Former Prime Minister Stephen Harper presents a copy of the Canadian government's official apology to survivors of the Chinese Head Tax. (Photo: Tom Hanson / Canadian Press, via CBC)

June 22, 2006, Prime Minister Stephen Harper delivered a full apology in the House of Commons for the discriminatory Head Tax on Chinese immigrants (1885-1923) and the subsequent Chinese Exclusion Act (1923-1947). This was a momentous occasion for Chinese Canadians, whose families had suffered for generations under these racist policies. The apology acknowledged the profound injustice and suffering caused, recognizing the Head Tax and Exclusion Act as "tragic and unjust". Symbolic ex-gratia payments were offered to surviving head tax payers and spouses of deceased payers. This act of redress, long advocated for by the community, marked a significant step in acknowledging Canada's history of discrimination against Chinese Canadians.