The Overseas Chinese residing in Canada may cause heated discussions amongst individuals where views and opinions are generally split down the middle without a clear consensus. Some believe that immigration is a way to open the worldwide market towards less developed countries. By doing so, it can spread prosperity, helping individuals escape poverty, idleness, and coercion within their own countries. Others believe that the cons, which appear from immigration, usually overshadow the pros. This paper will primarily focus on the history, statistics and effects the Overseas Chinese have had since residing in Canada.
Currently, there is no clear definition that can clearly identify what it means to be Overseas Chinese. According to Wikipedia, "Overseas Chinese are people of Chinese birth or descent who live outside the territories administered by the governments of the People's Republic of China (PRC) (mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau) and the Republic of China (ROC) (Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen, and Matsu). People of partial Chinese ancestry may also consider themselves Overseas Chinese. The term "Overseas Chinese" is ambiguous and inconsistent as to whether it can refer to any of the ethnic groups that live in China (the broadly defined Zhonghua minzu) or whether it refers specifically to the Han Chinese ethnicity." [1] The Chinese have given the "Overseas Chinese" different nicknames, such as HÇŽiwài huárén, Huáyì, Huáqiáo, etc. These terms are all similar in their meaning, and are used by the Chinese or government members of the People's Republic of China when describing Chinese Citizens or Ethnic Chinese whom have settled outside of China. Also, there is an unclear consensus as to what the current global population of Overseas Chinese is, but the general conjecture is 40,000,000 million. This is usually in reference to legal Overseas Chinese, unlike the illegal Overseas Chinese whose population is consistently unknown. Hence, it makes it difficult to obtain the correct population both nationally and internationally speaking. In Canada, there is 1, 346, 510 million Overseas Chinese whom are legal, and only 25% of them were actually born in Canada. Since the majority of the Overseas Chinese have come from Hong Kong, the individuals of Chinese descent whom were born in Canada are identified as the "jook-sing," which is the Cantonese term for Canadian-born Chinese. In terse, the Canadian-born Chinese nickname is the "CBCs." The Overseas Chinese have not only played a crucial part in the development of Canada in its present, but also its past.
There have been Overseas Chinese residing in Canada since the 1850's when the Gold Rush occurred in the Fraser Valley of British Columbia. The majority of the Chinese whom came to British Columbia were from the Guadong and Fujian provinces. During the gold rush, the Chinese had introduced more efficient ways in terms of techniques when mining for gold. In 1871, there were 3000 Chinese immigrants, the majority consisting of men. During this time there were only 53 Chinese women residing in Canada. When it came to the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway, the Chinese played an instrumental part in the development of the Railway, which was created as a means to connect British Columbia with the rest of Eastern Canada. The Overseas Chinese were also hired because they were cheap, hard working laborers. Once the Railway was completed, some Chinese moved to the East of Canada. After the Canadian Pacific Railway had been built, many Chinese workers were jobless causing many issues, such as a rise in popularity for opium, unemployment for locals, etc. Thus, many Acts came into fruition by the Canadian Government as a means to go against the Overseas Chinese such as, the Chinese immigrant Act of 1885, 1900 and 1903. Each one had a "head tax," where the price increased dramatically after each Chinese Immigrant Act was created. For example, the "head tax" of 1885 was $50, 1900 was $100, and 1903 was $500, which would be the equivalent of $8000 today. In 1923, the Exclusion Act was introduced as a means of preventing numerous Chinese Immigrants from entering Canada. This Act lasted until 1947. "After the First World War, wartime industries closed, and demobilized soldiers were looking for work. On July 1, 1923, amid a post-war recession, Chinese became the only people Canada has ever excluded explicitly on the basis of race. For the next 24 years, virtually no Chinese were allowed to immigrate to Canada, and Chinese Canadians observed July 1 as "Humiliation Day", closing shops and boycotting Dominion Day celebrations." [2] The Overseas Chinese were not treated equally, unlike other immigrants from various nations, by the Canadian government until 1967.
