VANCOUVER — Saying sorry is not enough, even if you are the prime minister of Canada.
Liberal Leader Paul Martin must do more if he wants the support of those who were required to pay a head tax in order to immigrate to Canada, Gabriel Yiu, a spokesman for the group, said yesterday in an interview.
The families met on the weekend to discuss a surprise reversal by Mr. Martin on the matter that has turned into one of the most contentious issues of the election campaign in British Columbia.
"All of them say they do not think Mr. Martin's apology is enough," Mr. Yiu said. "They want an apology in Parliament."
The group also wants Mr. Martin to rescind an agreement signed before the election with the National Chinese Canadian Congress. The agreement states that the government will neither apologize nor provide compensation to the head-tax families.
"Who should we believe -- a signed agreement, or a prime-minister candidate at election time?" Mr. Yiu said.
Mr. Martin offered a personal apology to the families last week during a phone-in program on a multicultural radio program. His comments appeared to undermine the position of his government and Multiculturalism Minister Raymond Chan, who has repeatedly said the government would not apologize. Mr. Chan has said he was advised that the government would face unlimited financial liability if an apology was issued.
Mr. Chan, who was knocking on doors in his constituency yesterday, was not available for an interview. However, his spokesman, Ian MacLeod, said Mr. Chan continues to be concerned about the government's liability.
"The key is to not expose the government to unlimited financial liability," Mr. MacLeod said.
Mr. Chan has consistently said he would support an apology, if it could be crafted in such a way to avoid financial liability, he said.
Mr. Martin's apology on radio would not carry much weight, Mr. MacLeod also said. "To be binding, it has to come through Parliament."
The federal government imposed the tax from the 1880s to the 1920s in a move to restrict immigration from China. About 81,000 Chinese immigrants paid the fee.
The families are looking for compensation for the financial hardship Chinese immigrants faced in raising money for the race-based fee and a recognition of the difficulties Canada created by splitting up families from China, Mr. Yiu said.
