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.

“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.

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.”

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 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.”