The Canadian government Wednesday honored its earlier promise by issuing cheques to eligible spouses and common-law partners of Chinese immigrants who were forced to pay Canada's controversial Head Tax.

The payments were meant to acknowledge the effects of racist immigration policies, said Canadian Heritage Minister Beverley Oda, who was in Toronto Wednesday to hand out cheques to the recipients eligible for the settlement.

"These are individuals who suffered hardship and separation, and yet contributed so much to our society," said Oda in a press release.

"Today, we pay tribute to their contributions and recognize their essential role in the building of Canada," She said.

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper issued a full apology in June 2006 to the Chinese-Canadian community for the Head Tax.

According to a settlement package announced in October 2006, surviving Head-Tax payers can claim 20,000 Canadian dollars (about US$17,000) from the government.

The spouses or common-law partners of deceased Head-Tax payers are also eligible for payments.

Canada imposed the Head Tax on Chinese immigrants who came to the country between 1885 and 1923, and then implemented the policy of barring the entry of all Chinese immigrants until 1947.

An estimated 81,000 Chinese immigrants paid the Head Tax, raising 23 million Canadian dollars (about US$20 million) -- more than 1.2 billion Canadian dollars (about US$1 billion dollars) in today's currency -- for the Canadian government and the provinces that were collecting.

(Xinhua News Agency April 12, 2007)