In order to educate citizens of Canada, and to make amends with both the Overseas Chinese and Canadian-born Chinese whom reside in Canada, websites have been created to showcase the genealogy of Chinese-Canadians. An example is a website created by the Vancouver Public Library, that not only lists all of its research books on the Overseas Chinese in Canada, but it also gives a run through on the milestones in Chinese-Canadian history, migration and settlement, pioneer stories, profiles, heritage projects, pioneers, family resources, documents, records, etc. One of the numerous details the website outlines is on Chinese migration and the settlements that had taken place throughout each province. For example, in British Columbia "the majority of early Chinese immigrants to Canada came to British Columbia. In 1881, 4350 people of Chinese origin resided in the province, representing 99.2% of the total number of Chinese in Canada," [3] and the amount of Chinese residing in British Columbia after the 1950's decreased to under 50% amongst the Overseas Chinese residing across the nation. The website also describes how it is difficult to add correct information into their genealogy database, because a name might have been unofficially changed or slightly altered. Also, a traditional Chinese name contains three parts that consist of a surname and two given names. One of the other issues, in regards to adding Overseas Chinese into the genealogy database, is that many have changed their names in order to seem more Westernized. The Overseas Chinese will either have one of their given names be changed officially or unofficially to a more Westernized name, or they will have completely changed their surname in order to make it seem less Chinese. The name changes' amongst the Overseas Chinese started to occur in Canada, because their names were completely foreign to the English writing clerks when they were filling out various official documentations and records for them. This website created by the Vancouver Public Library also contains Immigration records, which are "a very rich source of information on early Chinese settlers in Canada. A variety of records are available, including Records of the Chief Controller of Chinese Immigration. Information on Chinese immigrants to Canada is also found in ship Passenger Lists and Chinese Immigration Case Files." [4] Only a few of the examples and sources from the website have been summarized, but as one can see, there are many resources that scholars, and most importantly, Overseas Chinese can access if they wish to learn more about their history, as well as their progress throughout Canada.
"Immigration from China has grown rapidly in recent years, with the number of newcomers swelling the Chinese population in Vancouver by 22.8 percent between 1996 and 2001, and 11.3 percent from 2001 to 2006, according to government agency Statistics Canada." [5] In Canada, there are two official languages which are English and French. These two languages are also the most used languages in Canada, with the third most being Chinese. The Canadian government has combined both Mandarin and Cantonese, labeling them as Chinese. The majority of the Overseas Chinese whom reside in Canada speak Cantonese. In order to accommodate the 1, 346, 510 Chinese, Canada has created fourteen Chinese language media outlets. An interesting fact is that Richmond, a city just outside of Vancouver, has one-in-five residents that are Chinese.
One of the main reasons why the Chinese have specifically moved to the West Coast of Canada is due to proximity. The major centers in China such as Shanghai, Qingdao, Tianjin and Hong Kong are across from Vancouver, and Prince Rupert. The shortest route from China to the West Coast of North America is Prince Rupert, with 4642 nautical miles. Vancouver has the second shortest route with a distance of 5092 nautical miles. Canada's total population comes to 33, 504, 700, and the population of Chinese whom currently reside in Canada is 1, 346, 510. The Chinese are currently the largest visible minority in Canada. The largest Chinese population in Canada resides in the province of Ontario with 644, 465 people. The second largest resides in British Columbia with 432, 435 people. 402, 000 of those Overseas Chinese in British Columbia, reside in the Vancouver area. Of course, these statistics only account for legal, not illegal Overseas Chinese.
