Won Alexander Cumyow played a leadership role in fighting for voting rights for Chinese Canadians

September 23, 2024                      Gatineau, Quebec                             Parks Canada

National historic designations recall moments of greatness and triumph or cause us to contemplate the complex and challenging moments that helped define the Canada of today. By sharing these stories with Canadians, we hope to foster better understanding and open discussions on the histories, cultures, and realities of Canada’s history.

Today, the Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Minister responsible for Parks Canada, announced the designation of Won Alexander Cumyow as a person of national historic significance under Parks Canada’s National Program of Historical Commemoration.

Born in 1861 at Port (Fort) Douglas in the colony of British Columbia, Won Alexander Cumyow was the first known person of Chinese descent to be born in what would become known as Canada. While he had hoped to become a lawyer, and articled at two law firms, he was barred from voting and the legal profession due to discriminatory laws. As a community broker and court interpreter in the justice system, he championed the rights of persons of Chinese origin and descent in Canada in the early 20th century. He fought to end racist voting laws and cast his first vote in 1949 at the age of 88, two years after Chinese Canadians regained the right to vote.

Throughout his life, Cumyow served as a community activist and was often called upon to take leadership, speaking or translator roles in Chinese Canadian and Asian Canadian activities to fight racism.

The Government of Canada, through the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, and Parks Canada, recognizes significant persons, places, and events that have shaped our country as one way of helping Canadians connect with their past. By sharing these stories with Canadians, we hope to foster understanding and reflection on the diverse histories, cultures, legacies, and realities of Canada’s past and present. 

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