Canada Celebrates MAY as Asian Heritage Month!
| Every year Canadians are invited to take part in the festivities that commemorate
the legacy of Asian Canadians, past and present, during Asian Heritage Month. This year, the Government of Canada officially recognized May as Asian Heritage Month. According to the Minister of Canadian Heritage, the Honourable Sheila Copps, this recognition acknowledges the long and rich history of Asian Canadians and their contributions to Canada and the world. "In Canada, our cultural diversity enriches all of us socially, politically and economically, in innumerable ways. Asian Heritage Month is an ideal occasion for all Canadians to celebrate the beauty and wisdom of various Asian cultures. It also affords an opportunity to acknowledge the many and varied contributions of Asian Canadians to our communities and to our country," said Minister Copps. Asian Heritage Month has been celebrated in the United States since 1979, and over the past decade, many Asians in Canada have begun to celebrate their heritage during the month of May. Since the inaugural Asian Heritage Month celebration in Toronto in 1993, cities across Canada including Halifax, Montreal, Calgary, Edmonton, and Vancouver have been holding annual festivities during the month of May to recognize Asian Heritage Month. A Motion to designate the month of May as Asian Heritage Month was introduced in the Canadian Senate by Senator Vivienne Poy on May 29, 2001, and seconded by Senator Pat Carney. Senators Sheila Finestone, Noel A. Kinsella, Nicholas W. Taylor and Laurier LaPierre spoke in favour of it. In December, 2001, the Senate of Canada passed a motion officially designating May as Asian Heritage Month. |
Copyright 2002 The Vancouver Asian Heritage Month Society
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