The Legacy of Chinese Railroad Workers
The completion of the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1885 was essential to Canada, as it connected all the areas of confederation and it made the move across the country much more convenient and affordable. Before the railway was completed, it was easier to travel from Hong Kong to British Columbia than it was from Halifax to BC. Due to the Gold Rush in the 1860’s, there was already a large Chinese population in the area, but when the building of the CPR started in the 1880’s, Chinese immigrants arrived from China and California to work on the railroad construction. Over the course of the construction, there were 9000 workers and 6500 of those were Canadians of Chinese descent.
The racism that the Chinese population faced was widespread. Many of the newspapers and illustrations of the time portrayed Chinese people in a very hostile and degrading way, implying that because the Chinese workers were willing to work for a lower wage there would be less jobs for Canadians of European descent. Chinese workers were paid $1.00 a day and had to pay for all of their food and gear, while white workers were paid $1.50-$2.50 per day and did not have to pay for their provisions.
The western side of the railway, and especially the section through British Columbia, was the most dangerous to work on, and the Chinese workers were always given the most dangerous tasks. They would often handle explosives like nitroglycerin used to break up solid rock. They would clear and grade the railway’s roadbed by blasting tunnels through the rock which would often cause landslides and dynamite blasts that killed many workers, not to mention the toll from other work-related accidents, winter cold, illness, and malnutrition. Most of these men died; their families would not receive compensation for their deaths, and often they would not even be notified of their deaths. If they were lucky enough to survive the dangers of the railroad, they would spend their remaining years in terrible conditions, often alone, because they did not often have enough money to return to their families in China.
Although Chinese Canadians overcame great obstacles to help with the building of the CPR, they were completely left out of the national celebration of the CPR at its completion. For the iconic photo of CPR Director Donald Alexander Smith driving the ceremonial “last spike” into the road in Craigellachie BC, all Chinese Canadian workers were cleared from view.
As recognition for the sacrifice and work of Chinese Canadians takes its proper place in society at large, the Government of BC recently announced an investment into a new Chinese Canadian Museum.
Resources for further learning:
Remembering the Chinese CPR Workers: Port Moody Station Museum
Foundation to Commemorate the Chinese Railroad Workers in Canada
New Chinese Museum Set to Honour Chinese Canadian History
Photos: Both from Wikimedia Commons