Capt. Douglas
Jung
Canadian Charter
of Rights and
Freedoms
+2
+1
0
The Canadian
Citizenship Act
Chinese Exclusion
Act Repealed
1979
1947
1947
1957
1982
-1
W5's "Campus
Giveaway"
-2
Justice and Injustice:
Chinese Immigrants
Sara Carvalho
1945-1982
TURNING
POINT
The Canadian Citizenship Act (1947)
Who: Canadian Government, Chinese Immigrants, Chinese Canadians
What: Canadian citizenship is created. Chinese residents of Canada are allowed to obtain citizenship.
They are given the same rights, power and privileges as natural-born citizens such as voting.
Where: Canada
When: January 1st, 1947
Why: The creation of the Canadian citizenship Act eased racial and ethnic tensions in Canada and
create a sense of unity among its increasingly diverse population.
For years, Chinese residents in Canada were not seen as equal to white Canadians. They were
barred from voting and pursuing many occupations. The creation of the Canadian Citizenship Act
not only established citizenship but also granted every Canadian citizen the same rights, privileges
and power. In order to attain a citizenship, Chinese residents had to prove they were of good
character, possessed adequate knowledge of English or French and had resided in Canada for more
than 5 years. This Act allowed more Chinese Canadians to prosper in jobs they were once prohibited
to do, such as pharmacists, lawyers and accountants. This also helped the Canadian economy
because more citizens could open prosperous businesses and contribute to Canada's economy.
Chinese Canadians were also given the right to vote in both federal and provincial elections. This
changed the political climate in Canada because it normalized every Canadian having a say in
important decisions that affect lives, instead of just white Canadians. I rated this event +1 on my
timeline instead of a +2 because the Canadian Citizenship Act only extended citizenship to
naturalized residents who arrived before the enactment of the legislature. Therefore, Chinese
immigrants who arrived after the Act was put in place would be ineligible to receive citizenship.
The Chinese Exclusion Act Repealed (1947)
Who: Canadian Government, Chinese Canadians, Chinese immigrants.
What: The Chinese Exclusion Act was repealed which allowed spouses and children of Canadian citizens to
immigrate from China to Canada.
Where: Canada
When: May 14th, 1947
Why: Canada joined the United Nations and signed the Charter of Human Rights, which the Chinese
Exclusion Act was in violation of. Politicians, labour unions, church leaders and war veterans also
demanded that the Canadian government repeal the Act.
Visible minorities, like people of Chinese descent, were blamed for the economic depression after
Ⅰ
WW so the Canadian government decided to ban almost all immigration from China. Chinese
immigrants were barred from entering Canada for 24 years. In 1947, the Chinese Exclusion Act was
repealed by the government, which allowed the immediate family of Chinese Canadians to immigrate
to Canada. Chinese families were reunited in Canada, which changed the social climate because before,
Canada's Chinese population was primarily men who'd faced many hardships because they dreamt of
bringing their families to Canada but were unable too. I rated this event a +1 because it did loosen
restrictions on Chinese immigrants by allowing spouses and children of Chinese Canadians into
Canada, but it still prohibited Chinese immigrants without family already in Canada to immigrate. In
1947, when the Act was repealed, only 8% of Chinese-born residents in Canada were naturalized
citizens, therefore, a very small number of families could be reunited in Canada. Although the Chinese
Exclusion Act being repealed was a positive event, it did not fix the racist immigration barriers that
Chinese immigrants faced while trying to enter Canada.
TURNING
POINT
Captain Douglas Jung (1957)
Who: Douglas Jung
What: The first Canadian of Chinese descent to be a Member of Parliament.
Where: Vancouver, British Columbia
When: June 10th, 1957
Why: He was a lawyer who represented Vancouver Centre in Parliament.
Captain Douglas Jung was a Chinese Canadian M.P., Special Operations Executive secret agent,
representative of Canada in the United Nations, politician, military serviceman and lawyer. For much
of his life, Jung was segregated and discriminated against because of his Chinese heritage. He was not
deemed a Canadian citizen and therefore not given the same rights as Canadians until 1947. In 1957, he
became the first Chinese Canadian M.P. representing Vancouver Centre. Jung urged for Canada to serve
as a bridge to the Pacific Rim countries, including China which caused positive political change.
Captain Douglas Jung was an innovative M.P. He established many programs to help Chinese
immigrants in Canada, such as the Amnesty program. It permitted thousands of undocumented
immigrants to regularize their status with the Immigration Department and allowed them to apply for
the admittance of their families to Canada. Douglas acknowledged the lack of recognition that Chinese
Canadian war veterans received after WW and made amends by organizing visits to their ancestral
homelands. He was an advocate for diversity, inclusion, and positive policy changes that advance the
belonging, wellness and independence of people on their Canadian journey. Using his political power,
Douglas Jung not only improved the lives of Chinese Canadians and immigrants, but he also
normalized Chinese Canadians being in positions of power, attending post-secondary education and
being prosperous. Despite the hardships Captain Douglas Jung faced at the hands of the Canadian
Government, he still fought for Canada both overseas and on the home-front. I rated this event a 2+
because Douglas Jung bettered the lives of thousands of Canadians and did not cause any harm to any
other people.
