I know of one connection between Canada and anti-China sentiment. It’s to do with Hong Kong and house prices. My only sources are from conversations, but as I understand it…
People from Hong Kong started emigrating to Canada around the time that China started taking a more active role in Hong Kong and Britain’s power there dwindled. There was a specific event, but I cannot recall which one.
Then the tale goes: Canada then imposed a rule that emigrants could only gain Canadian citizenship if they owned so much prpoerty in CAN$. Canadians realised they could inflate their house prices knowing that someone wanting to ‘escape’ Hong Kong just need to own a property worth CAN$1m (or whatever the actual sum was).
This story is then told to explain why Canada’s house prices are so expensive, and why Canadian passports are so desirable. But in the mix, the Chinese get blamed for a Canadian house price boom that puts home ownership out the question for Canadian workers.
I’d be very happy for someone with more detail to add that detail and correct any mistakes in this.
Makes sense. Very convenient for those cities to pretty much encourage real-estate speculation, make a shitload off the sales, then use xenophobia and put the blame on foreigners when people complain about the lack of affordable housing. No one’s forcing the landowners in Vancouver to sell. The city government’s are probably happy to take their additional cut in property taxes too.
That’s right. And even if the facts aren’t quite right, the story gets repeated and the reactionaries win twice. Once with the extra cash, and again with the divisive rhetoric.
I know of one connection between Canada and anti-China sentiment. It’s to do with Hong Kong and house prices. My only sources are from conversations, but as I understand it…
People from Hong Kong started emigrating to Canada around the time that China started taking a more active role in Hong Kong and Britain’s power there dwindled. There was a specific event, but I cannot recall which one.
Then the tale goes: Canada then imposed a rule that emigrants could only gain Canadian citizenship if they owned so much prpoerty in CAN$. Canadians realised they could inflate their house prices knowing that someone wanting to ‘escape’ Hong Kong just need to own a property worth CAN$1m (or whatever the actual sum was).
This story is then told to explain why Canada’s house prices are so expensive, and why Canadian passports are so desirable. But in the mix, the Chinese get blamed for a Canadian house price boom that puts home ownership out the question for Canadian workers.
I’d be very happy for someone with more detail to add that detail and correct any mistakes in this.
Makes sense. Very convenient for those cities to pretty much encourage real-estate speculation, make a shitload off the sales, then use xenophobia and put the blame on foreigners when people complain about the lack of affordable housing. No one’s forcing the landowners in Vancouver to sell. The city government’s are probably happy to take their additional cut in property taxes too.
That’s right. And even if the facts aren’t quite right, the story gets repeated and the reactionaries win twice. Once with the extra cash, and again with the divisive rhetoric.