Many illegal immigrants may try to reside in Canada by using Illegal or False Documentation. Another popular way to enter Canada is by boat as human cargo, like in 2000 where there were 600 illegal Chinese immigrants whom were discovered to have been living in unsanitary conditions. Unfortunate circumstances can also transpire, such as the expiration of their visa. The estimates of illegal immigrants in Canada currently range between 50,000 to 200,000. The approximate number is unknown, due to Canada's lack of a credible refugee screening process. As for the Canadian immigration process, "There are three main categories: Economic immigrants Citizenship and Immigration Canada use several sub-categories of economic immigrants. The high-profile skilled worker principal applicants group comprised 19.8% of all immigration in 2005. Canada has also created a VIP Business Immigration Program which allows immigrant with sufficient business experiences or management experiences to receive the Permanent Residency in a shorter period than other types of immigrations. The Province of Quebec has a program called the Immigrant Investor Program. Family class under a government program, both citizens and permanent residents can sponsor family members to immigrate to Canada. Refugees' immigration of refuges and those in need of protection. Under Canadian Nationality law an immigrant can apply for citizenship after living in Canada for 1095 days (3 years) in any 4 year period." [6]
There are many reasons why numerous Chinese decide to reside in Canada. Some reasons are due to economic opportunity, the prospect of sending money back home to their family members, employment rate and the Freedom of Expression. For example, a woman stated that the "Media is different here. In China it is propaganda, promotion of things well done. Here they speak of disasters or human rights, look for negative sides." [7] It is important to know that as many as 50% of Chinese said that the main reason they immigrated to Canada, was to be with friends and family. Also "the employment rate for Canadian-born Chinese men of prime working-age is 86%, the same as the national average. The employment rate for Canadian-born Chinese women of prime working-age was 83%, which was higher than the national average of 76%." [8] These are a few of the robust reasons as to why Canada is a desirable place to live in for many Overseas Chinese.
The pros that can come from legal and illegal immigrants are the exchange of cultural values, cheap labor, unwanted job positions, new consumers for a vast amount of goods and services, sales tax, etc. In terms of cons, there are difficulties with assimilation, rise in crime, kidnapping, prostitution, loss of job opportunities for locals, disparity between legal and illegal immigrants, overpopulation, demand for low immigration and cheap labor, as well as Human Trafficking which is worth $400 million annually. "In a 2006 report the Future Group, a Canadian humanitarian organization dedicated to ending human trafficking, ranked eight industrialized nations and gave Canada an F for its "abysmal" record treating victims. The report, titled "Falling Short of the Mark: An International Study on the Treatment of Human Trafficking Victims "concluded that Canada "is an international embarrassment." [9] Also, an interesting fact is that "China, Romania, the Philippines and Moldova are the top four worst offenders in international human trafficking to Canada, according to the first national statistics on the extent of the crime in Canada. China contributed the most victims to Canada with a total of 11 confirmed trafficking cases." [10] Ultimately, illegal immigrants end up costing tax payers billions of dollars.
"The most recent Canadian census showed that 29% of immigrants from China could not speak either official language; the highest level among all measured countries of origin." [11] A big uproar occurred when some street signs in the city of Richmond, which has ratio of 1 to 5 Chinese, had been changed to Chinese characters. The largest lure a real estate website had from the city of Richmond for attracting future home owners was by telling them that the street signs in some neighborhoods had been changed to Chinese Characters. Since Canada's official languages are both English and French, some natives were visibly upset with this change. Many are now unable to recognize their hometowns in the Vancouver area due to shops, and street signs that are now displayed in Chinese characters.
