January 08, 2014 - 12:06 PM
VANCOUVER - British Columbia has had a long history of creating laws that discrimate against Chinese Canadians.
Provincial NDP Leader Adrian Dix released details of over 100 records of government-sanctioned discrimination, including bills restricting immigration and denying Asians right to vote.
Dix says the release of the documents is a significant step towards issuing a formal apology to the province's Chinese community for historic wrongs.
The Liberal government is conducting a round of public discussions about an apology, but Dix says the forums lack substance because British Columbians don't know what the government is apologizing for.
An all-party apology over the Chinese head tax fell apart just before last May's provincial election, when news broke that the Liberal government planned to use a controversial strategy to win votes from ethnic communities.
The plan, which suggested having government workers appeal to multicultural communities ahead of the election, resulted in the resignation of a cabinet minister and an aid to Premier Christy Clark.
News from © The Canadian Press, 2014