The Honourable Jason Kenney, Secretary of State for Multiculturalism and Canadian Identity recently announced that $5 million will be made available to the Chinese-Canadian community to go towards commemorative and educational projects about the Chinese immigration experience in Canada and wartime restrictions.

"The Head Tax and other immigration restrictions, which affected Chinese-Canadians, are an unfortunate chapter in our history and deserve recognition," stated the Secretary of State in making the announcement.

The funding is being provided through the Community Historical Recognition Program, established in June 2006. It was at that time that Prime Minister Stephen Harper offered an official apology to Chinese-Canadians for the Head Tax that was imposed on Chinese immigrants. Since then, the government has given more than $12 million in ex-gratia symbolic payments to living Head Tax payers.

The grants and contributions will fund community-based projects that will allow the Chinese-Canadian community to have their immigration experiences acknowledged in a way that is meaningful to them – be it educational material, exhibits, monuments, commemorative plaques, or other such projects.

The Government of Canada will soon release details about the National Historical Recognition Program. It will be furthering its commitment to fund federal initiatives to educate Canadians about the history of immigration restrictions and wartime measures and the contributions of affected communities throughout Canadian history.