Government of Canada Celebrates Asian Heritage Month
MONTREAL, May 5, 2005 -- The Honourable Raymond Chan, Minister of State (Multiculturalism), today invited Canadians of all backgrounds to celebrate Asian Heritage Month."This is the fourth year that the Government of Canada has officially acknowledged May as Asian Heritage Month," said Minister of State Chan. "I am pleased to invite all Canadians to discover the contributions and rich history of Asian Canadians by participating in the many events taking place all over Canada this month."
To launch Asian Heritage Month, Minister of State Chan was in Montreal where he met leaders of the Chinese-Canadian community, who joined him for a walk-about in Chinatown and for a visit to the Chinese Cultural Centre. He then spoke at a dinner attended by members of the Chinese-Canadian community.
To celebrate Asian Heritage Month, Minister Chan will also host a film screening in Vancouver, on May 14. The film Cosmic Current, by Indo-Canadian filmaker Anand Ramayya, will be screened. It won the Canada Award at the 2004 Geminis. This award is supported by the Department of Canadian Heritage through its Multiculturalism program.
For many years, May has been celebrated as Asian Heritage Month by Asian communities all over North America. In 1993, a major event was held in Toronto to celebrate Asian Heritage Month. Since then, cities across Canada, including Halifax, Montreal, Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver, have been holding annual festivities to recognize Asian Heritage Month. In December 2001, the Senate passed a motion to officially designate May as Asian Heritage Month in Canada.
According to the 2001 Census, almost 10 percent of Canadians are of Asian descent. A recent Statistics Canada population projection report shows that, based on current trends, by the year 2017, West Asian and Korean populations will likely double. In addition, between 1.5 to 2.2 million people living in Canada are expected to be of Chinese origins (representing 4.8 to 6 percent of the Canadian population), and 1.6 million to 2.2 million people will be of South Asian origin (representing 4.9 to 6 percent of the Canadian population).
For a list of community events taking place throughout Canada during Asian Heritage Month, please visit our Web site: www.canadianheritage.gc.ca.
Information:
Roy Bornmann
Office of Minister of State (Multiculturalism)
(819) 997-9900
Myriam Brochu
Chief, Media Relations
Canadian Heritage
(819) 997-9314
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