How Did The Chinese Immigration Act Affect Chinese Canadian Men, Particularly During The 1920s And 1930s?

How did the Chinese Immigration Act affect young Chinese Canadian men, particularly during the 1920s and 1930s?

The Chinese Immigration Act affected young Chinese Canadian men largely during this time period. In the beginning of the 20th century, the Chinese head tax that came with the Chinese Immigration Act in 1885, doubled from $50 to $100, which then increased once again to $500. This made it nearly impossible for new Chinese immigrants, especially young immigrants from another country, to bring more than one person along with them to Canada. This meant that they had to leave their wives or their parents back home. The Chinese head tax was made with the intent of preventing new immigrants from coming to Canada, as they expected most to be poor. The head tax partly

The documentary also states that most immigrants coming to Canada were young married men who came without their wives. Many young men were coming to Canada with the hopes of making profit and working on the Canadian Pacific Railway, as Canada was in short supply of labour workers. In 1931, out of a total Chinese population of 46,519 in Canada, only 3,648 were females. In the late 1920s, it was estimated that there were only five married Chinese women in Calgary and six married women in Edmonton (A, Chan. 2013)[1]. When the Chinese Immigration Act in 1923 came into place, this meant that new immigrants were not allowed to enter the country if it wasn’t under a special circumstance. This split up new families for newly wed young men, and also slowed the community growth of the Chinese community in Canada when they banned Chinese immigrants from entering Canada. Most Chinese men entering Canada were poor, seeking wealth in the Gold Rush and with the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway. After having to pay the head tax, many immigrants