Amonda Li

An Asian-Canadian Story: Admittance of Wrongdoings and Promises of Improvements

Started May 21, 2021

Abstract or project description

Given the recent surge in anti-Asian hate crimes across Canada, a supposedly “diverse” and “accepting” country, the roots of these crimes must have stemmed from the very beginning of the teachings of Chinese immigration, or lack thereof. As a student who has studied the mandatory Ontario grade 9 Canadian history course, I do not feel fulfilled by the lack of education on Canadian government’s past sentiments towards immigrating Chinese citizens. It is evident that prejudice and discrimination was present when the Canadian government imposed the head tax and the Chinese Exclusion Act. The only way to improve upon past wrongdoings is to educate the next generation to not repeat history by acknowledging the harsh truth head-on. This paper aims to demonstrate the lacking curriculum in Canadian history textbooks that ought to be more well-rounded in its Asian-Canadian chapter to truly represent Canadian identity.