hong kong immigrants in vancouver uneasy partnership

Abstract This paper is concerned with the recent wave of Hong Kong immigrants into Vancouver. The stage is set for this discussion by first explaining some background behind Canadian immigration policy and then discussing the history of Chinese immigrants in Vancouver. From these discussions we are informed that Canadian immigration policy was historically ethnocentric and only began to change in the late 1960s. It was at this point that we see a more multicultural group of immigrants into our nation. The history of Chinese immigration in Vancouver, and for that matter, Canada is not positive one. The experiences and prejudices which were developed over 100 years ago still colours the way in which we view one another. The recent wave of Hong Kong immigrants began in the 1970s. This group is different from most others before it because of it's scale and the fact that they tend to be well-educated, affluent people. The result of their immigration into Vancouver has been a booming economy and social tension. With greater understanding and awareness on both sides we can alleviate the social tensions.Introduction There is a school in Vancouver which is offering a four year immersion programme to its students. That in itself is not highly unusual in our bilingual nation, what is unusual is that the language of choice for the immersion programme is not French, it is Mandarin. The programme was voted in by parents who believed the Mandarin language to be more important to their children's futures in Vancouver than French. This situation shows quite effectively the transition which is taking place in Canada's third largest city. Vancouver is a city which is consistently looking more and more to the Pacific Rim nations, especially Hong Kong, for its economic and social connections. Vancouver is the most asian Canadian city in outlook. At $1.3 Billion, British Columbia accounts for the greatest Asian investment of all the provinces. As the urban center of the province, Vancouver is the destination for most of this capital. With an Asian population of over 18%, perhaps it is not so surprising that so much Asian capital is invested in the city. The draw of Vancouver for Asians has numerous reasons including, security, an opportunity to continue business in Asia, and a feeling of welcome. The result is that the city is being completely rebuilt with asian money. As a consequence of this influx, all is not well, there are tensions within the city that have recently been surfacing. Before entering into this discussion, however, it is important to understand the context of immigration in Canada as well as the history of asian immigration into our nation.Policy Jurisdiction Jurisdiction over immigration is shared between the Federal and Provincial governments. The Federal government is responsible for establishing admission requirements while the provinces are becoming increasingly interested in the selection of applicants and their settlement. The governments set out numerous controls, including those over the ethnocultural composition of incoming immigrants, the total number of immigrants admitted, the categories of immigrants admitted, and the regional settlement of immigrants once they arrive.History of Immigration in Canada Historically, Canadian immigration policy has been consistently ethnocentric. It was only recently that the Canadian government sought to maintain a 'white' society by selectively advertising abroad as well as granting prospective applicants from Europe, the US, New Zealand, and Australia preferential treatment. During the 1960s this distinction between preferred and non-preferred contries was replaced with a points-system. Along with the new points-system it was hoped that applicants from all countries and of all ethnic origins were treated equally. The effects of this shift has been significant.Fig. 1As can be seen in the above table, the majority of the immigrants arriving before 1967 were of European background. From 1967 onward the flow of immigrants has been internationalized. Throughout the 20th Century the Canadian government has set targets for the number of immigrant entries based upon economic criteria. Periods of encouragement have included the early decades of this century along with the reconstruction era of Post World War II. The 30s, 40s and the recession of the early 80s have been periods during which the national government has discouraged immigration. At times, economic concerns have given way to humanitarian ones such as during the Soviet invasions of Hungary and Czechoslovakia, and during the Vietnamese refugee crisis of the 70s. Generally, however, Canadian immigration targets have reflected the rate of economic expansion and employment. An exception to this rule was during the latter part of the 1980s. Worry over the declining fertility rate and our ageing population led the federal government to raise its annual targets despite high unemployment. Most recently, under economic pressures, the most recent Liberal government once again lowered the immigration level.The Geography of ImmigrationThere have also been attempts at controlling the geography of immigrant settlement. The Federal government stated that one of the primary goals of immigration is to, "foster the development of a strong and viable economy and the prosperity of all regions in Canada." Immigration in our country has been seen as a means of promoting economic development in less prosperous regions, as well as supporting heartland areas. While the government has attempted to influence the geography of immigrant settlement, they have been able to achieve few results. Most immigrants still gravitate to areas of demonstrated economic growth. Immigrants have avoided the Atlantic