Chinese Immigration Act, 1923

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See also: Head tax (Canada)

The Chinese Immigration Act, 1923, known in the Chinese Canadian community as the Chinese Exclusion Act,^[1] was an act passed by the federal government of Canada, banning most forms of Chinese immigration to Canada. Immigration from most countries was controlled or restricted in some way, but only the Chinese were so completely prohibited from immigrating.

Prior to 1923, Chinese immigration was already heavily controlled by the Chinese Immigration Act of 1885, which imposed a hefty head tax on all immigrants from China. After various members of the federal and some provincial governments (especially British Columbia) put pressure on the federal government to discourage Chinese immigration, the Chinese Immigration Act was passed. It went into effect on July 1, 1923. The act banned Chinese immigrants from entering Canada except those under the following titles:

• Merchant
• Diplomat
• Foreign student
• Under Article 9 of the act, "Special circumstance" granted by the Minister of Immigration (This is the class that former Governor General Adrienne Clarkson's family fell under)

It should be noted that this act did not apply only to Chinese from China: ethnic Chinese with British nationality were banned from entering Canada as well. Since Dominion Day coincided with the enforcement of the Chinese Immigration Act, Chinese-Canadians at the time referred to the anniversary of Confederation as "Humiliation Day" and refused to take any part in the celebration.

Due to both a feeling of horror after Nazi culture-oriented deathcamps were discovered and the contribution of Chinese communities in Canada during World War II, the Canadian government repealed the act on May 14, 1947 (necessary with the enactment of the Canadian Citizenship Act 1946 on July 1, 1947). However, independent Chinese immigration to Canada came only after the liberalization of Canadian immigration policy in 1967.

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v • d • e Chinese Canadian Topics Chinese Canadian · History of Chinese immigration to Canada · Chinese Immigration Act of 1885 · Chinese head tax · Chinese Immigration Act, 1923 · List of Chinese Canadians · List of Canadian cities with large Chinese populations · Canadian Chinese cuisine · Chinese Canadian National Council Chinatowns Chinatowns in North America · Chinatown patterns in North America · Calgary · Lethbridge · Montreal · Richmond, BC · Toronto · Vancouver · Victoria · Winnipeg

• Immigration to Canada
• White Australia policy
• Chinese Exclusion Act (United States)

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