Hon. Mohamed-Iqbal Ravalia: Honourable senators, it is my pleasure to rise today to speak to the inquiry initiated by Senator Woo. The purpose is twofold: to celebrate the invaluable contributions that Chinese Canadians have made but also to reflect on the prejudice, exclusion and discrimination that Canadians of Chinese descent have faced and continue to face.

I would like to thank Senators Jaffer, McCallum, Simons, Oh and Kutcher for speaking to this important matter — and, of course, to our speakers today as well.

The contributions of the Chinese community in Newfoundland and Labrador are a significant but often overlooked aspect of our province’s history. The Chinese community has played — and continues to play — a vital role in shaping our cultural, economic and social fabric.

The first Chinese immigrants arrived in Newfoundland in the 1890s, and word spread throughout St. John’s that two Chinese immigrants would be opening a laundry business. Over the next few decades, the city and the province would continue to attract Chinese immigrants.

Colleagues, this was at a time when Newfoundland’s population was almost entirely White, Christian and English-speaking. In 1906, the province had legislation — the Act Respecting the Immigration of Chinese Persons — that imposed a $300 head tax on each Chinese immigrant entering the colony. This equalled between one and three years’ earnings and was a significant barrier to entry for Chinese immigrants. Despite the challenges and prejudice faced by Chinese Newfoundlanders, their perseverance and strength as a community remained remarkable, and their contributions to our society and growth continued to be exceptional.

In the 1920s, the Chinese community turned towards opening restaurants and is now credited with helping build the dining-out culture in our province. Early Chinese restaurants served foods Newfoundlanders knew about and loved, like fish and chips and roast chicken. Despite this, Chinese immigrants maintained their traditional cuisine at home and faced the challenges of sourcing traditional ingredients. In downtown St. John’s in 1968, Mary Jane’s was the first health food store to carry some Chinese groceries. Today, there are multiple grocery stores in St. John’s as the community continues to grow and thrive.

When Newfoundland joined Confederation in 1949, the Chinese head tax came to an end. With changes to immigration policy in 1967, Chinese immigrants to Newfoundland and Labrador became more diversified in their professions, backgrounds and practices, including health, science, engineering, mining and the fishing industry.

In 1976, The Chinese Association of Newfoundland & Labrador was established to promote Chinese culture and tradition throughout our province and nurture communities in preserving and celebrating Chinese heritage. The association is operated by volunteers who organize and promote events, including Chinese New Year celebrations, performances and memorial services. In 1981, the association, along with their community partners, erected a memorial in Mount Pleasant Cemetery in St. John’s to honour the Chinese immigrant community in Newfoundland from the time of their first arrival in the 1890s.

Elsewhere in St. John’s, a different memorial stands to honour the 300 Chinese men that had to pay the head tax in Newfoundland. This monument was created in 2010 by the Newfoundland and Labrador Head Tax Redress Organization, a group working to educate on and preserve the awareness of this dark chapter in our history. The monument is placed on the site of Saint John’s’ first Chinese hand laundry, which was opened in 1895.

In 2006, the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador made a formal apology for the Chinese head tax, delivered by then‑premier Danny Williams.

Today, our Chinese community is the largest visible minority, representing 1.3% of St. John’s’ population, or approximately 1,500 people. In broader Newfoundland, there are approximately 2,300 people of Chinese ethnicity, making up 0.5% of the population of our province. Despite these seemingly small numbers, the Chinese community in Newfoundland is strong, active and heavily influential.

I’m also proud to say that the growth of Memorial University has been a source for an increase in Chinese immigration to Newfoundland, with students and academics being drawn to the province for their education and for educating us.

Members of the community have continuously brought their traditions to Newfoundland and Labrador and generously shared their culture with the non-Chinese community. Recently, members of the community have brought traditional music to St. John’s audiences with performances featuring the traditional instrument, the guzheng. The YY Guzheng Ensemble has been performing for the St. John’s community and spreading the love for Chinese music throughout the community. The group has 15 members with ages ranging from their early teens to their 70s with a common love for music and tradition.

Honourable senators, despite a dark chapter and the incredible difficulties that the community faced, today they are an integral part of our province’s history. Chinese immigrants and their descendants continue to play a crucial role in our economic, cultural and social development. Their legacy of resilience and determination serves as a testament to the importance of recognizing and addressing historical injustices, like the head tax, while celebrating the rich diversity that makes my beloved province a unique and inclusive place to call home. Thank you, meegwetch.

(On motion of Senator Petitclerc, debate adjourned.)

Senator Ravalia: With pleasure.

[Translation]

Senator Ravalia: Thank you for the question. In my discussion with the President of Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador, this is an ongoing question. The issue within my province is that many small communities have struggled with the concept of regionalization. They are so independent and wish to maintain their local identity, and the thought of sharing services, et cetera, with other communities is quite foreign to them.

There have, obviously, been discussions between the municipalities, the provincial government and federal advisers as to how a process like this can move forward, but, in my province, it remains very much at a relatively early phase. However, we are hoping that examples from other provinces may give us ideas that would allow us to form a robust regionalization program that will enhance our communities. Thank you.

