{"id":92259,"date":"2022-05-21T10:03:54","date_gmt":"2022-05-21T10:03:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/?p=92259"},"modified":"2022-05-21T10:05:01","modified_gmt":"2022-05-21T10:05:01","slug":"were-canadians-and-we-contribute-to-the-building-of-this-country-reflections-on-20-years-of-asian-heritage-month-by-thomas-desormeaux","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/were-canadians-and-we-contribute-to-the-building-of-this-country-reflections-on-20-years-of-asian-heritage-month-by-thomas-desormeaux\/","title":{"rendered":"‘We\u2019re Canadians and we contribute to the building of this country’ \u2014 Reflections on 20 years of Asian Heritage Month – by Thomas Desormeaux"},"content":{"rendered":"

‘We\u2019re Canadians and we contribute to the building of this country’ \u2014 Reflections on 20 years of Asian Heritage Month – by Thomas Desormeaux<\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n

This year’s theme is “Continuing a legacy of greatness.”<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\"'We\u2019re
\u201cMulticulturalism is in the Constitution. Canada has given us the ability to be ourselves and that\u2019s very important,” says Shahan Dahanayake of the Sri Lanka Canada Association of Ottawa. PHOTO BY JEAN LEVAC \/Postmedia<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
<\/section>\n
Source:<\/strong>ottawacitizen.com<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/section>\n
<\/section>\n
May marks Asian Heritage Month, a celebration of the contributions of Canadians of Asian heritage throughout the country\u2019s history as well as a time to recognize the challenges and barriers they\u2019ve faced.<\/span><\/section>\n
\n

This year\u2019s theme \u2014 \u201cContinuing a legacy of greatness\u201d \u2014 focuses on reminding all Canadians of the need to unite and fight anti-Asian racism and discrimination in all its forms, which many say has become worse since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/span><\/p>\n

In this spirit, this newspaper reached out to a few Ottawans of Asian heritage \u2014 or those with connections to the city \u2014 to find out what this month meant to them.<\/span><\/p>\n

Senator Vivienne Poy<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Vivienne Poy is a former Canadian senator who served in the upper chamber of Parliament from 1998 to 2012. She was the first senator of Asian ancestry and put forth the 2001 bill that officially designated May as Asian Heritage Month. It was first celebrated in 2002.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI realized that in the eyes of the federal government we didn\u2019t exist because we were totally invisible and we weren\u2019t part of the Canadian heritage. We were just not a part of it. That surprises you, right? It surprised me, too,\u201d she said in an interview.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"'We\u2019re
\u201cI realized that in the eyes of the federal government we didn\u2019t exist, because we were totally invisible, and we weren\u2019t part of the Canadian heritage. We were just not a part of it,\u201d Sen. Vivienne Poy said about her motivation for moving the bill that officially designated May as Asian Heritage Month. Supplied jpg <\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cI wanted all Asian Canadians to be visible.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

For Poy, this month is about recognizing the contributions of Asians in Canada and highlighting the roles they played in building this country.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s very important for people to be highlighted. It\u2019s to say, \u2018We are here, we are here to stay, we\u2019re Canadians, and we contribute to the building of this country.\u2019 Like in the past, we do it today.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Asked about the surge in COVID-related anti-Asian hate, Poy blamed a \u201clack of knowledge\u201d and said that, \u201cWhen people really understand how different races have come together, have worked together throughout millennia, they would know that we\u2019re a lot more similar than we are different.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI think all children should grow up learning about world cultures, learning about world languages, learning about everything, everyone,\u201d she explained.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf they learn that, they\u2019ll know how similar we are, even though we look different.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Dr. Harpreet Kochhar, President of the Public Health Agency of Canada<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Harpreet Kochhar is a veterinary doctor with a PhD from the University of Guelph. He was appointed as president of the Public Health Agency of Canada in 2021. He is a member of Ottawa\u2019s Sikh community.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe fabric of Canada is woven with diversity. You walk around and you see diverse ethnicities in big cities, small cities,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFor me, this is a moment to celebrate with some of my colleagues, to have conversations and showcase some core cultural values,\u201d Kochhar said of Asian Heritage Month.<\/span><\/p>\n

