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ca_122
Canada's History › Key Events
What was the head tax imposed on Chinese immigrants?
- A tax on goods imported from China
- A residential tax imposed on Chinese settlers in British Columbia
- A tax on Chinese-owned businesses in Canada
- A discriminatory fee charged to Chinese immigrants entering Canada from 1885, later apologised for by the government
Why this is the correct answer
From 1885, Chinese immigrants entering Canada were required to pay a head tax — initially $50, rising to $500 by 1903 — a deliberately discriminatory measure designed to deter Chinese immigration after Chinese labourers had helped build the Canadian Pacific Railway. In 1923, the Chinese Immigration Act virtually banned all Chinese immigration. Prime Minister Stephen Harper issued a formal apology in 2006.