NDP celebrates Asian Heritage Month

QUEEN’S PARK – Ontario NDP Anti-Racism and Equity Critic Laura Mae Lindo (Kitchener Centre), Deputy Leader Doly Begum (Scarborough-Southwest), and MPPs Bhutila Karpoche (Parkdale—High Park) and Kristyn Wong-Tam (Toronto Centre) issued the following statement to mark Asian Heritage Month:

“May marks Asian Heritage Month. This month offers us the opportunity to recognize and acknowledge the long history of Asian-Canadians, celebrate the achievements and strides made by these communities.

As we celebrate the achievements, contributions, and the diversity of the Asian-Canadian communities across our province, it is also important to remember that over the past few years, we have seen a spike in anti-Asian hate. Local small businesses and even seniors have become targets of these attacks.

We strongly condemn these actions, and have called for:

• Funding an Anti-Racism Secretariat
• Implementing a province-wide anti-racism strategy to tackle this alarming rise in hate, including anti-Asian racism
• Implementing an anti-racism strategy in schools and post-secondary that addresses and fights all forms of systemic racism, including anti-Asian racism
• Adequately funding community organizations that have been at the forefront of combating anti-Asian racism in the province

Asian-Canadians make up diverse, vibrant, and engaged communities who have contributed greatly to the social, cultural, and economic fabric of our province. Ontario is home to people from all across Asia whose rich cultural heritage, traditions, and diverse languages are an integral part of what makes our province great."