eLanka

Monday, 20 Oct 2025
  • Home
  • Read History
  • Articles
    • eLanka Journalists
  • Events
  • Useful links
    • Obituaries
    • Seeking to Contact
    • eLanka Newsletters
    • Weekly Events and Advertisements
    • eLanka Testimonials
    • Sri Lanka Newspapers
    • Sri Lanka TV LIVE
    • Sri Lanka Radio
    • eLanka Recepies
  • Gallery
  • Contact
Newsletter
  • eLanka Weddings
  • Property
  • eLanka Shop
  • Business Directory
eLankaeLanka
Font ResizerAa
Search
  • Home
  • Read History
  • Articles
    • eLanka Journalists
  • Events
  • Useful links
    • Obituaries
    • Seeking to Contact
    • eLanka Newsletters
    • Weekly Events and Advertisements
    • eLanka Testimonials
    • Sri Lanka Newspapers
    • Sri Lanka TV LIVE
    • Sri Lanka Radio
    • eLanka Recepies
  • Gallery
  • Contact
Follow US
© 2005 – 2025 eLanka Pty Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
Home » Blog » Articles » ‘We’re Canadians and we contribute to the building of this country’ — Reflections on 20 years of Asian Heritage Month – by Thomas Desormeaux
Articles

‘We’re Canadians and we contribute to the building of this country’ — Reflections on 20 years of Asian Heritage Month – by Thomas Desormeaux

eLanka admin
Last updated: May 21, 2022 10:05 am
By
eLanka admin
ByeLanka admin
Follow:
Share
10 Min Read
SHARE

‘We’re Canadians and we contribute to the building of this country’ — Reflections on 20 years of Asian Heritage Month – by Thomas Desormeaux

This year’s theme is “Continuing a legacy of greatness.”

'We’re Canadians and we contribute to the building of this country' — Reflections on 20 years of Asian Heritage Month - by Thomas Desormeaux
“Multiculturalism is in the Constitution. Canada has given us the ability to be ourselves and that’s very important,” says Shahan Dahanayake of the Sri Lanka Canada Association of Ottawa. PHOTO BY JEAN LEVAC /Postmedia
Source:ottawacitizen.com
May marks Asian Heritage Month, a celebration of the contributions of Canadians of Asian heritage throughout the country’s history as well as a time to recognize the challenges and barriers they’ve faced.

This year’s theme — “Continuing a legacy of greatness” — 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.

In this spirit, this newspaper reached out to a few Ottawans of Asian heritage — or those with connections to the city — to find out what this month meant to them.

Senator Vivienne Poy

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.

“I realized that in the eyes of the federal government we didn’t exist because we were totally invisible and we weren’t part of the Canadian heritage. We were just not a part of it. That surprises you, right? It surprised me, too,” she said in an interview.

'We’re Canadians and we contribute to the building of this country' — Reflections on 20 years of Asian Heritage Month - by Thomas Desormeaux
“I realized that in the eyes of the federal government we didn’t exist, because we were totally invisible, and we weren’t part of the Canadian heritage. We were just not a part of it,” Sen. Vivienne Poy said about her motivation for moving the bill that officially designated May as Asian Heritage Month. Supplied jpg

“I wanted all Asian Canadians to be visible.”

For Poy, this month is about recognizing the contributions of Asians in Canada and highlighting the roles they played in building this country.

“It’s very important for people to be highlighted. It’s to say, ‘We are here, we are here to stay, we’re Canadians, and we contribute to the building of this country.’ Like in the past, we do it today.”

Asked about the surge in COVID-related anti-Asian hate, Poy blamed a “lack of knowledge” and said that, “When people really understand how different races have come together, have worked together throughout millennia, they would know that we’re a lot more similar than we are different.

“I think all children should grow up learning about world cultures, learning about world languages, learning about everything, everyone,” she explained.

“If they learn that, they’ll know how similar we are, even though we look different.”

Dr. Harpreet Kochhar, President of the Public Health Agency of Canada

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’s Sikh community.

“The fabric of Canada is woven with diversity. You walk around and you see diverse ethnicities in big cities, small cities,” he said.

“For me, this is a moment to celebrate with some of my colleagues, to have conversations and showcase some core cultural values,” Kochhar said of Asian Heritage Month.

Kochhar said that, as a Sikh, going to a local Gurudwara had been very helpful in bolstering connections amongst that community.

“I am Sikh. The Sikh community is limited with one Gurudwara, or temple, here, which is a place to bring out your spirituality. It’s also a place to bring out a little bit of socialization when you’re not praying,” he explained.

“It’s 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.

“Societal interactions are important to learn a little bit more about other cultures,” he said.

'We’re Canadians and we contribute to the building of this country' — Reflections on 20 years of Asian Heritage Month - by Thomas Desormeaux
Dr. Harpreet Kochhar is the president of the Public Health Agency of Canada. Supplied jpg

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.

“That was a good example of introducing the general population to what Sikhism is about, what it means, and how we practise it.”

Shahan Dahanayake, a member of the Sri Lanka Canada Association of Ottawa

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.

“Anybody from Sri Lanka who has that background can join the group,” he said.

“This month is the birth of the Buddha, it’s called Vesak, it’s a festival of lights. Last month was our new year.

“We 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.”