Of course there are difficulties for Overseas Chinese when it comes to their identity, since they cannot fully relate to either Canada or mainland China. However, it is important to note that the Overseas Chinese and Canadian-born Chinese current relations with the Peoples Republic of China are mostly positive. Although, their values and views may differ in regards to certain issues, they still have links with their motherland. For instance, Overseas Chinese are vast supporters of the Agricultural and Food Development Exchange Program between Canada and China. This program was created to "promote, attract and retain China's direct investment in Canadian agriculture, agri-food industry is one of our important services. When a country has as much to offer as Canada, it's impossible to pinpoint a single reason to invest in Canada. Canadian agricultural and agri-food industry boasts multiple advantages and unparalleled potential - a place where businesses can achieve excellence on a global scale." [12] The Overseas Chinese whom reside in Canada support this program because it tightens ties between Canada and China economically, while also investing in Chinese agriculture. "With decreasing supply of soybeans, corn and wheat and increasing demand, China has changed from being a net exporter to being a net importer of major agricultural crops," [13] hence China's emphasis towards Canadian agriculture. Not only does this mean more rice products are being sent to Canada from China, but also more pork products can be exported to China from Canadian farms and industries, since China is the largest country in the world when it comes to consuming pork. Another prime example of support given by the Overseas Chinese towards the People's Republic of China is their ideologies towards Tibet. In October 2009, many Chinese Canadians protested the arrival of the Dalai Lama in Montreal. One protestor stated that "A lot of Canadians may not realize that while "Dalai talks about peace, compassion wherever he goes, he never talks about the days when he served as the chief representative of the ruling serf owners in Tibet, when he never had any compassion for the serfs," said Liu Zheng, who works at a Chinese language media in Montreal." [14] Of course, not every Overseas Chinese will fully support the People's Republic of China's viewpoints and ideologies when it comes towards Tibet, Taiwan, Freedom of Expression, etc.
It is also important to point out the influential Overseas Chinese as well as Canadian-born Chinese whom have played an instrumental role in Canada's politics, entertainment industry, athletics, academics, journalism, artististry and activisim. I will primarily be focusing on the most influential Overseas and Canadian-born Chinese, since there are too many to list. In politics, there is Adrienne Clarkson who was the Governor General of Canada, an individual whom represents Queen Elizabeth the Second for ceremonial duties throughout Canada. Also, there was Vivienne Poy whom was the first Canadian-born Chinese to be elected as Senator and Douglas Jung, whom was the first Canadian-born Chinese to be elected into Parliament. The most influential individuals in the entertainment industry are Kristin Kreuk, who has starred in the television series Smallville and movies such as Eurotrip and Street Fighter: Legend of Chun Li, Tommy Chong of Cheech and Chong fame, and most importantly Keanu Reeves, whom has starred in the Matrix Trilogy, Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, etc. Important athletes are Norman Kwong who was a very successful Canadian Football player who won four Grey Cup titles and Patrick Chan, who is currently the defending Canadian Figure Skating Champion in the Men's program. Kin-Yip Chun is the head of the Physics department at the University of Toronto and William Kwong Yu Yueng is a world renowned Astronomer. These two round out the Academic area. As for journalism, Melissa Fung is a journalist for the Canadian Broadcasting Company, and Lila Feng is the weather woman for CNN International. Raymond Chow is a famous artist who specializes in paintings, Alfred Sung is a world renowned fashion designer who created Club Monaco, and Jean Lumb is the first ever Canadian-born Chinese to receive the Order of Canada, which is an "honour for merit that is the highest order administered by the Governor General-in-Council in the Canadian system of honours, on behalf of the Queen of Canada. Created in 1967, to coincide with the centennial of Canadian Confederation, the three-tiered order was established as a fellowship that recognizes the achievement of outstanding merit or distinguished service by Canadians, through life-long contributions in every field of endeavour, and who made a major difference to Canada, as well as the efforts made by non-Canadians who have made the world better by their actions," [15] she is also a vigorous activist. These are just a few of the many influential Overseas and Canadian-born Chinese whom not only reside in Canada, but also globally.
Unfortunately, numerous individuals believe that the cons of immigration prevail over the pros. In order to prove this point, "a study published this year by Prof. Herbert Grubel of Simon Fraser University revealed that the 2.5 million immigrants who came to Canada between 1990 and 2002 received $18.3 billion more in government services and benefits in 2002 than they paid in taxes." [16] There are also individuals whom think Canada should choose immigrants based on specific market demands, rather than accepting all immigration applicants whom qualify under the Canadian Nationality law. Also, individuals believe that more rules and restrictions should be not only introduced, but enforced by the Canadian government, as well as increasing the budget of Canada's security along its borders, etc. As mentioned earlier, immigration is a sensitive subject where many individuals disagree with no clear consensus. In order to reduce the cons of immigration, greater emphasis should be put upon illegal immigration. The most important thing to take into account is that pros often subdue the cons.
Works Cited
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