May 20, 2010 – Calgary – The Honourable Jason Kenney, Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism joins students, teachers and local ethnocultural community leaders today to celebrate Asian Heritage Month with The Historica-Dominion Institute’s Passages to Canada program.
“We are proud to host an event in Calgary to celebrate the important contributions of Asian Canadians to this country’s cultural heritage,” said Marc Chalifoux, Executive Vice-President of the Historica-Dominion Institute, “and to give all new Canadians the opportunity to share their stories of finding a home in Canada through The Passages to Canada program.”
The CBC’s Nirmala Naidoo moderated a unique panel featuring the immigration stories of Canadian composer Hope Lee, Hieu Van Ngo, Director of Calgary’s Coalition for Equal Access to Education and Idrees A. Khan, founder of the Muslim Families Network Society. Other event highlights included a Lion Dance, a demonstration by a local Martial Arts team, and a celebratory cowboy hat toss lead by Minister Kenney.
Passages to Canada is a national storytelling initiative of The Historica-Dominion Institute, sponsored by TD Bank Financial Group and Citizenship and Immigration Canada. Since 2002, more than 100,000 students and New Canadians across the country have heard the inspiring personal stories of immigration from some of Canada's most engaging immigrants. Visit
www.passagestocanada.com
The Historica-Dominion Institute is a national charitable organization that was launched on September 1, 2009 through the amalgamation of two existing organizations: The Historica Foundation of Canada and The Dominion Institute. Its mandate is to build active and informed citizens through a greater knowledge and appreciation of the history, heritage and stories of Canada. Visit
www.historica-dominion.ca
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For more information:
Chantal Gagnon
Media Relations
cgagnon@historica-dominion.ca
1.866.701.1867 x 238
Cell: 416.575.3627