Gordon Jin | Another Chinese Head Tax? The 1906 Newfoundland Chinese Immigration Act

For many, Newfoundland is not usually the first place that comes to mind when thinking of the Chinese Canadian diaspora. While Canada and the United States closed their doors to Chinese immigration until the 1940s, Newfoundland, still a British colony, was the last place in North America to remain open to Chinese, albeit immigration came with a hefty head tax as an entry fee.

Gordon Jin, president of the Newfoundland and Labrador Head Tax Redress Organization, joins The School Room to discuss the impact this act had on Chinese immigration to Newfoundland, the role hand laundries played in the economic fabric of the Chinese diaspora, and the work his organization has undertaken to memorialize this period of Newfoundland history.

To learn more about the Chinese Canadian Museum and book tickets, visit https://www.chinesecanadianmuseum.ca/