provinces, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan while they have been attracted to Alberta (mainly during the economic boom of the 70s), British Columbia, and especially Ontario. In the table below we are able to clearly see that, as a percentage of their own population, Ontario, B.C. and Alberta dominate the remaining provinces with their share of the immigrant population.Fig. 2 An even greater degree of concentration is apparent when urban destinations are considered. In 1991 Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver accounted for 60% of the intended destinations stated by those immigrants arriving into Canada. Nearly 80% of immigrants intended to settle in just ten cities. The Table below shows the intended urban destination of immigrants to Canada in 1991.City Total Immigrants PercentageToronto 63,891 27.7Montreal 46,300 20.1Vancouver 26,361 11.4Top Three 136,552 59.2Mississauga 9,082 3.9Ottawa-Hull 7,977 3.5Edmonton7,629 3.3Calgary 7,307 3.2Winnipeg 5,173 2.2London 3,752 1.6Hamilton 3,745 1.6Top Ten 181,217 78.5Remainder 49,564 21.5 Of all immigrants, those entering under the business category exhibitedthe most clustered pattern of settlement. 80% of this group chose to live in eitherToronto, Montreal, or Vancouver. The following table breaks down the intendedurban destination of business immigrants to Canada in 1991.Fig. 4City Business Immigrants PercentageToronto 582 15.7Montreal 1102 29.7Vancouver 1,294 34.9Top Three 2,978 80.3Edmonton 86 2.3Calgary 79 2.1Winnipeg 72 1.9Hamilton 37 1.0Mississauga 31 0.8Ottawa-Hull 19 0.5London 12 0.3Top Ten 3,314 89.3Remainder 396 10.7Chinese Immigration The first major influx of the chinese into Canada was during the 1850sand 1860s, when they were lured to this country by the promised bounty of theFraser River gold rush. By 1860, the new colony of British Columbia countedamongst its population 4,000 Asians but their numbers tended to fluctuateaccording to the prosperity of the mines. The greatest period of chineseimmigration occured between 1881-1884 when over 17,000 chinese came towork on the CPR. Pressured by the railway companies, who viewed the chinese as reliable,cheap labour, the federal government vetoed any attempts to halt theirentrance into the country until the railway was completed. With the finalcompletion of the railway chinese immigration remained in flux by continued togrow in absolute numbers.History of Discrimination The chinese were always discriminated against, they were consistentlytreated as outcasts. The chinese immigrant was thought, by mainstreamCanadian society to be "taking" jobs away from whites at half the "acceptable"wages. This was said even though the chinese usually were employed in jobswhich the majority of whites thought were beneath them. For instance, manychinese immigrants employed themselves by providing laundry services inmining camps, or in cities. It was at this point that the chinese began a traditionof entrepreneurship in Canada which they still maintain today. Fig. 5 is a picture cut out of a Vancouver newspaper at the turn of thecentury entitled "The Unanswerable Argument". It essentially epitomizes thecities views of itself and those of the chinese immigrant.FIG. 5 In 1885 discrimination against the chinese received official sanction withthe implementation of the "head tax". Originally this tax was set at $10 but, by1893 it had grown to $500. It never had the desired effect of stopping chineseimmigration, but it certainly slowed it down considerably. In 1923 thediscrimination continued as the federal government barred all immigrationfrom China; a provision which was not lifted until 1947. Until 1947 the chinesewere also prevented from practicing medicine, law, or becoming members ofany other professions. It was only in the late 40s that chinese/canadian citizenswere even allowed to vote in Canada. The numerous restrictions placed uponthis group of people ensured that chinese communities were made up ofbachelors as only single adult men could afford to immigrate. From the time that Vancouver was incorporated in 1886 there was ageographical reference to the racial category "chinese" at Carall and Dupont(E. Pender) streets (indicated in Fig. 4 as Chinatown). One-hundred forty-threemerchants founded associations and ran businesses in the area, usually withattached homes, to service the chinese immigrant population of 2,053 in 1901.At that time the community included over 1,500 labourers. Many of theindividuals in this district depended upon chinese bosses to find them contractwork in laundries, saw mills, brickyards and canneries. Others worked withinthe community in construction, restaurants and tailoring firms. Ottawa had seen an economic interest in the idea of a cheap "chinese"type of labour and set a precedent for widespread economic subordinization ofthe chinese. Vancouver's Bell-Irving said in 1901, "It is the destiny of the whiteman to be worked for by inferior races." In 1885 proprietor R. Dunsmuir saidthat in his mines the "chinese are put to the type of work that best suits them -ordinary, manual labour."Fig. 6 Local white workers were equally willing to believe in the idea of a unique"chinese" type of labour. They even resorted to violence on February 24, 1886when 300 whites invaded a camp of chinese workers in the West End to rid thecity of "unfair competition". With tacit approval of local police and officials, thewhite labourers attacked the camp and sent the chinese residents of Dupont st.to New Westminster. The provincial government stepped in at this point andsent special constables from Victoria to restore law and order. The rioters were eventually brought to trial. The banished chinesereturned from New Westminster and the West End contract was completed.Many of the labourers gravitated to the original Dupont st. settlement. It