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With the courage of the brave man Gurdit Singh, Singh helped South-Asian people of Sikhs, Muslims and Hindus migrate to the Vancouver Harbour. Chartering the Japanese Ship, the “Komagata Maru”, immigrants were denied entry to Canada by a final decision, ultimately resulting in 20 casualties and returning to Calcutta, India. -
By December 1915, the federal government declared enlistees couldn’t be denied on their race. From December 1915 to July 1916, about 16 volunteers joined the 106th Battalion. This became the very first large Black military unit and the start of a long list of missions. -
Despite the disapproval from the federal government, 222 Japanese-Canadian volunteers enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF). Through determination and overcoming racial barriers, they earned citizenship rights and 13 volunteers received the Military Medal of Bravery. Nearly ¼ of the soldiers were killed, leaving ¾ of the surviving soldiers wounded. -
Black Canadians faced lots of racism and their civil rights/liberties were limited. Black women’s rights and freedoms were further restricted because of their sex. Not until most women (of all backgrounds) gained suffrage at a provincial level in 1916 and 1918. This was just the start of a women’s battle. -
UNIA members in Canada join the Black Cross Nurse organization with enthusiasm. From the first division founded in Montreal, the UNIA ran the Black Cross Nurse organization for female members that expected members to provide care and advice on hygiene and health concerns. -
This act enabled women to run for the Parliament but according to the act, if a province discriminated against a group because of race, that group would also be excluded from the federal franchise. BC residents of Chinese, Japanese and South Asian background lost their suffrage in national elections. -
The first-ever Japanese-Canadian union was formed by Estu Suzuki and Takaichi Umezuki, Japanese Canadian Mill-workers who created a union for Japanese labour workers and apart for the labouring industry. -
Passed by then prime minister William Lyon Mackenzie King, the act banned the entry of any Chinese immigrants to immigrate for 24 years. Even though there were restrictions on most countries for migration, the act singled out Chinese people because of their race. This comes after the Chinese Head Tax. -
Because of the arrangement made by the Canadian government in 1908, Canada further restricted Japanese immigrants including wives and children to a quota of 150 people annually in 1928. The limit went from 400 male Japanese immigrants to 150 Japanese immigrants annually, including wives and children.