May is Asian Heritage Month in Canada
It is an opportunity for us all to learn more about the many achievements and contributions of Canadians of Asian descent who have done so much to make us a diverse province and country. Asian Canadians continue to enrich our country and make it a more vibrant, inclusive and compassionate society. Let us celebrate the incredible diversity that is our strength. The 2016 census tells us that in Nova Scotia just over 40,000 people reported full or partial Asian ethnic origin.
It is also a month to consider the struggle of Asian Canadians to achieve equality in this country.
In 1885, the last spike was driven into the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR), joining Eastern and Western Canada. While the CPR is seen as essential to Canadian nation-building, it is also important to know the history of Chinese workers on the railways. Chinese workers were given the most dangerous work at half the pay. Two workers died for every 1.5 kilometers of competed track. Canadian labour unions at the time excluded Chinese workers from membership. And following the completion of the CPR, the Chinese Immigration Act was passed in 1885, with the implementation of the head tax to discourage Chinese people from settling in Canada.
In December 2001, the Senate adopted a motion proposed by Senator Vivienne Poy to officially designate May as Asian Heritage Month in Canada. In May 2002, the Government of Canada signed an official declaration to designate May as Asian Heritage Month.
There is much more work to do to achieve equality for Asian Canadian people. In May and throughout the year, we must speak out against racism and work to strengthen human rights for those of Asian heritage and for all equality seeking groups in Canada.