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Alemany, a city councillor for Port
Alberni, and Rosemarie Buchanan, a school trustee with School District 70. They took the issue to their respective elected bodies for consideration and removal of his name from the street and school. City Council refused to take action, despite Alemany's efforts, but the school district kept the door open on changing the school's name, pending research and policy work on the issue of renaming generally.
75:, British Columbia. Though in his maiden speech in the House during the Address in Reply to the Governor General's Speech on March 16, 1922, he referred to himself as "the only Independent elected to this House... elected by an entirely independent convention of those opposed to the late Meighen Government".
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At the end of his speech he stated: "The important planks are those with reference to the restriction of
Japanese control of the fishing industry, the immigration of Asiatics, the eight hour law, old age pensions. The others are more or less minor matters... We stand for a white British Columbia. Mr.
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Neill was an ardent and vocal opponent of Asian and
Japanese immigration and advocated for a white British Columbia. Enumerating his platform during the Address in Reply in his Maiden Speech on March 16, 1922, his first four priorities were; "Opposition to the Meighen Government", "Abolition of purse
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In 2018, it was discovered that Neill had a racist covenant placed on his house in Port
Alberni (built in 1909), forbidding any persons of Asian descent from living in it, aside from servants. Alberni District Secondary School, Port Alberni, BC students Sarah Higginson, Katie Sara and Justin
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In 2002, Christopher
Stevenson, a student at Malaspina University College, discovered evidence of Neill's racist legacy while doing a history paper on Japanese Internment for a university course. Some years later during a discussion on social media, he brought up his findings with Christopher
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He stated other priorities to be: Dominion enactment of the
British Columbia eight hour law. The passing of an Old Age Pension Act. Extension of time on payments due under the Dominion Soldier Settlement Act. More considerate treatment of disabled soldiers, their widows and dependents. The
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Speaker, we in
British Columbia are sick to death of seeing and hearing people who "stand for a white British Columbia." The time for that has passed; we want them to stop standing, pick up their feet, move ahead, make some progress toward bringing about a white British Columbia."
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described Neill's statements as "flesh-creeping". In that speech Neill described
Japanese and Chinese Canadians as "a cancer" of "unassimilable people" and that Japanese interned in camps across Canada be deported to Japan after the end of the war.
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Neill was a strong proponent of
Japanese internment and spoke of his distrust of Japanese-Canadians during a speech in February 1942. "The fellow dressed up like a white man, speaking our language glibly, is the one who should be interned."
98:. While defending it in the house of commons on April 15, 1924, he referred to the effects the legislation would have on diminishing the Chinese population in Canada as "...the final solution of the Chinese question in Canada."
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seine and trap licenses", "Licenses -that is, fishing licenses- to be granted only to white
British subjects", "Immigration. Absolute exclusion of Asiatics.". He was also big proponent of the
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On February 11, 2020, the board of education for School District 70 voted unanimously to remove the name A.W. Neill from the school.
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He arrived in the Alberni Valley in 1891 as a farmer and business owner of Pioneer Feed Store. From about 1908 to 1911 Neill was the
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He was a member of the anti Asiatic League, fighting against rights for Japanese and Chinese Canadians from at least the 1920s on.
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for the West Coast of Vancouver Island enforcing federal government policies of assimilation and the residential school system.
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McFadden from Anne Ostwald's Social Justice class successfully petitioned to have the covenant removed from the house title.
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The Politics of Honorific Naming: Alan Webster Neill and Anti-Asian Racism in Port Alberni, British Columbia, Canada
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Neill was re-elected as an Independent and was re-elected four more times before retiring at the
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Parliament of Canada Riding Profiles: Comox--Alberni, British Columbia (1917-10-06 - 1979-03-25)
86:. Throughout the six general elections he contested he was never opposed by a candidate for the
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375:"Place Names of the Alberni Valley" by Helen Forde et al Alberni District Historical Society
204:"Place Names of the Alberni Valley" by Helen Forde et al Alberni District Historical Society
173:"Place Names of the Alberni Valley" by Helen Forde et al Alberni District Historical Society
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serving until 1903. He was Alderman on the first Council of the newly incorporated Town of
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281:"Hansard House of Commons of Canada April 15, 1924 (14th Parliament, 3rd Session)"
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elimination of overlapping of areas covered by federal and provincial police.
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Original Source (Scanned Text) Maiden Speech in the House of Commons - pg 173
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Original Source (Scanned Text) Maiden Speech in the House of Commons - pg 173
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Original Source (Scanned Text) Maiden Speech in the House of Commons - pg 171
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February 1942 - Address in Reply to the Speech from the Governor General
315:(1 ed.). Montreal: McGill-Queens's University Press. p. 421.
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Letter to Duncan Campbell Scott from Indian Agent AW Neill 1910.
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The issue of the street name has not been revisited since 2017.
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Members of the House of Commons of Canada from British Columbia
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City of Port Alberni Video Recording (YouTube) January 23, 2017
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Alan Webster Neill, M.P. - Parlinfo.ca - Parliament of Canada
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Alan Webster Neill, M.P. - Parlinfo.ca - Parliament of Canada
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Alan Webster Neill, M.P. - Parlinfo.ca - Parliament of Canada
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Amidst the Second World War during a debate in 1943 about
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politician. He was elected as MLA for the riding of
287:. House of Commons Canada Hansard. April 15, 1924.
458:Independent MPs in the Canadian House of Commons
396:CBC.ca article - Indian Avenue and Neill Street
236:Transcript of the Canadian Hansard at Lipad.ca
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419:Alberni Valley News - High School Students
128:A Middle School in Port Alberni was named
430:Westerly News - SD70 Decision on AW Neill
49:from December 6, 1921, to June 10, 1945.
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22:(October 6, 1868 - July 7, 1960) was a
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42:(1912) and Mayor from 1916 to 1917.
408:CBC.ca Racist Covenant Port Alberni
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354:Angus MacInnis - "Flesh Creeping"
448:Progressive Party of Canada MPs
45:Neill was MP for the riding of
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135:Neill Street in the City of
59:He was first elected to the
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61:House of Commons of Canada
122:fellow MP Angus MacInnis
130:A W Neill Middle School
88:Liberal Party of Canada
309:Baird, Ian G. (2020).
96:Chinese Exclusion Act
84:1945 federal election
118:Japanese Internment
16:Canadian politician
365:"A Cancer" - Lipad
20:Alan Webster Neill
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468:1960 deaths
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71:member for
69:Progressive
63:during the
442:Categories
328:24 October
161:References
285:lipad.ca
24:Canadian
143:, BC.
67:as the
40:Alberni
28:Alberni
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141:Tofino
330:2022
317:ISBN
80:1925
36:1900
34:and
32:1889
78:In
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.