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人頭税爭議 馬田以致敬代替致歉
全加華人代表大會上 推崇移民對加國貢獻 表彰華人移民堅忍不拔精神
前言：
•人頭税問題，聯邦承認錯誤但不道歉，引發華人團體平權會的怒吼。馬田總理昨天以「致敬代致歉」，表彰華人移民堅忍不棄的精神，但仍不為平權會接受，向總理舉牌抗議；大選在即，這個議題是否還有討價空間，値得觀察。
【本報記者何元溫哥華報導】總理馬田昨日在「全加華人代表大會」表示，華裔移民在加國各個領域上的貢獻，特別是「早期移民堅忍不拔、不棄不離，爲下一代福祉奮鬥不懈的精神」，更足爲表率。
馬田致詞時，並未直接向人頭稅受害人及家屬致歉，而是以正面表彰和感謝他們對加拿大的奉獻，以及他們一路行來未曾改變的信心和毅力，表達政府的敬意。
馬田在演說中，以98歲的關祥國爲例，稱揚這些華人移民是促成加國走向眞正多元文化社會的催化劑。
關祥國是目前碩果僅存的人頭稅年代抵加的第一代移民。他當年向親友借貸500元繳付人頭稅後才得以來加，初到之際在沙省半工半學，期間偶爾返回廣東開平探親，1930年結婚後，家人直到1950年才能來加團聚。
馬田表示，加拿大人來自全球各地，華人當年經歷的不公待遇足爲歷史殷鑑，促進國人彼此了解、包容。
馬田在演說中追憶說，加國公民法是他父親老馬丁1947年擔任內閣部長時提出，原因之一是他父親在二次世界大戰之後，有次前往陣亡將士紀念塚追悼時，眼見墓碑上所刻姓氏顯現這些將士祖籍來自世界各地，包括中國在內，讓他感觸良多。
馬田表示，他自己幼時有次與父親在家鄕造訪一戶華人家庭，這對老夫婦結婚五十餘年，但兩人在加國共同生活時間不過十年，甚至連他們的子女都是在中國出生。馬田表示，在他追問下，男主人才說「是 因爲（加國）政府不准」，他當時還對此至感訝異。
馬田說，在離開這戶人家後，父親感性表示，後世或會記得他在衛生健保和其他方面的成就，但他自認對國家最大貢獻卻是推動制訂「公民法」，終止排華法案等不當政策。
馬田表示，聯邦政府與全加華人聯會日前所簽的原則性協議，目的即在透過敎育宣導，確保這類不公不義不再重演。
代表聯邦政府簽署協議的多元文化國務部長陳卓愉接著致詞時，情緒激動，一度聲音哽咽。陳卓愉和全加華人聯會主席陳丙丁都表示，這項協議「將爲加國揭開歷史新頁」。
【圖片】： 曾親身受人頭税、排華法案之害，今年98歲的關祥國（右二）以兩幅題字赠予馬田(右三），右為全加華人聯會共同主席陳丙丁，左為聯邦多元文化國務部長陳卓愉。兩幅題字内容分別為「昔日含屈佇候多年先賢所撼終得雪，今朝攜手以史為鑑和諧共處永相傳」和「華裔先賢昔日含冤受屈終吐氣，加國政府今朝有容乃大必更強」。
English translation: Head Tax Dispute
Martin Paid Tribute to Replace Apology
In the National Congress of Chinese Canadians
Praised the Contribution of Immigrants to Canada
Commended the Perseverance of Chinese Immigrants
Foreword:
• The government admits to the mistake of the head tax but does not apologize, which provokes the Chinese group of the Chinese Canadian National Council (CCNC). Prime Minister Martin "paid tribute to replace an apology" yesterday, commending the Chinese immigrants for their spirit of perseverance. However, the CCNC does not accept the tribute and protests against the Prime Minister. The election is just around the corner, and whether there is room for bargaining on this issue remains to be seen.
Reported by He Yuan from Vancouver
Prime Minister Martin indicated at the “National Congress of Chinese Canadians" yesterday that Chinese immigrants have contributed to various fields in Canada, and specifically said that "the early immigrants persevered and never gave up, and kept fighting for the benefit of the next generation." Their spirit is laudable.
In his speech, Martin did not apologize directly to the head tax payers and their family. Instead, he paid a positive tribute to their dedication to Canada and their unshakable confidence and perseverance, and expressed his gratitude with the respect of the government.
In his speech, Martin took the 98-year-old Guan Xiangguo as an example. He praised these Chinese immigrants as a catalyst for Canada to move towards a multicultural society.
Guan Xiangguo is the only first-generation immigrant we have today who arrived in Canada and had to pay the head tax. He borrowed 500 dollars from his relatives and friends to pay the head tax, and finally was able to come to Canada. He worked while studying in Saskatchewan after he first arrived. He occasionally returned to Kaiping in Guangdong Province to visit his family. He married in 1930, and his family could not come to Canada to reunite with him until 1950.
Martin said that Canadians come from all over the world. The unfair treatment experienced by Chinese people in the past will serve as an alarm to prevent history from repeating in the future. In this way, it will help to promote mutual understanding and tolerance in Canada today.
In his speech, Martin recalled that the Canadian Citizenship Act was proposed by his father, Martin Sr., when he was the cabinet minister in 1947. One of the reasons was that his father went to a memorial cemetary to pay tribute to the deceased soldiers after the Second World War. He saw that the surnames inscribed on the tombstones showed that these soldiers came from all over the world, including China, which made him emotional.
Martin said that he visited a Chinese Canadian family in his hometown with his father when he was young. The old couple had been married for more than 50 years, but the two had lived together for only ten years, and even their children were born in China. Martin said that under his questioning as to why, the man finally said: “it is because the (Canadian) government did not allow it.” He was very surprised at that.
Martin said that after leaving the family, his father emotionally expressed that future generations might remember his achievements in health care and other fields, but he believed that his greatest contribution to the country was to promote the formulation of the “Citizenship Act” and the termination of improper policies such as the Chinese Exclusion Act.
Martin said that generally the agreement signed recently by the federal government and the NCCC aims to publicize and educate, ensuring that such injustices do not recur.
When the Minister of State (Multiculturalism), Raymond Chan, signed the agreement on behalf of the federal government, he delivered a speech where he was emotional and even sobbed once. Both Raymond Chan and Ping T. Tan, chair of the NCCC, said that the agreement “will turn a new page in Canada’s history”.
[Photo]: The 98-year-old Guan Xiangguo (second from right), the head tax payer who experienced the Chinese Exclusion Act, presented two inscriptions to Martin (third from right). Ping T. Tan, cochair of the NCCC, was in the right and Raymond Chan, the Minister of State (Multiculturalism), was in the left. The two inscriptions are: “Having been waiting for many years, our ancestors’ regrets have finally been removed; now we have joined hands to learn from history and live in harmony forever” and “the injustice experienced by Chinese antecedents in the past has finally been redressed and they are relieved; the virture of tolerance and wisdom shown by the Canadian government today will make Canada stronger”.
