Asian Heritage Month
May is Asian and South Asian Heritage Month in Canada. This month provides an opportunity to acknowledge the long and rich history of Asian and South Asian Canadians and the positive impacts they have within our communities.
Asian Heritage Month existed in the United States since 1979. In 2001, the first appointed Asian Senator, Vivienne Poy, proposed a motion in the Senate of Canada to acknowledge Asian Canadians, and in 2002 the heritage month became official.
Did you know Asia is the biggest continent in the world? Asian countries include China, Hong Kong, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, Taiwan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, and Russia.
The history of Asian immigration in Canada can be traced back more than 150 years ago! "Asian Canadians not only physically helped to build Canada, but also culturally enriched its diversity, which has become an important characteristic of Canada."
- Canada's Asian Heritage Month
Now, according to Stats Canada, almost half of the immigrant population in Canada was born in Asia!
"In the entire Canadian population, 3 Asian origins were among the 20 most commonly reported origins: Chinese (close to 1.8 million people), East Indian (approximately 1.4 million) and Filipino (837,130)."
- Asian Heritage Month: By the Numbers
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