Canada Population Growth Essay

Words: 682
Pages: 3

One of the important factors of Canada’s population growth was immigration during the years of 1851-1996. During the years 1881-1884 over 15,700 Chinese labourers abroad a ship to Canada to build the Canadian Pacific Railway and were sent home after building it. There was racism between the Chinese and White workers with their wages. Canada’s immigration policy was racist and restricted in the past which did not let Chinese immigrate to Canada. The Chinese had to pay an entry fee which was known as The Chinese Head Tax. The immigration policy since then has changed a lot. Later on in the 1960s, the point system was a major step towards elimination the discrimination in Canada. Some of the reason why Chinese left China were due to starvation, …show more content…
Macdonald promised a Canada railway to join the newest province with the rest of the country. The Chinese men whose dreams of getting rich during the gold rush were unfulfilled and they were employed as labourers instead. British Columbia had no more than 400 men available for this kind of work. Chinese workers made up three-quarter of the workforce, were assigned the most tasks. Between 1881 and 1884, 17,000 Chinese men were recruited to work on the railway. They received a daily wage of one dollar and that paid for their food, equipment, and lodging. Whereas the white workers did not have to pay for these expenses because of racism and had a higher daily wage of $1.50- $2.50. An average Chinese labourer earned $225 and saved about $43 after paying for food, clothing, rent, and other living expenses. In 1990, an average Chinese farm workers earned $20-$25/ month, while white farm workers earned about $30-$40. Chinese immigrants also faced discrimination on a daily basis in their life. They were banned from swimming in the Vancouver Chrystal Pool. There was also a store which prohibited Chinese customers from shopping on Saturdays from 7-10pm. In Victoria, British Columbia, Chinese people could only sit in the upper level of the Opera House. One of the restaurants even had a sign which said “No Indians, Chinese, or dogs allowed”. During the Great Depression, the Chinese challenged racism with labour strikes by