wasonly the senior state interaction which allowed the chinese to settle peacefully ina somewhat reluctant Vancouver. This history of chinese settlement inVancouver is extremely crucial to the understanding of the present situation asit still plays in the psyche of these two groups in their daily interactions in thecity.New Immigrants There has been a shift in chinese immigration over the past thirty years.No longer are the majority of chinese immigrants poor, single-adult males fromrural farming communities in mainland China; today, the dominant chineseimmigrants are middle to upper-class, generally educated, urbanites fromHong Kong. Some of the changes which were talked about earlier in this paper madeto the Canadian immigration policy have encouraged more middle-class/professional immigration in order to boost Canada's skill profile and to helpgenerate employment. These changes have caused a shift in the orientation ofthe immigrant population and capital flows into Canada.Fig. 7 In particular, the countries of the pacific rim have risen in relativeimportance as source regions for both international finance and migrants intoCanada. Fig. 7 shows the transition in the importance of certain countries assources of immigrants. The table shows all immigrants in Canada andcompares them to the most recent immigrants in the country. One can see fromthis table that Pacific Rim nations, especially Hong Kong, have contributed themost immigrants in recent years. These new immigrants are not following the traditional pattern of chinesesettlement in Vancouver. No longer is Chinatown the destination of chineseimmigrants into Vancouver. Since the 1970s the new wave of immigrants hasbeen moving out of the central city, usually skipping it altogether and into thesuburbs. The fastest growing chinese communities throughout Canadian citiesare no longer found in downtown's but rather on the fringes. In Vancouver, thistranslates into a booming Chinese population in such suburbs as NewWestminster and Richmond. Richmond's population, for example, is made up ofover one-third recent immigrants from Hong Kong. The Business-Immigrant As was shown in Fig. 4, Vancouver is the destination for the majority of thebusiness-class immigrants. Over 30% of all immigrants entering the countryunder this category are destined for Vancouver, that is greater than any othersingle city in Canada. According to Roslyn Kunin, author of a government report on immigrantinvestment, $3Billion was brought into Canada by business immigrants between1986 and 1991. The majority of that money came from Asia. For those five years,business immigrant financial investment amounted to 10% of all business sectorgrowth. Impressive as those numbers are on their own, they are even higher forBritish Columbia, where, in 1992, a full 25% of the $4Billion invested in theprovince came from Hong Kong alone. Thanks to these new immigrants, theprovince enjoyed a growth of 3.3% in 1992, far exceeding the 0.7% growth of therest of Canada. The Hong Kong Bank of Canada, after purchasing the Bank ofBritish Columbia and Lloyds Bank of Canada, has become the country's largestforeign bank with assets of $12.6Billion. Its most profitable branch: VancouverChinatown.The Exodus Why is it that their are so many recent immigrants from Hong Kong?Fears of an uncertain future for the country after the reigns of power are givenover to the People's Republic of China are the primary driving force. Many ofthe affluent members of Hong Kong society fear that what they have worked formay be taken away, they fear political, social and economic repression. Thecalming voices coming out of Beijing have not convinced many Hong Kongresidents. China is not trusted. Also, the political and economic climate of theterritory have driven many people away. Emigration has long been a feature ofHong Kong life and Canada has been, and continues to be, a favouritedestination for the disillusioned.The Case of Toronto Vancouver is not alone in the changes taking place within its city.Toronto's Chinese population is also decentralizing. No longer is its Chinesepopulation centered upon an area in the downtown core called Chinatown.Canada's largest Chinese community is now found in six centers throughout theToronto region. Three of these centers are within the city, while three arewithout, but the growth is in the suburbs - Scarborough, Mississauga, NorthYork. The transition is from a central, condensed Chinatown area into moresparsely populated North American style neighborhoods. Chinese have beenmore slow to move to the suburbs than other ethnic groups, mainly due to theextremely harsh racism which was outlined earlier. The Chinese, it is thought,needed Chinatown to protect themselves, something which, arguably, is notnecessary any more.Why Vancouver? The change in structure of this new immigrant group as well as theirlocation amongst the community has caused many problems to surface.Vancouver tends tobe one of the most popular destinations for new Hong Kongimmigrants, especially for the business-minded. Why is Vancouver so popular? There are three core reasons for thispopularity 1)The provincial and civic governments have given clear signals tothe Hong Kong community that the city is open for business (i.e. the sale of expolands to Li Ka Shing). There has been a marked shift in view by policy makers inthe region away from the East where Europe and Central Canada lie, towardsthe West, and the pacific rim nations. 2)Asian entrepreneurs are able to dobusiness in Vancouver around the clock. Vancouver is located in such a way asto be in perfect position for Asian entrepreneurs, it is almost exactly halfwaybetween Tokyo and London. As a result businessmen can conduct business inLondon in the morning, the west coast in the middle of the day, and Tokyo orHong Kong in the evening. 