Chinese Workers

THE CHINESE HISTORY OF THE Canadian PACIFIC RAILWAY

After lengthy delays, on February 15, 1881 the railroad received approval for construction.

With funding approved, the next major hurdle was hiring workers.

Chinese workers on the Canadian Pacific Railway
(Image D-07548 courtesy of the Royal BC Museum and Archives)

Chinese labour was used to build the railroad, and later to maintain it.

Chinese workers were crucial for building the difficult western sections and were employed to build the most challenging and dangerous segments. Several thousand Chinese came from the coastal areas of the United States where they helped build the American transcontinental railroad, but the majority arrived directly from southern China.

The Chinese were brought in to start building in the west heading east through the treacherous terrain of the Rocky Mountains. At the same time, European labourers began building the eastern section moving west. Of the 9,000 railway workers used, 6,500 were Chinese Canadians.

Chinese workers were paid $1.00 a day, and from this $1.00, they had to pay for their food and gear. White workers were paid $1.50 to $2.50 per day and did not have to pay for provisions. As well as being paid less, Chinese workers were given the most dangerous tasks, such as handling the explosive nitroglycerin used to break up solid rock. Due to the harsh conditions they faced, hundreds of Chinese Canadians working on the railway died from accidents, winter cold, illness and malnutrition.

Chinese at work on C.P.R. (Canadian Pacific Railway) in Mountains, 1884 (Library and Archives Canada

Credit: Boorne & May/Ernest Brown collection/C-006686B)

Chinese Canadians experienced discrimination and segregation in education and the professions. In September 1922, the Victoria School Board separated Chinese Canadian students into a segregated school. Professional societies in British Columbia practised anti-Chinese discrimination by excluding anyone whose name was not on the voting lists. Because Chinese Canadians had been disenfranchised, they could not become professionals such as lawyers, pharmacists, engineers or doctors in British Columbia until after 1947, when Chinese Canadians finally reacquired the right to vote.

(source - BC Government)

Head tax certificate issued to Lee Don, age 22,

arrived Victoria, B.C. on July 23, 1918 (VPL 30625)

Through pressure from the B.C. Legislature, the Chinese Immigration Act of 1885 was enacted. A $50 head tax was imposed on every Chinese person seeking entry into Canada, marking a period of legislated anti-Chinese racism. The head tax followed the building and completion of the Canadian Pacific Railway (1881-85), which brought Chinese workers to Canada. These workers were needed as a labour force but not deemed desirable as citizens because of their country of origin. The head tax was raised to $100 in 1900 and to $500 in 1903 in further attempts to make immigration prohibitive for Chinese individuals. Additionally, the Electoral Franchise Act of 1885 disenfranchised all immigrants of Chinese origin, making them ineligible to vote in federal elections.

(source - Canadian Government)

Men reading posted newspapers in Chinatown.

(Courtesy of City of Vancouver, CVA 260-316)

CND GOV

(source - Canadian Government)

B.C. GOV

(source - B.C. Government)

Despite the head tax, Chinese immigrants continued to settle in Canada. On July 1, 1923, Dominion Day, Parliament passed the Chinese Immigration Act. The Act is commonly referred to as the "Chinese Exclusion Act," because it largely restricted all Chinese immigration to Canada by narrowly defining the acceptable categories of Chinese immigrants and prevented many residents from reuniting with their families.

Since the Act was passed on Dominion Day, the Chinese Canadian community called it "Humiliation Day," as this Act was perceived as the ultimate form of humiliation.

Despite being called and “immigration” act, in practical terms, persons of Chinese origin were no longer permitted to enter Canada.

The Chinese Immigration Act of 1923 was repealed in 1947. During the years the Act was in force, fewer than 50 Chinese immigrants were allowed to come to Canada.

the museum panels

These 12 panels are on permanent display at the CPR 374 Museum. They tell the story of the hard work, contributions, and incredible sacrifices of the Chinese workers who helped build Canada's national railway.

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