Filmmaker Karen Cho travels from Montreal to Vancouver to uncover stories from the last survivors of the Chinese Head Tax and Exclusion Act, a set of laws imposed to single out the Chinese as unwanted immigrants to Canada from 1885 to 1947. Through a combination of history, poetry and raw emotion, this documentary sheds light on an era that shaped the identity of generations.
Brainstorm what students know about Chinese immigration and the Head Tax. Identify the complaints of the white government as more Chinese labourers came to Canada. Discuss the long-lasting and devastating results of discrimination directed toward the Chinese immigrants. Comment on the importance of World War II and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms as catalysts for change in the Chinese community.