Chinese head tax in Canada
Canada is a big country and many people came from far away places to live here. Some of those people were from a country called China. In the 1800s, Canada made a rule that Chinese people had to pay a special tax called a head tax, which is like a fee you pay just because you were born in a certain place.
The head tax was very expensive - it cost $50, which was a lot of money back then. Other people from other countries didn't have to pay this special tax, just the Chinese people. That seemed unfair to many people, including the Chinese people who were living in Canada. They were working the same jobs as everyone else and helping build Canada, but they had to pay extra just because they were Chinese.
Many Chinese people saved up their money for years just to pay the head tax so they could bring their families to Canada. Even then, it was very hard for Chinese families to reunite in Canada because they had to pay so much money.
The head tax lasted for more than fifty years, from 1885 to 1923. It affected tens of thousands of Chinese people and caused a lot of sadness and separation for families.
In 2006, the Canadian government finally apologized to Chinese Canadians for the head tax and offered some compensation to the families who had paid it. It was a way of saying sorry for something that shouldn't have happened.
The head tax was very expensive - it cost $50, which was a lot of money back then. Other people from other countries didn't have to pay this special tax, just the Chinese people. That seemed unfair to many people, including the Chinese people who were living in Canada. They were working the same jobs as everyone else and helping build Canada, but they had to pay extra just because they were Chinese.
Many Chinese people saved up their money for years just to pay the head tax so they could bring their families to Canada. Even then, it was very hard for Chinese families to reunite in Canada because they had to pay so much money.
The head tax lasted for more than fifty years, from 1885 to 1923. It affected tens of thousands of Chinese people and caused a lot of sadness and separation for families.
In 2006, the Canadian government finally apologized to Chinese Canadians for the head tax and offered some compensation to the families who had paid it. It was a way of saying sorry for something that shouldn't have happened.