Celebrating Asian Heritage Month

28 April 2023 - by Christina Sanakidis, Manager – Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging

Asian Heritage Month is a time to celebrate Asian communities and to learn about the many diverse contributions of Canadians with Asian heritage, both past and present. Asian Heritage Month has been celebrated in Canada since the 1990s, and in 2001 Senator Vivienne Poy led the motion for a national acknowledgment, annually.

When you hear “Asian” who and what comes to mind?

Asia is the largest continent in the world; both by land and by population. It covers about 30% of the earth’s total land area and is comprised of Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Cyprus, Georgia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Macao, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, North Korea, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Philippines, Qatar, Special Administrative Regions (S.A.R.) of China, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Syria, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Thailand, Tibet, Timor-Lest, Turkey, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Vietnam and Yemen.

Yet the assumption that an Asian identity is a singular one still exists. We can interrupt that by learning about the rich cultural, linguistic, religious, social, and ethnic diversity that exists across the continent of Asia and about the 200+ years of Asian presence here.

While Asian presence predates the formation of what is now known as Canada, many Asians continue to be seen as the perpetual foreigner. Our long history on these lands is woven through time; intertwined with racist laws, exploitation, struggles, and many successes, celebrations, and accomplishments. While the timeline below does not outline the full histories of Asian presence in Canada, it offers a glimpse into some of the inequities and accomplishments historically in what is now called Canada.

Get familiar with Asian Canadian presence via the timeline below and the resources that follow. With this information, we can continue to combat all forms of anti-Asian racism and discrimination. It is important to continue dialogues about historical and ongoing injustices in Canada that continue to impact Asian Canadians today, as we work towards a more inclusive future in this country.

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Timeline & History

1700–1900

1788 — Fifty artisans from China land on Nootka Sound (or Mowichat as it was known by the Nuu-Chah-luuth tribe)

1858 — Chinese immigrants arrive from San Francisco as gold prospectors (and the colony of British Columbia is formed as a response to the Gold Rush)

1872 — Canada bans Canadians of Chinese descent from voting in British Columbia (BC)

1877 — The first known immigrant from Japan arrives; Mr. Manzo Nagano

1881–1884 - The Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR): 170,000+ Chinese men arrived in Canada to work on the CPR. Our national rail system would not have been completed without Chinese labour, with these men often being assigned the most dangerous tasks. While Chinese CPR workers were frequently injured or killed, their death rates and accident figures were excluded by white supervisors on these job sites.

1882 — Ibrahim Abou Nader, the first Arab immigrant, arrives from the city of Zahleh in Mount Lebanon Mutasarrifate.

1885 — Chinese Head Tax – The government mandates that migrants from China pay a ‘head tax’ to enter Canada. This tax increased to exorbitant amounts by 1903. No other group in Canadian history has ever been forced to pay a tax based solely on their country of origin

1885 — Chinese Canadians banned from voting federally (This Electoral Franchise Act ‘grants’ some First Nations people on reserve the right to vote at this time)

1895 — Japanese Canadians lose the right to vote in British Columbia (Provincial Voters’ Act)

1897 — First Sikhs arrive to Canada, some as part of the Hong Kong military contingent heading to the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria in and then for the Coronation of Edward VII

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1900–1930

1902 — A federal commission on Chinese and Japanese immigration labels them as ‘unfit for full citizenship, obnoxious to a free community and dangerous to the state.’

1904 — The BC act restricting Chinese immigration to that province is cancelled

1905 — First Buddhist temple in Canada opens at the Ishikawa Hotel in Vancouver

1907 — Suppression and riots: British Columbia strips voting rights from anyone with origins in South Asia, the federal government limits male migration from Japan, Indian and South Asian immigration is banned, and anti-Asian riots take place in Vancouver

1907–1908 – The Vancouver Khalsa Diwan Society is created, and they lead the efforts to build the first gurdwara or temple

1914 — The SS Komagata Maru arrives in Vancouver, chartered by Baba Gurdit Singh. Heated debates and objections lead to the passengers languishing in the harbour for two months. The ship was eventually escorted from Canadian waters but sparked a dramatic challenge to Canada’s racially motivated restrictions on immigration. This is also when World War I began

1916 — Japanese-Canadian men fight for the right to join the Canadian military, fighting in the First World War. 222 Japanese-Canadian men are sent to war. 54 of them are killed. 13 are awarded the Military Medal of Bravery

1919 — Canada starts reducing the number of fishing licences held by Japanese-Canadian fishermen and others labelled “other than white”

1920 — The Dominion Elections Act confirms that Chinese-Canadians in Saskatchewan and Indigenous, Chinese, Japanese and South Asian Canadians in BC will remain unable to vote in federal elections

1923 — Laws and agreements continue to further limit migration of men, women, and children from Japan to Canada

1927 — Margaret Jean Gee is born. She goes on to be the first woman of Chinese descent to graduate in law and becomes the first Chinese-Canadian woman to be called to the bar. She was also the first Chinese-Canadian woman to become a pilot officer in the Royal Canadian Air Force reserves

