Mar
6
By Stephen Harrison
The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1923, which effectively banned Chinese immigration to Canada, is part of a long line of embarrassing race-based government policies enshrined in this country's historical memory. In 1885, the government instituted a $50 head tax on Chinese immigrants; this fee was raised to an even more prohibitive $500 in 1903. These restrictions can be explained in part by white workers' fear that Asian immigrants, who were willing to perform more dangerous work for less money, provided unfair job competition. The head tax and the Exclusion Act, which was not repealed until 1947, appeased white workers while tearing apart Chinese families and robbing them of freedoms available to others. In 2006, Prime Minister Stephen Harper issued a public apology for the head tax, offering compensation to the few remaining head tax payers or their spouses. For many Canadians, however, the issue remains little more than part of the past.
Enter the Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre's first original production, Red Letters, which puts human faces to those affected by Canada's immigration policies. Shen (Alvin Tran) is a naïve, optimistic young man who moves to Vancouver in the 1920s to make a better life for his wife and son, who remain in China. He takes multiple jobs in order to save for his family's head tax fees, but the 1923 Exclusion Act puts a halt to his plans. The racial tensions of the day are emphasized by a white mill worker who holds Shen and Asian immigrants responsible when he is let go. The play is a history lesson writ large and humanized: watching as a family is torn apart by government-sanctioned racism affects the viewer in ways a textbook cannot. The play suggests that in order for there to be true reconciliation, Canadians must understand and come to terms with our nation's past.
Red Letters enjoyed a brief run in Victoria at the Metro Studio Theatre. Descendants of those affected by the head tax were encouraged to delve into their past and bring copies of their family members' head tax certificates to the performances, thus ensuring that the history of Canada's Chinese immigration policy is not forgotten. If you have personal or business records relating to the history of the Chinese community in Victoria and you would like to make them publicly available, you can contact University of Victoria archivist Lara Wilson at 250-472-4480 or ljwilson@uvic.ca. For more information about the Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre and upcoming productions, please visit .