Ⅱ
W5's "Campus Giveaway"
Who: W5 television program, Helen Hutchinson, Chinese Canadian students, Chinese Canadians.
What: W5 released an investigative segment stating that "foreign students" (Chinese Canadians) were
taking the places of white Canadians in university programs.
Where: Canada
When: September 30th, 1979
Why: W5 created the segment after a white Canadian, Barbara Allan, was rejected from the University of
Toronto supposedly because Chinese Canadian students took her spot.
W5 was a popular television network that developed a great reputation for its investigative journalism and
cast of prominent hosts. In 1979, it aired a racist segment in which host Helen Hutchinson claimed that
universities in Canada were being overrun by "foreign students."However, most of the students were
Chinese Canadians. This event caused outrage and distress among Chinese Canadian students because they
were still carving their place in the new multicultural framework of Canada. After the segment aired,
many advocates joined together to form networks within the Chinese Canadian community to gain support
to launch a national anti-W5 movement. After months of protests, CTV issued an apology for the segment.
The network of activists capitalized upon their political momentum and created the Chinese Canadian
National Council for Equality (CCNCE). The CCNCE provided a national umbrella organization that could
defend the rights of Chinese Canadians. The W5 segment changed the political and social climate within
Chinese Canadian communities because it united many residents to fight for fair treatment. I rated this
event a -1 because W5's segment saddenned and offended many Chinese Canadians. They were trying to get
an education so they could prosper in Canada and some Canadians tried to strip them of their dreams. It
was a moment of realization that even though they were citizens of Canada and were entitled to the same
rights, their lives were bound to be filled with hardship because some white Canadians would never see
them as equal. Moreover, the segment had some positive effects because it resulted in the creation of the
CCNCE and united many Chinese Canadians in their communities.
TURNING
POINT
Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (1982)
Who: Canadian government, Canadian citizens, Immigrants/newcomers to Canada.
What: The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms outlines the rights and freedoms that Canadians
believe are necessary in a free and democratic society.
Where: Canada
When: April 17, 1982
Why: The Charter was put in place to recognize and enforce the rights of minority and disadvantaged
groups.
Before the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms was created, Chinese residents and Chinese
Canadians faced many challenges, including racist behaviour from employers, media and the Canadian
Government. The acts of racism often went unnoticed, as there was no legislation in place to punish those
who participated. Many people of Chinese descent suffered from terrible mental health and doubted their
worthiness of being successful in Canada due to the racist abuse. Section 15 of the Canadian Charter of
Rights and Freedoms ensures that the Canadian Government does not discriminate based on race, religion,
national origin, colour, sex or age in its laws or programs. This prevented any more discriminatory
legislation against Chinese Canadians, like the Chinese Exclusion Act. It ensured that Chinese Canadians
could open businesses, build communities and be prosperous in Canada, while still being able to practice
their religion and celebrate their Chinese culture. The changed Canada's identity to what it is today—a
cultural mosaic that celebrates the diverse cultures of Canadian citizens. I rated this event a +2 because it
ensured that Chinese Canadians were able to flourish and caused a positive change in the social climate of
Canada because all races became equal under the law. This event had little to no cons.
References
An Act Respecting Citizenship, Nationality, Naturalization and Status of Aliens. 1946. Statutes of Canada, Library and Archives
Canada, 1946.
Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. April 17, 1982. Department of Secretary of State, Canada.
Chan, Arlene. "Chinese Immigration Act." The Canadian Encyclopedia. March 7, 2017. Accessed July 23, 2021.
https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/chinese-immigration-act.
Chinese-Canadians Protested a W5 Segment Titled "Campus Giveaway". January 1980. Council of Chinese Canadians in
Ontario., Ontario.
Chinese Exclusion Repeal Is Sought: UN Charter Cited. December 6, 1946. Globe and Mail.
Chong, W. "Biography of Captain Douglas Jung SOA." Burma Star Memorial Fund. July 01, 2019. Accessed July 23, 2021.
https://burmastarmemorial.org/archive/stories/1405898-biography-of-captain-douglas-jung-soa.
Douglas Jung. 1957. Chinese Canadian Museum, British Columbia.
Gagnon, Erica. "Canadian Citizenship Act, 1947." Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21. Accessed July 22, 2021.
https://pier21.ca/research/immigration- history/canadian-citizenship-act-1947.
"Guide to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms." Canada.ca. June 08, 2020. Accessed July 23, 2021.
https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/services/how-rights-protected/guide-canadian-charter-rights-freedoms.html#a2f.
Leong, Patrick Wen Rui. "Coded Racism and Community Resistance in the Anti-W5 Movement." Open Collections. May 05,
2021. Accessed July 23, 2021. https://open.library.ubc.ca/cIRcle/collections/undergraduateresearch/52966/items/1.0397411.
"W5 Strike out." York University Libraries. Accessed July 23, 2021.
https://archives.library.yorku.ca/exhibits/show/pushingbuttons/social-activism/w5-strike-out.