Chinese Heritage in Canada: The Canadian Pacific Railway and Beyond

The history of Chinese heritage in Canada is often introduced through a single storyline, the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway. Thousands of Chinese laborers helped to lay the foundation of this nation, who endured harsh working conditions, discriminatory pay, and exclusion from recognition.

This talk celebrates Chinese heritage in Canada by recognizing the importance of this point in our history. In the meantime, this talk also highlights that this is not the only storyline for Chinese Canadians, it moves beyond the railway to explore how Chinese communities are established in Canada despite decades of legislated discrimination.

Lastly, the talk explores Chen' own experience as a Chinese woman working in public transit today in Canada, on how Chinese heritage in Canada is not only something inherited, but something actively lived. I want to challenge the audiences to rethink Chinese heritage, beyond the figures of historical hardship, but as ongoing contributors to the system that keeps Canada moving.

About our speaker:

Yeeman Chen, Director of Farecard, Toronto Transit Commission

Currently, Yeeman is the Director for the TTC’s Farecard team. She oversees a team that is responsible for the TTC’s fare payment system, including system performance and quality assurance. The TTC is the largest Canadian transit agency, and third largest in North America, serving approximately 1.7 million riders daily across the subways, buses, streetcars and paratransit network.

Prior to her current role, Yeeman worked in various roles within the TTC, in areas of Operations and Infrastructure, Training Development, and Maintenance. In 2023, Yeeman publicly spoke on the investigation of the Scarborough Rapid Transit incident and the discontinuation of the line. Yeeman is also a published industry author on public sector technology modernization.

Yeeman received her B.A. in Global and Organizational Development from Queen’s University, a Post Graduate Certificate from Seneca College in Human Resources Management, as well as a Project Management Professional Certification from the Project Management Institute.

About the series:

The Toronto Railway Museum hosts guest speakers online via the Zoom Webinar platform the Second Tuesday of each month. These talks are free and open to the public, with a suggested donation of $10 to support future programming. The Toronto Railway is a registered Canadian charity (838626943RR0001) and charitable tax receipts will be issued for donations over $25.

Image: Chinese section men on handcars, Canadian Pacific Railway, c. 1886. Courtesy of the University of Calgary, Archives and Special Collections