(On motion of Senator Cormier, debate adjourned.)

On the Order:

Resuming debate on the inquiry of the Honourable Senator Coyle, calling the attention of the Senate to the importance of finding solutions to transition Canada’s society, economy and resource use in pursuit of a fair, prosperous, sustainable and peaceful net-zero emissions future for our country and the planet.

Hon. Mohamed-Iqbal Ravalia: Honourable senators, it is my pleasure to rise to speak to Senator Simons’ inquiry that calls on our chamber to explore the challenges and opportunities that municipalities face, and the importance of understanding and redefining the relationship between Canada’s municipalities and our federal government.

Echoing the sentiments of our honourable colleagues Senators Simons, Cotter, Forest and Sorensen, I would like to emphasize that our constitutional architecture was created in 1867 at a time when 80% of people did not live in municipalities. Now it’s the reverse where most people do.

Our municipalities are the frontline of governance and have the most impact on people’s daily needs, including things such as garbage collection, public transportation, health care services and affordable housing among other services. This drastic shift leaves us with the questions and issues on scales that were never contemplated at the time of Confederation.

From a constitutional perspective, municipalities are creatures of statutes. They only have the powers that are devolved from the province. They have no independent constitutional status meaning the province can take away these powers at will. As our colleagues have outlined, recent Supreme Court of Canada decisions have indicated those municipal powers should be interpreted broadly.

This leads us to the question that Senator Simons has raised: What role does the federal government play in helping support municipalities carry out their essential functions while recognizing the constitutional constraints?

Representing the province of Newfoundland and Labrador at this level, I would like to take this as an opportunity to share what my provincial government has been exploring to further enable our municipalities to respond to the ever-evolving issues raised by residents.

I would like to thank City of St. John’s councillor for Ward 4, Ian Froude, as well as the CEO of Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador, Craig Pollet, for all the work they do for our municipal governments, and for sharing with me their experience and expertise in addressing these critical issues.

First, I would like to start by providing a bit of historical context for the municipal sector in Newfoundland and Labrador, which is relatively young. The first municipal incorporation was in St. John’s in 1888, followed by Windsor Station in 1938, almost fifty years later, which was later renamed Windsor. Windsor eventually amalgamated with the town of Grand Falls.

Most of the municipalities today were incorporated in the 1960s and 1970s. At one point, there were well over 300 municipalities and over 1,000 communities. This accelerated pace of development, after 50 years of dormancy, was driven primarily by the financial supports that appeared in the initial decade or so after Newfoundland and Labrador’s confederation with Canada in 1949.

Funding was available to support much-needed infrastructure work, but few communities had the organizational capacity to receive or manage this financial support. Hence, municipal councils became the primary means of receiving funds, and incorporation was encouraged across the province.

Today, most municipal governments play a much more complex and embedded role in the lives of the residents they serve. In addition, the legislative and regulatory environments in which municipal governments operate have become much more complex and demanding.

Many simply do not have the administrative, financial or technical capacity to comply with the legislative requirements, such as financial reporting, bylaw enforcement, federal waste water effluent regulations, workplace health and safety regulations and drinking water and waste water system requirements.

Currently, Newfoundland and Labrador has a population of approximately 530,000 people and there are 275 municipalities scattered across my province, wherein 78% of our municipalities have a population of fewer than 1,000 residents. The sheer number of communities and the duplication of services have created a huge administrative and financial strain. Towns are facing significant challenges, such as aging populations, out‑migration, uncontested elections, the ability to form committees and councils and a lack of economic opportunities.

Some municipalities are struggling to deliver services to remain viable. Many towns are becoming unsustainable, and are unable to engage in economic development or attract new residents, businesses and professionals such as health care providers. It is clear that we need to take steps to help support the governing structure that municipalities operate within.

Building on public consultations and extensive research, a joint working group on regionalization was established in 2020 to make recommendations to the Minister of Municipal and Provincial Affairs on a plan for regionalization. It was compromised of representatives of Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador, the professional municipal administrators and representatives from the Department of Municipal and Provincial Affairs.

A thorough review and analysis of the recommendations are currently being conducted by my government in Newfoundland and Labrador, with the goal of finalizing a comprehensive plan for regionalization for the province. Regionalization would allow for well-integrated planning, more transparent and accountable municipal governments, improved administration and operational capacities, fair and equitable taxation and the ability to attract and welcome new residents, professionals and tourists.

Municipalities are experiencing great examples of community-sharing services, and they are already seeing these benefits. These examples include access to regional economic development opportunities, fire protection services, land-use planning and infrastructure planning including water systems. Building upon existing collaborations and service sharing will help position communities for economic growth and the ability to be sustainable. By pooling resources, regional governments enhance capacity of what municipalities are able to offer to their residents.

Honourable senators, healthy and sustainable communities are the building blocks of a prosperous province and a prosperous country. Woven together, they comprise the social fabric of a dynamic, robust nation. I hope that we can continue to investigate within and beyond this chamber how all levels of government can collaborate to help support our vibrant communities within Newfoundland and Labrador and across all provinces and territories from coast to coast to coast.

Thank you, wela’lioq.