Large crowd attends public forum on Chinese apology

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VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – What does an apology look like and how should it be delivered?

That was the subject of a public forum at the Chinese Cultural Centre in Chinatown on Sunday, as the province seeks the most appropriate way to say sorry for past wrongs to Chinese Canadians.

The local Chinese community has long argued that it’s owed an apology from the province for its support of the federal head tax, and legislation that restricted their employment and voting rights.

This man says analyzing the past will be important for future generations.

“I’m not too worried about compensation. I think to move forward, BC residents should know the facts and we should educate young people, so that it doesn’t happen again.”

It’s a sentiment echoed by Larry Yip with the Chinese Cultural Centre. He told the forum he’d like an honest admission of wrong-doing and an acknowledgement of how the Chinese helped developed BC.

“And we would like the apology and our ancestors’ contributions to be included in mainstream high school history text books, so that future generations will be made aware of our historical past,” he says.

Additional public forums will be staged across the province until the end of the month.

A formal apology is intended to be read during the next sitting of the legislature.

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