Dozens gather in Vancouver's Chinatown to remember those who helped break down barriers

It's a chapter in Canada's history often left untold, but on Friday it was top-of-mind as dozens gathered at Chinatown’s Memorial Square.

When the Second World War began in 1939, Chinese Canadians weren’t even allowed to vote, yet hundreds still went to fight for this country.

"They wanted to show that they really wanted to be a part of Canadian fabric,” said retired Royal Canadian Navy Commander King Wan.

On top of being denied citizenship, Chinese immigrants were also charged a head tax to enter the country.

"When they came home, they said, 'We can fight and die for Canada, why don't we have the right to be full citizens?'” said Wan.

The soldiers then began their fight to be treated as equals in Canada, primarily by looking to have the 1923 Immigration Act – also known as the Chinese Exclusion Act, which more or less kept Chinese people from entering Canada – abolished.

"Despite the fact that the nation didn't love them, they decided to jump out of planes in Southeast Asia to fight for our country and then after the war continued to fight for our right to vote,” said Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim.

In 1947, the exclusion act was lifted, allowing Chinese immigrants to become citizens of Canada and vote.

For Sim, who’s the first Chinese-Canadian to be mayor of Vancouver, their actions will never be forgotten.

"Without those sacrifices individuals like Lenny Zhou and myself wouldn't be able to stand in office today,” he said. “Future premiers and prime ministers of this country will have the opportunity to serve in those roles.”

Today, Chinese-Canadians remain a key part of the Armed Forces.

“It’s particularly important to us to be representative of Canada," said Royal Canadian Navy Vice-Admiral Angus Topshee.

"We want to make sure we have people from all parts of Canada and all backgrounds … That diversity is not just because we want to represent Canada, but because it gives us an operational advantage.”

“The more perspectives, the more backgrounds we have, the more likely it is that were going to be able to find the best approach to tackling to the many challenges that confront us,” he added.