Kochhar said that, as a Sikh, going to a local Gurudwara had been very helpful in bolstering connections amongst that community.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI am Sikh. The Sikh community is limited with one Gurudwara, or temple, here, which is a place to bring out your spirituality. It\u2019s also a place to bring out a little bit of socialization when you\u2019re not praying,\u201d he explained.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been helpful with making those connections with community members. I take inspiration from people who have been successful in past generations, and I inspire the next.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSocietal interactions are important to learn a little bit more about other cultures,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"'We\u2019re
Dr. Harpreet Kochhar is the president of the Public Health Agency of Canada. Supplied jpg <\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Local Gurudwaras can also help to better inform the broader community about the Sikh community, Kochhar said, noting the Gurudwara he visits Ottawa used to host open houses.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat was a good example of introducing the general population to what Sikhism is about, what it means, and how we practise it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Shahan Dahanayake, a member of the Sri Lanka Canada Association of Ottawa<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Shahan Dahanayake has volunteered as part of the leadership at the Sri Lanka Canada Association of Ottawa for years. The group celebrates Sri Lankan culture and creates support networks for recent immigrants and Sri Lankan-Canadians.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnybody from Sri Lanka who has that background can join the group,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis month is the birth of the Buddha, it\u2019s called Vesak, it\u2019s a festival of lights. Last month was our new year.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe have a large Christian community here, too, so we celebrate Christmas and other holidays. We have a large sports community; Sri Lanka is a big cricket playing country. We have cricket games. The last two years have put a big dent on it, but this year we can meet again.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"'We\u2019re
Shahan Dahanayake of the Sri Lanka Canada Association of Ottawa, says one of the biggest challenges facing immigrants to Canada is the lack of recognition of their qualifications or credentials they received in their home countries. Jean Levac\/Postmedia Postmedia <\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Dahanayake says it makes sense that many immigrants seek out each other when they come to a new country as they \u201care not supported structurally.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe gravitate towards each other. It\u2019s a natural connection for any immigrant,\u201d he explained.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe Sri Lankan community were my first friends here. That\u2019s what it means to me. It\u2019s our first contact. Every immigrant, it doesn\u2019t matter if it\u2019s Asian Canadians, we all face the same issues. Our qualifications that we come to this country with are not recognized. That\u2019s the one thing that I hear most often from my community, that it\u2019s hard.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMulticulturalism is in the constitution. Canada has given us the ability to be ourselves, and that\u2019s very important.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

An Nguyen, artist\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

An Nguyen<\/a>\u00a0is an artist who lives in Hunt Club with her family. She uses her paintings to draw attention to the cultural experience of Vietnamese people in Canada and to shed light on BIPOC communities, particularly women of colour. She was the curator of the 2021 \u201cSee Me Now\u201d exhibit at the Shenkman Arts Centre.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI did a piece called a \u2018Safe Place to Land.\u2019 The idea was it\u2019s a mother holding her twins, her kids and they\u2019re in this body of water and they\u2019re being swept away by the current. Water means so much for the immigrant community; it\u2019s how a lot of us came over here,\u201d she said of her work.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI came over here through sponsorship from a church, but my family came over here after the Vietnam War. We were part of the boat people experience. I think water for me represents so much. It represents immigration, it represents healing and a new beginning.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Nguyen said Asian people don\u2019t just want to celebrate Asian History Month this month.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"'We\u2019re
An Nguyen poses for a photo in front of some of her paintings. Thomas Desormeaux\/Postmedia jpg <\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re born Asian, and every day is a situation we experience holistically, multifacetedly. It\u2019s in the food we eat, the way we dress, the media we take in, our social circles,\u201d she explained.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGrowing up as an Asian girl, I didn\u2019t see a lot of representation in media or arts. I think it\u2019s slowly changing, but I never saw myself reflected in mainstream culture. Now, we live in a world that\u2019s so different. In the Hunt Club area, there\u2019s tons of different cultures and I love that. I love trying out Indian, Italian and Lebanese food. It\u2019s just a mishmash of different cultures.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

‘We\u2019re Canadians and we contribute to the building of this country’ \u2014 Reflections on 20 years of Asian Heritage Month – by Thomas Desormeaux This year’s theme is “Continuing a legacy of greatness.” Source:ottawacitizen.com May marks Asian Heritage Month, a celebration of the contributions of Canadians of Asian heritage throughout the country\u2019s history as well […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":92263,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"aside","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[44310,44316,44317,37094,44311,18076,44312,44314,44315,44313],"class_list":{"0":"post-92259","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-aside","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-articles","8":"tag-asian-heritage-month","9":"tag-asian-history-month","10":"tag-bipoc-communities","11":"tag-canada","12":"tag-continuing-a-legacy-of-greatness","13":"tag-covid-19-pandemic","14":"tag-ottawans","15":"tag-shahan-dahanayake","16":"tag-sri-lanka-canada-association","17":"tag-vivienne-poy","18":"post_format-post-format-aside"},"yoast_head":"\n'We\u2019re Canadians and we contribute to the building of this country' \u2014 Reflections on 20 years of Asian Heritage Month - 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