Hongkongers in Canada are calling for their identity to be recognized in the country’s upcoming census, an effort to create unity in the Hong Kong diaspora and enable better policymaking for the community.
The #IAmHongKonger campaign encourages Hong Kong people in Canada to list Cantonese as one of their spoken languages at home and specify “Hong Konger” as their ethnicity in the census—rather than just Chinese—in next month’s census.
Canada’s national census is conducted every five years. The survey aims to collect the population’s socioeconomic data, which will influence the government’s policymaking across areas such as housing, employment, health services and minority language support.
“It is difficult for our community to be lumped into a pan-Asian or Chinese group. Our language, food, traditions and needs are different. We feel unseen and are worried about the slow erasure of our Hongkonger culture and a loss of identity,” Crispin Chow, a spokesperson for the #IAmHongkonger campaign,” said.
According to Canadian authorities, data for an ethnic group are published if the count is approximately 800 or higher.
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“Once 800 people fill in ‘Hong Konger’ in the upcoming census, the census will recognize Hong Konger as an official ethnic origin. By having reliable statistics, service providers, policymakers and community organizations are able to serve the needs of this unique population,” Chow said, citing Cantonese translation as an example of a service the government could provide if demand is clear.
The anti-government protests that began in 2019 have led to a strengthened sense of identity among Hongkongers in the city and abroad, with large swaths of the younger generation rejecting the “Chinese” label.
Chow added: “It is important to move beyond the monolithic Chinese and Asian identities and start recognizing diverse Asian populations.”
A similar campaign was held in the US last year, when the country conducted its census survey. Activists with We The Hongkongers, a US-based group, called on Hong Kong people to check the “Other Asian” box in the survey and specify “Hongkonger.”
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