The Last Half Century of Chinese Overseas

13. Political Participation Amongst Chinese Canadians: The Road to the 1993 Election

13 Political Participation Amongst Chinese Canadians: The Road to the 1993 Election Diana lary THE HISTORY OF CHINESE CANADIAN POLITICAL ACTIVITY The history of Chinese Canadian political life has seen a gradual, seamless evolution from a China-dominated to a Canada-dominated view of politics. For a long while Chinese Canadians, almost all resident in British Columbia, focused their po litical activism on political change in China. Major revolutionary and reformist figures in Chinese politics of the late Qing, Kang Youwei, Liang Qichao, Sun Vat-sen visited the substantial Chinese communities in Vancouver and Victoria. The communities made major fina ncial contributions fir st to the To ngmengh ui and then to the Guomindang. Some Chinese Canadians were quite passionate about Chinese politics. Apart from the financial contributions, some members actually went to China to fight for the revolution, notably in the barrie against Yuan Shika i's attempt to become emperor in 1916. Though the two hundred who left from Canada got there too late to do anything - Yuan was already dead when they arrived - their devotion to the cause was dearly shown. I Early polirical activity amongst Chinese Canadians had almost nothing to do with Canada itself. The Chinese Immigration (Exclusion ) Act of 1923 made it clear to Chinese Canadians that they should not consider themselves fully Canadian. To underline their status they were denied the vote, an absolute way of discouraging participation. The alienation born o f Canad ian hostility was rein forced by the turn of events in China, 118 Dianll tary which tugged at the feclings of all Chinese. Throughout the 1930s and 1940s Chinese Canadians were deeply affected by the anguish of China under Japanese attack. They were involved in anti-Japanese activities, including fund raising and politicallobbying.2 They had to live with the acute offence of being constantly confused with Japanese Canadians. The intimate association with Ch ina weakened after the War. The repeal of the Chinese Immigration Act, and the possibility of renewed immigration from China made Canada seem a more friendly place, one in which Chinese might consider themselves at home. The fall of the Mainland to the Comm unists in 1949 brought a grinding halt to sympathy fo r official China. The new Chinese government was seen as hostile a nd threatening. Contact was lost with relatives still there. There was almost no su pport for the Communists. When one young man, Pau l Lin, left Canada to work in Ch ina he was considered a pariah in the Vancouver Chinese community. (He is now a governor of the University of British Columbia. ) The Guomindang remained the major force in local Chinacentred politics, though its influence waned as other issues took priority. In the 1950s a nd 1960s Ch inese Canadian communities were increasi ngly concerned with social and financ ial issues, inward-turning, less concerned about China .l Generational shifts began to have a major effect. The local-born were not very interested in China-related issues; they were principally concerned with getting ahead professionally, and most were inactive politically. Though the first Chinese-Canadian member of parliament was elected in 1957, the election was an isolated event. Douglas Jung was elected for the Conservatives in Vancouver, and then defeated at the next election in 1962 . Politica l activity was almost a non-issue to Chinese Canadians. Enthusiasm for it did not resurface until the 1970s. The form of political activity which then emerged was fuelled by a surge of anger amongSt well-educated, articulate Chinese Canadian youth over the treatment of Chinese Canadians at earlier stages in their history. This sense of injustice led to vocal protests, which coincided with calls from Q(her mi nority groups for the rectification of past in justices. Japanese Canadians called for compensation for their relocation away from coastal British Columbia during the Second World Wa r, while Uk ra inian Canadians wamed recognition of their maltreatment in the First World War. Amongst ChineseCa nadians the major activities were attacks on offensive television programmes, calls for a memorial for the tens of thousands of Chinese rai lway workers who built the western parts of the trans-Ca nada lines and. above all, compensation and restitution to individual Chinese immigrants who had been forced ro pay a head tax from the late nineteenth century to the 1923 Exclusion Act. Political J>mricipaliou Ammrgsl ChinesI' GmadiallS 2 ' 9 Activism amongst Chinese...