The Immigration

Chinese men were being immigrated to Canada. Between 1881 and 1884, 17 000 Chinese men came to Canada from China and the USA to build a portion of the CPR ( Canadian Pacific Railway ). The Chinese came to Canada to make money to support their families that still remained in China because China had poor living standards. They built the portion of the railway from Port Moody to Eagle Pass near Revelstoke British Columbia. The Chinese cleared and graded the railway`s roadbed. They blasted tunnels through the rock, and as a result of this many Chinese men were killed.

Canadian Pacific Railway ~ Chinese Labour

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.  

Head Taxes And The Exclusion Act

In 1885 the Canadian government created a head tax against the Chinese. This meant that any Chinese person wanting to come to Canada had to pay $50.00 to the government. In 1900, Canadians felt that there was still too many Chinese people coming to Canada, and the head tax was increased to $100.00. It went up to $500.00 in 1903. In 1923, the Chinese Immigration Act was passed also known as the Exclusion Act. For the next 24 years, anyone who was Chinese was not allowed to come to Canada. Canada was not alone in it`s discrimination against the Chinese people. In the 1850`s the Australian colonies were also limiting the number of Chinese immigrants. In 1882, the USA also passed an act to exclude the Chinese. For the Chinese workers that moved to Canada before the head taxes came into effect and the Exclusion Act, it made it nearly impossible for many of them to ever see their families again!

Push Factors



Rebels in the Taiping Rebellion

A disrupted economy in Western China leaves it`s citizens without any work or money to provide their families with food or necessities. This causes a series of rebellions across the country. The rebellions that occurred are; The Taiping ( 1851-1864 ), Nion ( Nein ) ( 1853-1868 ), Moslem ( 1855-1873 ) and Boxer ( 1898-1901 ). During the Taiping Rebellion, the rebels controlled a large part of China and built their capital in the city of Nanking. The power of the central government was further weakened as military power was delegated to the provinces to control these rebellions. All these factors were reasons for Chinese people to leave their country to look for a better life in other parts of the world.



Andrew Onderdonk



Andrew Onderdonk

Andrew Onderdonk helped supervise many railroad productions down in the USA and a few in Canada. Beginning in 1897 he won or took over Canadian government contracts for the building of the line between Port Moody and Savona`s ferry ( Savona ) on Kamloops Lake. He was the manager of this immense project which covered 212 miles, although when the project was completed he ended up supervising 338 miles. Faced with chronic labour shortages and enormous construction difficulties, Onderdonk did what he had done on railways built in the USA. He subcontracted through Chinese labour suppliers to bring in men from China, many Chinese also came from the USA to help. His workforce included 2 500 whites and 6 500 Chinese, although over the term of the contracts many more Chinese men were employed.

Finding Work

After the CPR was completed in 1885 several thousand Chinese workers returned to China, however others could not afford the cost of the ticket. These railway workers needed to find new jobs. Chinese people became gardeners, grocers, cooks, or servants in wealthy white households. They also opened their own businesses including laundry mats, restaurants or cafes. These businesses didn`t require alot of money to run. Some Chinese found mining jobs in Alberta. These jobs were seasonal, and many of them returned to Calgary, Edmonton, Rethbridge and Red Deer for the winter.

Chinese Immigration to Canada: A Tale of Perseverance

Conclusion

Chinese immigrated to Canada to work on the Canadian Pacific Railway. If the Chinese did not have a part in the construction of the railroad, it would have never been completed and Canada would not reach from coast to coast. The railroad connected British Columbia to Canada to make the country bigger. The railroad was also essential to connect BC to Canada so that the United States wouldn`t convince BC to join with them. Canada would not be the country it is today if the Chinese had not help build the Canadian Pacific Railroad. The railroad also spread people throughout the middle of the country after it was completed.

The Chinese workers woing on the Canadian Pacific Railway