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Canadian Citizenship Test · Question

Which Chinese-Canadian community helped build the CPR?

Cantonese labourers, primarily from China's Guangdong province, provided the essential workforce of over 15,000 men to build the treacherous western section of

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Question: Which Chinese-Canadian community helped build the CPR?

Answer options: ✅ Cantonese labourers

  • Hakka labourers only
  • Manchu officials
  • None

Correct answer: Cantonese labourers

Explanation: Cantonese labourers, primarily from China's Guangdong province, provided the essential workforce of over 15,000 men to build the treacherous western section of the Canadian Pacific Railway. Manchu officials were ruling bureaucrats who did not perform manual labor, while restricting the group to Hakka labourers is historically narrow and incorrect. According to Discover Canada, acknowledging the contributions and extreme hardships of these Chinese immigrants is fundamental to understanding Canadian nation-building. On the citizenship exam, candidates are frequently tested on the key historical groups, particularly Chinese labourers, who helped physically unite Canada by completing the railway.

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