Parks Canada’s official designation text states: "Although considered excellent workers, they received **only a dollar a day, half the pay of a white worker**." It also notes that "Hundreds of Chinese died from accidents or illness, **for the work was dangerous and living conditions poor**." This designation concerns the Chinese labourers who built the CPR through the mountains of British Columbia in the early 1880s.

The provincial statement explains that between 1881 and 1884, more than 17,000 Chinese railroad workers came by ship from California and China to build the Canadian Pacific Railway. It says: "During construction, Chinese railroad workers were given the most difficult, dangerous tasks. It is estimated that three Chinese workers died for every mile of track laid." The statement specifies that "While white workers were paid $1.50 to $2.50 per day with their provisions provided, Chinese workers were paid only $1 a day and had to pay for their own gear and food."

The provincial history site notes that Chinese workers "received less pay for their time — **for every dollar a Chinese worker earned, a white worker earned $1.50 to $2.50** — and had to purchase their own food and gear, while these were provided to their white counterparts free of charge." It adds that "Chinese workers were also often **assigned dangerous tasks on the most challenging terrain, including handling explosives**."

This historical paper states: "White workers were paid **$1.50 to 2.50 per day and had their camp and cooking gear supplied; Chinese workers, paid $1.00/day, were compelled to purchase their own supplies.**" It further explains that "the Chinese were often **assigned the most dangerous tasks.**" It notes that some Chinese workers "were killed in **explosions, or crushed when tunnels collapsed**" and that accident and death rates were higher for Chinese workers.

The article describes how the CPR differentiated between workers: "White workers were **paid more, supplied food, worked less dangerous tasks, and were given shelter.**" In contrast, Chinese workers "were paid a low wage which they quickly used up to supply their own food and supplies to work, while **white workers were fully provided for.**" It argues that CPR treated Chinese workers as expendable resources and emphasizes that their tasks were more hazardous than those of white workers.

This peer‑reviewed article examines the organization and conditions of Chinese labour on the Canadian Pacific Railway between 1880 and 1885. The abstract and discussion describe hiring through Chinese labour contractors, differential wages compared to white workers, and the allocation of hazardous work. The study notes that Chinese laborers on the CPR generally received significantly lower daily pay than white workers and were concentrated in the most physically demanding and dangerous phases of construction, such as tunnelling and blasting in the Fraser Canyon. (Exact wage figures and task assignments are discussed in detail in the article’s body.)

The museum notes that between 1881 and 1885, over 17,000 Chinese men came to Canada to work on the western section of the CPR. It states: "Chinese labourers **worked in harsh conditions and for less than half the pay of their white coworkers.**" It also reports that "It appears that approximately **700 of them were killed in industrial accidents largely due to unsafe working conditions.**"

In its overview of Chinese immigration, the encyclopedia notes that Chinese labourers were recruited in large numbers to build the Canadian Pacific Railway in the 1880s and were paid significantly lower wages than white workers. It states that they performed "some of the most dangerous work" on the line, including rock blasting and other hazardous tasks in the Fraser Canyon, and that many hundreds died from accidents and harsh conditions during construction.

The heritage article explains that "Chinese workers were **paid $1.00 a day** and had to pay for all of their food and gear, **while white workers were paid $1.50-$2.50 per day and did not have to pay for their provisions.**" It adds that the western section in British Columbia "was the most dangerous to work on, and the Chinese workers were **always given the most dangerous tasks.**" These tasks included handling explosives: "They would often **handle explosives like nitroglycerin used to break up solid rock**" and "blasting tunnels through the rock" which caused landslides and fatal dynamite blasts.

In its history of the CPR, the encyclopedia explains that between 1880 and 1885, around 15,000 Chinese labourers were hired in British Columbia and that they were paid "about half" the wages of white workers and also had to pay for their own provisions. It further notes that they were concentrated on the most difficult sections of the line, particularly in the Fraser Canyon, and that many of the Chinese workers were killed in blasting accidents and other construction hazards.

Discussing labour on the western section of the Canadian Pacific Railway, the museum notes that Chinese workers were hired in large numbers and "were paid less than white workers" and had deductions for food and equipment. It states that these workers were often assigned to the toughest and most dangerous parts of the work, including cutting through rock, tunnelling, and handling explosives, and that many died in accidents or from disease and exposure.

The museum’s exhibit on the Canadian Pacific Railway states that contractors recruited thousands of Chinese workers for the British Columbia section. It notes that **Chinese workers were paid roughly one dollar per day**, less than white labourers, and that they also had to furnish their own food and clothing. The exhibit further highlights that contractors used Chinese crews for **dangerous work such as blasting tunnels and clearing rock in the Fraser Canyon**, and that many Chinese workers died in blasting accidents and rockslides.

In a narrative on CPR construction, the site notes: "While a Chinese worker would **make $1 per day, a white worker made $2 to $2.50 per day.**" It emphasizes that "The work there was **very dangerous.**" An example describes removing a huge rock by blasting where "More than 300 barrels of explosives were used" and a worker was killed by a boulder thrown by the blast. It also states that at least 600 Chinese workers were killed while working, either from "**planting explosives**, injuries or falling ill."

The biography of CPR contractor Andrew Onderdonk notes that he was responsible for building the most difficult sections of the Canadian Pacific Railway through British Columbia’s Fraser Canyon. It states that Onderdonk "imported thousands of Chinese labourers" and that their wages were lower than those of white workers. It also mentions that these workers performed some of the most hazardous tasks, including heavy rock work and blasting in tunnels, and that many died due to accidents and harsh conditions during construction.

Discussing the Canadian Pacific Railway, the paper notes that Chinese workers were employed in large numbers in British Columbia. It cites historical scholarship that these laborers **received significantly lower wages than white workers, often around one dollar per day**, and that they were disproportionately tasked with **the most perilous work such as blasting and tunneling through rock in the Fraser Canyon**. The article emphasizes that many Chinese laborers died in accidents involving **explosives and rockslides** due to these assignments.

The documentary-style video, citing Parks Canada and BC government archives, states that between 1880 and 1885, over 17,000 Chinese workers built the most dangerous section of the CPR and "They **were paid half the wages of white workers**, given the **deadliest jobs handling nitroglycerin**, and died at a rate of three per mile." It describes how Chinese workers "were assigned to handle the nitroglycerin," drilling holes in rock faces while suspended on ropes and then packing and lighting the explosives, with accidents being constant. It further notes that they "handled explosives that **white workers refused to touch**."

The provincial government’s Chinese Legacy BC pages (as summarized and cited by other sources) describe that thousands of Chinese labourers worked on the CPR in British Columbia for markedly lower wages than white workers and were often assigned the hardest and most dangerous work. They highlight that Chinese crews were concentrated in the difficult mountain sections and carried out work such as blasting and tunneling through rock where accident and death rates were high.

Modern Canadian historical scholarship consistently reports that Chinese labourers on the CPR’s British Columbia section in the 1880s were generally paid about **$1 per day**, significantly less than white workers, and that they were disproportionately assigned to the most dangerous work such as **tunneling, blasting, and handling explosives** in mountainous terrain. These themes appear in works by historians such as Lily Chow and in provincial and federal heritage designations.

The shared article text states that "Chinese workers were **given the most back-breaking and dangerous work to do.** They **cleared and graded the railway's roadbed. They blasted tunnels through the rock** ..." It emphasizes that the Chinese labourers were assigned the most hazardous tasks compared with other workers during CPR construction.