'We’re Canadians and we contribute to the building of this country' — Reflections on 20 years of Asian Heritage Month - by Thomas Desormeaux
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

Dahanayake says it makes sense that many immigrants seek out each other when they come to a new country as they “are not supported structurally.”

“We gravitate towards each other. It’s a natural connection for any immigrant,” he explained.

“The Sri Lankan community were my first friends here. That’s what it means to me. It’s our first contact. Every immigrant, it doesn’t matter if it’s Asian Canadians, we all face the same issues. Our qualifications that we come to this country with are not recognized. That’s the one thing that I hear most often from my community, that it’s hard.

“Multiculturalism is in the constitution. Canada has given us the ability to be ourselves, and that’s very important.”

An Nguyen, artist 

An Nguyen is 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 “See Me Now” exhibit at the Shenkman Arts Centre.

“I did a piece called a ‘Safe Place to Land.’ The idea was it’s a mother holding her twins, her kids and they’re in this body of water and they’re being swept away by the current. Water means so much for the immigrant community; it’s how a lot of us came over here,” she said of her work.

“I 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.”

Nguyen said Asian people don’t just want to celebrate Asian History Month this month.

'We’re Canadians and we contribute to the building of this country' — Reflections on 20 years of Asian Heritage Month - by Thomas Desormeaux
An Nguyen poses for a photo in front of some of her paintings. Thomas Desormeaux/Postmedia jpg

“We’re born Asian, and every day is a situation we experience holistically, multifacetedly. It’s in the food we eat, the way we dress, the media we take in, our social circles,” she explained.

“Growing up as an Asian girl, I didn’t see a lot of representation in media or arts. I think it’s slowly changing, but I never saw myself reflected in mainstream culture. Now, we live in a world that’s so different. In the Hunt Club area, there’s tons of different cultures and I love that. I love trying out Indian, Italian and Lebanese food. It’s just a mishmash of different cultures.”

TAGGED:Asian Heritage MonthAsian History MonthBIPOC communitiesCanadaContinuing a legacy of greatnessCOVID 19 pandemicOttawansShahan DahanayakeSri Lanka Canada AssociationVivienne Poy
Share This Article
Email Copy Link Print
Previous Article China becomes wild card in Sri Lanka's debt crisis - by BHARATHA MALLAWARACHI China becomes wild card in Sri Lanka’s debt crisis – by BHARATHA MALLAWARACHI
Next Article Passikudah- Batticaloa 2022 – by Stefan D’silva
FacebookLike
YoutubeSubscribe
LinkedInFollow
Most Read
10 Pictures With Fascinating Stories Behind Them!

“A PICTURE SPEAKS A 1000 WORDS” – By Des Kelly

Look past your thoughts so you may drink the pure nectar of this moment

A Life Hack for when we’re Burnt Out & Broken Down – By Uma Panch

Narration of the History of our Proud Ancestral (Orang Jawa) Heritage. by Noor R. Rahim

eLanka Weddings

eLanka Marriage Proposals

Noel News

Noel News

Noel News

Noel News- By Noel Whittaker

EILEEN MARY SIBELLE DE SILVA (nee DISSANAYAKE) – 29 September 1922 – 6 April 2018 – A Woman of Value an Appreciation written by Mohini Gunasekera

K.K.S. Cement Factory

Dr.Harold Gunatillake’s 90th Birthday party

Sri Lanka's women's cricket squad in Melbourne

Cricket: Sri Lanka’s women’s squad in Melbourne

- Advertisement -
Ad image
Related News
St. Anthony’s College Katugastota OBA Melbourne Dinner Dance: A Sold-Out Night of Music, Dining, and School Spirit
Articles Trevine Rodrigo

St. Anthony’s Katugastota OBA Dinner Dance – Melbourne – by Trevine Rodrigo

A Brief History of the Sri Lanka Malays. - Noor Rahim 
Articles Noor Rahim

A Brief History of the Sri Lanka Malays. – Noor Rahim 

Foamy Urine Causes and Remedies – Dr. Harold Gunatillake | eLanka Health Insights
Articles Dr Harold Gunatillake

Concerns regarding the occurrence of foamy urine, its  causes, and Remedies. – Dr. Harold Gunatillake

Practical AI for Small Businesses
Articles Bhanuka Nuwan

Practical AI for Small Businesses: 12 Workflows That Save Hours Every Week – By Bhanuka – eLanka

Pomegranates
Articles Malsha Madhuhansi

The Power of Pomegranates: Nature’s Ruby of Health and Vitality – By Malsha – eLanka

  • Quick Links:
  • Articles
  • DESMOND KELLY
  • Dr Harold Gunatillake
  • English Videos
  • Sri Lanka
  • Sinhala Videos
  • eLanka Newsletters
  • Obituaries
  • Tamil Videos
  • Dr. Harold Gunatillake
  • Sunil Thenabadu
  • Sinhala Movies
  • Trevine Rodrigo
  • Michael Roberts
  • Tamil Movies

eLanka

Your Trusted Source for News & Community Stories: Stay connected with reliable updates, inspiring features, and breaking news. From politics and technology to culture, lifestyle, and events, eLanka brings you stories that matter — keeping you informed, engaged, and connected 24/7.
Kerrie road, Oatlands , NSW 2117 , Australia.
Email : info@eLanka.com.au / rasangivjes@gmail.com.
WhatsApp : +61402905275 / +94775882546

(c) 2005 – 2025 eLanka Pty Ltd. All Rights Reserved.