VICTORIA, B.C.: Teresa Wat, MLA for Richmond-Bridgeport, introduced the Chinese Heritage Month Act in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia today. If passed, the legislation would officially designate February of each year as Chinese Heritage Month across the province.
Wat said the bill has a clear and meaningful purpose: to recognize the history, contributions, and cultural significance of Chinese Canadians in British Columbia.
“The history of the Chinese Canadian community in British Columbia demands our recognition and our honesty,” said Wat. “Chinese Canadians have been part of this province since the mid-nineteenth century. They helped build the Canadian Pacific Railway under harsh and discriminatory conditions, yet rather than receiving the recognition they deserved, they were met with injustice.”
From 1885 to 1923, Chinese immigrants were subjected to a discriminatory head tax imposed on no other group. From 1923 to 1947, the Chinese Exclusion Act effectively barred Chinese people from coming to Canada. British Columbia issued a formal apology in 2014 for historical wrongs against the Chinese community, but Wat said remembrance and education remain essential.
“Today, nearly 500,000 British Columbians of Chinese heritage call this province home. They are integral to every part of our society, including business, health care, education, and community life, and they enrich our province in countless ways,” said Wat.
February holds deep cultural significance as the season of Lunar New Year, a time of renewal, family, and community increasingly embraced by British Columbians of all backgrounds.
“This bill is about honouring history, recognizing contributions, and celebrating culture,” said Wat. “It is an opportunity for all British Columbians to reflect on the remarkable history and lasting contributions of the Chinese Canadian community. I look forward to discussing this bill with all members of the House.”
Wat’s commitment to recognizing Chinese Canadian contributions and addressing historical injustices spans more than a decade. As Minister of Multiculturalism in 2013, she initiated a province-wide public consultation to examine historical wrongs against Chinese Canadians. This work directly led to the Discriminatory Provisions (Historical Wrongs) Repeal Act and official apology at the BC Legislature to the Chinese community in 2014 — a defining moment in British Columbia’s reconciliation efforts.
Wat also championed the Chinese Legacy Initiatives, which established 15 historic site memorials honouring Chinese contributions, integrated Chinese Canadian history into the provincial school curriculum, and created the multimedia “Bamboo Shoots” educational program to ensure future generations learn about the sacrifices and achievements of Chinese railway workers. She successfully advanced the full repeal of discriminatory laws, which was completed in 2017 and permanently aligned British Columbia’s legal framework with the values of diversity and equality.
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