In 1906, Newfoundland imposed a $300 tax on every immigrant from China who wanted to enter the country. This was designed to discourages such moves, and the law was in place through 1949. It was a similar story in other regions.
Still, people made the trip - 80,000 across Canada, and hundreds in Newfoundland. Eventually, the law was repealed, but history hasn't been kind to it.
Therefore, the statue represents a big "I'm sorry" to those of Chinese origins. It is placed on the site of the first Chinese laundry in St. John's, which opened in the late 1800s.
No comments:
Post a Comment