Minority Groups (Residential Schools/Anti-Semitism/Chinese Canadians) Flashcards
Chinese Head Tax & Exclusion Act
Chinese Immigrant Treatment in Canada
Chinese Head Tax - Tax charged to Chinese people immigrating to Canada. $50 per person, certificate was $500.
Chinese Exclusion Act - Banning Chinese people from immigrating to Canada.
Lots of xenophobia, underpaid Chinese Labour, kept in a ‘pig house’ prior to arrival, thought of as aliens (no voting or entering public facilities)
Residential schools
Residential schools were Christian church organized schools to indoctrinate Indigenous children (150 000) and educate them into mainstream European-Canadian society
Separated from family several or hundreds of kilometers away, forbidden to practice tradition and culture, long hair was cut off and they were forced into uniforms (taking away traditional clothing), given new Christian/white names
Describe what happened at Christie Pits in the summer of 1933?
During the Christie Pits incident in the summer of 1933, there was a baseball game whereas the team, the Harbord Playground, had Jewish players, along with several ethnic supporters like Italians and Ukrainians. After the game, the Jews got attacked by the Pit Gang, looking to “reclaim” their territory. They were attacked with heavy weapons. For example, one was struck with a lead pipe and baseball bat. This violence lasted for 6 hours long, and it represents how Canadian society treated ethnic groups like Jews.
Anti-semitism and treatment towards Jews
Fascist leader Adrien Arcand influenced a lot of Canada’s anti-semitism.
Jews were being segregated through neighbourhoods and attacked for no reason. They were also denied entry into public places and signs were put up stating that Jews weren’t allowed into stores.
The Canadian government’s policies towards Jewish refugees at that time severely restricted the number of refugees that were allowed into Canada, and closed the door for Jewish people wanting to immigrate there.
M.S St. Louis Story
The passengers were Jewish refugees looking to escape the dangerous situation in Europe and find a place that would accept them. When the St. Louis tried to land in Canada, they were denied entry and permission to land in the country, forcing them to return to Europe.
