By Gurpreet Singh

While people of South Asian descent enthusiastically celebrate Canada Day like the rest of Canadian citizens do, for many in the Chinese community July 1 will remain a Humiliation Day in history.

It was on July 1, 1923 that the Canadian government brought in the Chinese Exclusion Act. The law replaced the earlier Chinese Head Tax, for which Prime Minister Stephen Harper has duly apologized.

These discriminatory laws were clearly designed to stop Chinese immigration in Canada. The racist head tax was imposed in 1885. It was initially set at $50 per head and was gradually increased to $500. The act was finally abolished in 1947.

Some Chinese groups mark July 1 as a day of shame. This might offend some people, but they have every right to do so.

Though Canada has changed since the days when the environment for people of colour and immigrants was ruthlessly hostile, Canadians should not forget this aspect of their history. Whereas Canadian citizens of foreign origin should celebrate the national days and events of their adopted country, they should also remember that this change has come only because of a civil society.

Besides the Chinese, other immigrant groups, including Indians, had to suffer similar humiliations in the past. The Canadian establishment not only tried to bar their entry to Canada, but also disenfranchised them. These immigrants had to fight for the right to bring their families to their new home.

Today’s so called multicultural environment is not God gifted. The activism of the first generations and their political consciousness should be credited for transforming Canada into an open society.

If people forget that, they will never grasp institutional racism and discriminatory policies in the present context.

Apologies or atonements for past mistakes are not enough. The younger generation of present day Canada has a right to know the racist aspects of the history of their country. They should be aware of such injustices so as not to repeat those mistakes.

Barbecues and wild beer parties are OK, but Canada Day should also be an occasion for some introspection.

The new challenges in the shape of controversial Bill C-50, which might give the immigration minister extra powers and delay family re-unions, or the widening gap between wages of Canadian-born and foreign-born workers, suggest the struggle for social justice and equality must go on.