近日,溫哥華市長羅伯特森就華人曾在加拿大遭遇的歧視性待遇進行了道歉。
The city of Vancouver in British Columbia, Canada, formally apologized to Chinese Canadians for discriminating against them in the past.
加拿大英屬哥倫比亞省溫哥華市就曾經(jīng)歧視加拿大華人一事進行了正式道歉。
In a council meeting on Sunday, Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson acknowledged that it was time to recognize “historical wrongdoings” committed against the city’s residents of Chinese descent.
在周日的議會會議上,溫哥華市長格雷戈爾·羅伯森特表示,是時候承認我們對華人市民所犯的“歷史性錯誤”了。
“I rise today to recognize and repudiate such acts that stigmatized and dehumanized the Chinese-Canadian community of Vancouver,” he read from the apology prepared in English, Cantonese and Sze Yup dialect.
他宣讀了致歉信:“今天,我站出來承認錯誤,同時譴責侮辱和虐待溫哥華加拿大華人社區(qū)的行為。”致歉信是用英語、粵語和五邑方言書寫的。
“I rise today to formally apologize to the Chinese community of Vancouver and to all Canadians of Chinese ancestry for … discriminatory legislation.”
“我今天就歧視性立法正式向溫哥華的華人社區(qū)和全體加拿大華裔道歉。”
Robertson was referring to policies established in the city between 1886 and 1949, which, for one, denied Chinese residents the right to own property and choose where they wanted to live.
羅伯森特提到了溫哥華1886年至1949年制定的政策。該政策否認了華人的財產權和居住自由權。
They were also forced to pay a head tax worth up to two years of wages just so they could enter Canada.
他們還被迫用兩年的工資支付人頭稅,只有這樣才能進入加拿大。
Chinese residents were also denied the right to vote, hold public office, work desirable jobs and pursue education as they wanted.
華人還被否認了投票權,公職權、就業(yè)權和教育權。
They could not become professionals. They could not become a lawyer, a doctor, a dentist or a teacher. They could not go to a local swimming pool In the theatre, they had to sit in the back rows.”
他們不得成為專業(yè)人員,不得當律師、醫(yī)生、牙醫(yī)或老師,不得去當?shù)赜斡境,在劇院,也得坐后坐?/p>