OFL STATEMENT
ASIAN HERITAGE MONTH
MAY 2014
May is Asian Heritage Month and has been designated in recognition of the important contributions of Asian Canadians to the settlement, growth and cultural development of Canada.
One month is a short time to do justice to those who were instrumental in building and shaping Canada. Asians of previous generations survived brutal societal and government discrimination, and barriers and prohibitions designed to keep them in their “place.” Some of these include the Chinese Immigration Act (Chinese Exclusion Act) along with the imposition of the infamous “Head Tax”; the numerous provinces’ laws prohibiting Chinese-owned restaurants and laundries from hiring white women and, for all Asians, the persistence of virulent racism.
While there was recognition of mistreatment in the form of a government apology, the current federal government persists in ignoring history. The Harper government’s Temporary Foreign Workers’ Program, is today’s current version of the exclusionary practices of the past, removing from migrant workers the rights, pay rates and protections afforded to the rest of the workforce.
“By taking a page from Asian Canadians’ struggle we know that enormous obstacles can be overcome. This is a month to celebrate the strength, vitality and determination of Asian Canadians, and to remember our history. It shows us how much progress can be made despite the worst of impediments,” said OFL Executive Vice-President Irwin Nanda.
Asian Heritage Month had its inaugural celebration in Toronto in 1993, and in December 2001, the Senate of Canada passed a motion to officially designate May as Asian Heritage month.
What you can do
- The OFL’s Common Front will be hosting a South Asian Celebration Sat., May 31st to honour community and union activists. Join the festivities. See the OFL website for information. For tickets: phazel@ofl-org.flywheelsites.com
- The Asian Canadian Labour Alliance is an important partner of the labour movement with a mandate focused on social unionism and anti-racism. Support ACLA’s work and its equality agenda for workplaces and unions. See www.aclaontario.ca
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FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:
Irwin Nanda, OFL Executive Vice-President: 416-450-9419
Lynn Simmons, Communications: 416-795-1427
