Head Tax Certificate

Between 1885 and 1923, more than 82,000 Chinese immigrants paid a tax to enter the country. The Canadian government kept raising the tax to discourage Chinese people from coming to Canada. It began at $50 in 1885, climbed to $100 by 1900 and peaked at $500 in 1903. The tax was only removed in 1923 when the federal government passed legislation that prevented almost all Chinese immigration to Canada. Learn more about past discrimination against Chinese Canadians in the Acknowledging Past Wrongs.