 25 percent in the next decade, and they only increased again to 29 percent in 1986 as the population base of first-generation Chinese expanded enough to produce a new generation. The total Chinese population in Canada more than doubled between 1971 and 1981 and almost doubled again during the following decade. By the time the 1991 census was taken, 652,645 persons claimed their ethnic origin as Chinese. These changes suggest that, since the 1960s, immigration played a larger role in total population growth than natural increase.
The Chinese people shown here are locked behind gates. It shows that they are excluded from the rest of the nation's people. There are both young and old people shown. There are only boys and men because the women are still in China, raising the rest of the family. Since only the men could do extreme jobs at that time, they were "shipped" to Canada to build the Canadian Pacific Railway. Receiving little pay, half the pay of a white man, they couldn't really buy anything they wanted. Due to this, they look poor in this photo. The day that the "Chinese Exclusion Act" was passed, they knew that they had little chance of seeing anyone back home again, because they aren't able to immigrate to Canada.
I believe that the photo of the group of Chinese Canadians is to show the public how the Chinese feel after being excluded from the rest of the nation's people. This photo is to show how Chinese people feel, being segregated from the others. It's like slavery all over again. Why do we want segregation to happen again? This is clearly a social problem because there were many court cases around this topic in British Columbia Courts. Beyond losing all political rights through being disenfranchised, both provincially and federally, by having undue financial burdens placed on individuals, families and communities by the accumulated debt of the head taxes, the Exclusion Act seemed to erase all hope that any Chinese would ever be able to reunite with and raise their families in Canada.
I believe that the photo of the group of Chinese Canadians is to show the public how the Chinese feel after being excluded from the rest of the nation's people. This photo is to show how Chinese people feel, being segregated from the others. It's like slavery all over again. Why do we want segregation to happen again? This is clearly a social problem because there were many court cases around this topic in British Columbia Courts. Beyond losing all political rights through being disenfranchised, both provincially and federally, by having undue financial burdens placed on individuals, families and communities by the accumulated debt of the head taxes, the Exclusion Act seemed to erase all hope that any Chinese would ever be able to reunite with and raise their families in Canada.