Power
to the First People:
1872
The
British Columbia Qualifications of Voters Act denies the Chinese and First
Nations peoples the right to vote.
1880-85
About
15,000 Chinese workers were shipped from China to complete construction of
the western section of the Canadian
Pacific Railway, about one third of
the workers died on the job and many injured (among the perished was my
children’s
great great grandfather).
1923
The
Chinese Immigration Act (the Exclusion Act) prohibits Chinese immigrants
from entering Canada, with a few exceptions.
Many wives and children in
China are unable to join their husbands and fathers in Canada. All Chinese
people already living
in Canada, even those born here, have to register
with the government to receive a certificate of registration.
The
installation art piece is a tribute to the First Nation People and the
Canadian Chinese people who had been deprived of
their rights, as well as
a commemoration to the coolies who had died during the construction of the
CP Rail.