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1930–1950

1931 — Japanese-Canadian Veterans from the First World War are given the right to vote federally

1939 — Japanese-Canadian citizens are excluded from military service in the Second World War. Several men fight for the right to enlist

1941 — Compulsory registration then Internment: Starting in the spring, compulsory registration of all Japanese-Canadians older than 16 years old is carried out by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). This same year, Japan attacks Pearl Harbor. Japanese-Canadians are arrested as subversives and the War Measures Act calls for the ‘removal’ of all Japanese-Canadians along the Pacific Coast. Thousands of citizens are rounded up, fingerprinted, issued identification cards, and removed from their homes. More than 8,000 of them are moved to detention camps. Women and children are held in buildings meant for livestock. Men are separated and forced into labour

1943 — Canada starts confiscating and selling all Japanese-Canadian-owned property including homes, farms, livestock, fishing boats, businesses, and personal property, while their owners are detained in camps. Unlike prisoners of war (protected under the Geneva Convention), Japanese-Canadians are forced to pay for their own internment. The value of property, homes and businesses sold is estimated to be more than $800 million in today’s dollars

1946 — Canada attempts a massive deportation of 10,000 Japanese-Canadians. Large public protests follow

1947 — South Asian Canadians and Chinese-Canadians are allowed to vote (via the Canadian Citizenship Act and the repeal of the Chinese Immigration Act. These changes ignore Indigenous Peoples and Japanese-Canadians).

1949 — Japanese-Canadians win the right to vote in BC

1950–2000

1967 — A second wave of Japanese immigration brings many skilled tradespersons and service workers.

1967 — Immigration ‘points system’ introduced. As more racially discriminatory laws are revoked, most immigrants are now of non-European ancestry.

1975 — Saigon falls. As the Vietnam War ends, many refugees risk their lives to escape turbulent conditions in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos. By 1985, 98,000 refugees from these countries have arrived in Canada.

1981 — The novel Obasanis written and published by Joy Kogawa to trace the internment and dispersal of 20,000 Japanese-Canadians during the Second World War. This same year, Conrado Santos becomes the very first Filipino to be elected to Canadian government

1985 — Changes to Canada’s immigration policy leads to increased immigration from Hong Kong where people began to leave, after Britain agrees to transfer the colony back to China in 1997

1985 — In a groundbreaking case, the Supreme Court concludes that a refugee cannot be returned to a country where their life or freedom would be threatened. The Singh Case, as it was called, represented six citizens of India and a Guyanese citizen of Indian heritage. This case drastically changes the way refugees are dealt with in Canada

1986 — The UN awards the entire nation of Canada the Nansen Refugee Award in recognition of our acceptance of more than 60,000 refugees from Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos, many of whom were personally sponsored by Canadian families and private organizations

1988 — Prime Minister Mulroney apologizes for wartime wrongs committed against Japanese-Canadians and announced compensation. This same year, Sri Lankan-born author Michael Ondaatje becomes an Officer of the Order of Canada. His writing The English Patient goes on to win numerous awards as a novel and a film. This is also when Vivienne Poy becomes the first Canadian of Asian descent to be appointed to the Senate.

1999 — Adrienne Clarkson is sworn in as Governor General. She becomes the first non-white Canadian and the first without a military background, to fill this vice-regal position

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2000–2022

2001 — The Supreme Court of Canada begins its ruling(s) that wearing the Kirpan, a ceremonial dagger worn by Khalsa Sikhs, aligns with our Charter of Rights. This year also marks September 11. A spike in Islamophobia permeates Canada and, 20+ years later, continues to impact Muslims today

2003 — SARS outbreak results in a spike of anti-Asian hate crimes

2006 — Prime Minister Harper issues the Chinese Head Tax apology. It is in this year that David Suzuki is named Companion of the Order of Canada

2016 — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau apologizes for the Komagata Maru incident in 1914. This is also the year that the Letters for Black Lives project begins. Asian-Canadians and Asian-Americans join to write and translate intergenerational letters of concern to our communities. This becomes a repository of anti-racism resources in solidarity with Black Lives Matter, translated into many Asian languages

2020 — The COVID-19 pandemic begins and anti-Asian hate crimes spike by 717% according to Vancouver Police. The main individuals targeted are Chinese, Korean, and South Asian

2021 — The first South Asian Canadian is named to sit on the Supreme Court; Justice Mahmud Jamal

2022 — Asian Heritage Month marks 20 years since the Senate of Canada adopted a motion tabled by the Honourable Dr. Vivienne Poy

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Please take this time to better understand the ongoing struggles of Asian communities in North America, and work to address the racism Asian communities face at both systemic and individual levels by visiting some of the additional resources below.

Videos

The Model Minority Myth (7.5 minutes)

'We Won't Stop' | Asian Heritage Month Essay via SportsNet (3 minutes)

Asian Heritage Month on TVO (playlist)

Websites

Noteworthy Canadians of Asian Heritage

Asian Arts and Culture Trust

Asian Heritage resources and organizations

West Asian Canadians (Wikipedia)

Articles

Richard Fung and the Gay Asians of Toronto

The White Elephant in the Room by Henry Yu