Invitation to Community Members
Annual Wreath Laying
Canada Day Commemoration Ceremony
July 1st, 2020 @ 10:30 am EST (Toronto) via Zoom
Dear Friends,
Members of the Foundation to Commemorate the Chinese Railroad Workers in Canada invite you to join us on Canada Day and pay tribute to the Chinese Railroad Workers’ contribution to the construction of the first transcontinental link by rail (Canadian Pacific Railway) to unite Canada. The line through to the Pacific coast was completed on November 7, 1885 with the driving of the “Last Spike” at Craigellachie in Eagle Pass, British Columbia. This year marks the 135th anniversary of the completion of the Trans-Canada Railroad.
The Foundation will conduct its annual wreath-laying ceremony to pay homage to the Chinese pioneers who came to Canada in the 1880s to help build the railroad through the Canadian Rockies, thus uniting Canada from coast to coast, both politically and geographically. Of the 17,000 men who came from the Province of Guangdong, China, over 4,000 lost their lives due to unsafe working conditions, landslides and premature blastings.
With the formal apology by the Government of Canada on June 22, 2006, for the unjust legislation of the Chinese Exclusion Act on July 1, 1923, the Prime Minister remarked that the Chinese Railroad Workers and the many generations of Chinese Canadians are great nation builders, uniting Canada politically, geographically, and economically.
Wreaths can be ordered from: Win’s Flowers, Tel. 416-340-2616, located on 564 Dundas St. W. Toronto, Ontario. M5T 1H5 or by email: winflowers@hotmail.com. Wreaths will have blessings written in Chinese or English on ribbon for the Railroad Workers and will be delivered to the monument on the morning of the ceremony on July 1st.
Due to COVID-19 (and the restrictions/concerns against large gatherings) we are planning to host our event virtually on July 1st, 2020 @ 10:30 am EST via Zoom (video conferencing platform) see invitation details below.
We are counting on your support to join us. Because of the COVID-19 backlash against China and anti-Asian sentiments, it is more important now than ever before that we come together as a community, where all Canadians can show their unified support for the Chinese contribution to the building of the railroad which is thought to be the foundation of our economic strength in Canada.
Date & Time: July 1, 2020 @ 10:30 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Location: Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87372979811
Meeting ID: 873 7297 9811
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We hope that you can join us. Please share this invitation widely with your social media connections, family, friends, and colleagues. Your support is appreciated!
In solidarity,
Board members:
Landy Anderson, Chair, Ontario
Derek Wu, Vice-Chair, Ontario
Binh Chow, Treasurer, Ontario
Doug Hum, Director, British Columbia
Irene Reilly- Paterson, Volunteer Secretary, Ontario
Email: fccrwc@gmail.com
Website: https://www.mhso.ca/
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