3)Asian businessmen also are begining to see howthey can take advantage of Nafta. By settling in Vancouver they are takingadvantage of the first two benefits and possibly using this third one. Byimmigrating into Canada and ensuring that the Canadian content of thebusiness is 51% or greater the businessmen can take full advantage of Naftabenefits.Social Strains As Vancouver enjoys the economic benefits of record levels of immigration, thecity of 1.6 million finds itself straining to accomodate the needs of anincreasingly multicultural population. Citizens of longer standing, meanwhile,are asking other questions: as the face of the city changes, whose values willprevail, those of traditional Vancouver - or those of the newcomers? Vancouver is a city which still evokes strong British heritage, the visiblychanging population might prompt an even deeper question, one that hasprofound meaning for the entire country. As the numbers of Canadians of non-European origin increases, who are "we" anyways? In contrast to the immigrants of past decades, most of whom arrived intheir new home with little money and a willingness to take any work that wasoffered, many of the most recent newcomers to the city, particularly the roughlyone-fifth who arrive from Hong Kong, have both wealth and high expectations.As investors and consumers their growing presence has extremely visibleconsequences. The new economic immigrants arrive in Vancouver flush with cash. Theyare rich. At the Chinatown branch of the Hongkong Bank of Canada, half of the20,000 clients have $3Million deposits. Ready to invest, they arrive in a city withlittle industry to invest in. As a result they turn towards real estate. Over thecourse of 1993 the real estate prices in Kerrisdale and Shaughnessy, twocommunities popular with new chinese immigrants, rose over 40%. Thefollowing figure shows examples of the "monster homes" built in Kerrisdale andShaughnessy on typical lots and compares them to examples of the moretraditional homes.Fig. 8 In late 1992, Kerrisdale and Shaughnessy were neighborhoods at thecentre of a heated debate over the right of new purchasers to level existinghomes and replace them with much larger dwellings that residents believed tobe out of place. In a district where many long-standing homeowners are avidgardeners, it did not help that many builders felled full-grown trees in order toaccomodate the larger scale homes, and replaced greenery with multipleparking spaces. "There is suffering going on in the neighborhood. People areemotionally exhausted," says Johanna Albrecht, chairwoman of the WestKerrisdale Residents' Association tree committee about the greenery issue. Atthe same time, the owners of the offending homes, many recently arrivedimmigrants from Hong Kong, insisted that they had met existing zoning rulesand had a cleara right to do as they wished with their property. After a series of emotional public hearings during early 1993, acompromise was reached. In exchange for permission to build houses largerthan anywhere else in Vancouver, City Hall now insists that builders of newhomes take into account the style of the dwellings on either side. While city hallthinks that this solution is working, many residents are not so positive. Conclusions To be honest with ourselves, we must begin by admitting that noteveryone rejoices in the "changing face" of our country. Nor is it the case thatCanada opens its arms equally and impartially to all corners of the earth, orlooks positively opun all of their cultural differences. Every Canadian nows thatsuch preferences exist; the task of a nation which is truly commtted to humanrights is to defy its own prejudices. Discriminatory attitudes and acts are not necessarily aimed at the leastadvantaged. 1995 was witness to several cases of vocal resentment directedagainst relatively affluent Asian minorities in cities such as Toronto andVancouver. The cause of the disturbance is that some of these people havemoved into neighborhoods with different ethnic backgrounds. The increasedAsian visibility created a backlash, which in this case took the form ofsuggestions that the community was too "concentrated" or "exclusive," orinsufficiently "divers." Perhaps what was most positive about these outburstswas that when people began to calm down things usually led to a greaterdialogue and a determination by all sides to do better. For instance, a story about "overly prominent" Chinese-Canadians inVancouver led to the publication of some advice in the city's Ming Pao DailyNews suggesting that Canadians of Chinese origin might do more to avoidraising intercultural resentments and to examine their own cultural and racialprejudices. Perhaps this is good advice for all Canadians, especially inVancouver in Toronto. One might ask whether the ideal of a color-blind and ethnicallyharmonious society would not be better served by putting such differences tothe side rather than in-graining them through official hyphenization. If we are allCanadians together, why do we continue to qualify our geographic identifierswith words such as White, Black, French, Asian, German, Muslim, orAllophone?BibliographyPrimaryAlbrecht, Johanna. Telephone Interview. 22 March 1996.Chong, Abner. Telephone Interview. 23 March 1996.Employment and Immigration Canada. Immigration Statistics 1991. 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"Lessons of Vancouver" Maclean's Feb 7, 1994, 26-31."Yacht People" The Economist v. 311 (Apr. 22, 1989), 42. . businessmen can conduct business inLondon in the morning, the west coast in the middle of the day, and Tokyo orHong Kong in the evening. 3)Asian businessmen also. recent immigrants from Hong Kong. The Business-Immigrant As was shown in Fig. 4, Vancouver is the destination for the majority of thebusiness-class immigrants.