Discrimination

Canadians discriminated against the Chinese. Many Canadians had never met a Chinese person and therefore formed false opinions out of fear. Canadians thought that the Chinese would take jobs away from them. Others had wrong or exaggerated ideas about the way the Chinese lived. They were accused of being dirty and disease carriers because of their crowded living conditions. Chinese workers were paid less then white workers because many Canadians believed that the Chinese needed less to live on. Chinese men worked for $1.00 a day and from this $1.00 they had to pay for food, camping and cooking gear. White workers did not have to pay for these things although they still made more money ( $1.50-$2.50 a day ). Canadians thought that the Chinese were content to live on less and believed they would settle for food that lacked variety and quality. Chinese people were called names and were often victim's of physical assault. Chinese could not even be buried in public cemeteries with non-Chinese. While the Chinese men worked on the CPR, they lived in camps, sleeping in tents or boxcars. When the Chinese men had to move to a new site they would take down their tents, pack up their belongings often hiking over 40 miles to arrive at the next camp site.