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Chinese Immigration Act of 1885

1885

A Canadian law passed under Macdonald's government imposing a head tax on Chinese immigrants, now seen as a central stain on his legacy.

Macdonald's government passed this act, which is central to criticism of his legacy regarding racial discrimination.

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What it is

This is the Chinese Immigration Act, 1885, a law passed by the Parliament of Canada that placed a $50 head tax on Chinese immigrants entering the country. It followed recommendations of a royal commission and was given royal assent in July 1885.

Why it matters

Passed by Prime Minister John A. Macdonald's government soon after the Canadian Pacific Railway was completed with the labour of thousands of Chinese workers, the act was the first Canadian law to exclude immigrants by ethnic origin. Macdonald had initially resisted such measures but eventually agreed to them, and the law is central to modern criticism of his legacy.

Look closer

  • Why might a government welcome immigrant labour for one project and then restrict the same immigrants once the work was done?
  • What does the small number of Chinese witnesses heard by the royal commission tell you about whose views shaped the law?
  • How might studying this law change the way we remember a figure celebrated mainly for founding a country?

This document is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Sir John A. Macdonald on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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