Chinese head tax

March 23, 2017

Head tax certificate for Chong Do Dang. Library and Archives Canada, Sam family fonds, MG55/30-No166

1885

As the Canadian West developed, projects such as the Canadian Pacific Railway needed a steady supply of labour. In response, thousands of Chinese came to Canada, an influx that gave rise to racial discrimination and restrictive government policies. With the railway completed, in 1885 the federal government imposed a $50 head tax on every Chinese person entering Canada. The Chinese were the only ethnic group forced to pay such a fee. The tax was intended to curtail Chinese immigration since, according to the prevailing attitudes of the day among whites, they were seen as “undesirable” citizens.

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