Burnaby plans formal apology to Chinese-Canadians

Despite being one of Canada’s most diverse cities, the City of Burnaby has yet to formally apologize for historical discrimination against Chinese-Canadians, who represent one of the largest ethnic groups in the city. However, this may soon change as the city advances its reconciliation process with the Chinese-Canadian community. 

The city started its reconciliation process with the Chinese-Canadian community in 2023, a hundred years after the implementation of the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1923, which severely restricted Chinese immigration, separated families, and affected generations of Chinese-Canadians and their relatives. The reconciliation process aims to address this historical discrimination. 

In April 2024, Burnaby city councillor Richard T. Lee spoke with the Beacon about the multigenerational effects of the Chinese Exclusion Act on his extended family. Lee’s grandfather immigrated to Canada as a young man and endured decades of separation from his family. The discriminatory laws meant he could not bring his wife, children, and grandchildren to Canada to reunite with him. 

“Because of the Chinese Exclusion Act, he got married and couldn’t bring his wife, my grandmother, to Canada,” Lee told the Beacon. “My grandfather wanted to apply for immigration for the whole family. The whole family stayed in Macau in the ’60s, but it was a long process. My grandmother passed away in Macau before she got the opportunity to come to Canada.” 

Fifty-eight years after his grandfather first moved to Canada, Lee and his family moved to Canada in 1971, where he met his grandfather for the first time. 

The Burnaby Intercultural Planning Table (BIPT) recently submitted a report to the city’s Heritage Commission, outlining the results of the BIPT’s public engagement process on behalf of the city. According to the report, participants said a formal apology by the city to address this historic discrimination is essential to advance reconciliation.  

The public engagement report presents a framework for the apology, aiming to acknowledge, recognize, apologize, and commit. The apology will acknowledge the linguistic and cultural diversity of Chinese-Canadians in Burnaby. The recognition part involves recognizing the effects of discrimination, the resilience of Chinese-Canadians and their contributions to building the city. 

The apology part will need to recognize specific wrongs committed against Chinese-Canadians. Finally, the city will commit to never again committing this type of discrimination, address the ongoing effects of the historic discrimination, and install a monument or memorial commemorating this event. 

The report also mentions the format respondents said the apology should take:

• To be a public, possibly more formal event such as a banquet.

• Take place in a location significant to the present-day or the historic community.

• It will take place on a date significant to Chinese-Canadian community members.

• The apology will be delivered by the organizations that perpetuated the discrimination. 

• To be commemorated with a tangible memorial to be located at Burnaby City Hall or in another significant location.

The public engagement process identified several themes for the reconciliation process. These include educating the public about Chinese-Canadian history and culture and better representation and accessibility. Reconciliation and cultural sharing with Indigenous peoples of the region was another important theme.  

“Under the framework of reconciliation, respondents expressed support for highlighting the intersection between Chinese-Canadian reconciliation and reconciliation with Indigenous peoples. Some of Burnaby’s early Chinese migrants had lived alongside the Musqueam people on their lands: Chinese farmers were welcome to farm on Musqueam lands during the time when Chinese-Canadians were largely excluded from owning land and had to rent or lease,” the report said. 

Finally, the final theme that emerged from the public engagement process was belonging and community safety. 

“There was a split between respondents who felt welcomed and supported in their cultural and racial identity in Burnaby, and those who did not. Those who felt welcomed often cited the size of Burnaby’s Chinese population and community organizations that help with forming community ties and that assist new immigrants adjusting to life in Canada,” the report said. “Respondents who did not feel welcome in Burnaby sometimes cited personal experiences of racist discrimination. Many pointed to the anti-Asian racism and stereotyping associated with the COVID-19 pandemic as contributing significantly to feeling unwelcome.”

This piece was made possible by the Local Journalism Initiative.

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