A unanimous decision was made at the House of Commons today declaring the month of January as Tamil Heritage Month under M-24. The motion will "recognize the contributions that Tamil-Canadians have made to Canadian society, the richness of the Tamil language and culture, and the importance of educating and reflecting upon Tamil heritage for future generations by declaring January, every year, Tamil Heritage Month."
The Canadian Tamil Congress, a non-partisan organization that works as the Canadian Tamil community’s spokesperson at the municipal, provincial, federal and international levels, released the following statement:
"We thank and congratulate Mr. Gary Anandasangaree, Member of Parliament for Scarborough-Rouge Park, for introducing a motion today in the House of Commons, calling on the Canadian Parliament to officially declare the month of January as Tamil Heritage Month. This will provide Canadians from coast to coast to coast the opportunity to celebrate our rich Tamil heritage, culture, language, and history.
To date, the Toronto District School Board, many GTA municipalities, such as the City of Toronto, and the Province of Ontario have all declared January as “Tamil Heritage Month”.
Tamils began migrating to Canada as early as the 1950s, which accelerated after the anti-Tamil pogrom in July 1983. Since that time, Tamil Canadians have overcome tremendous obstacles after their arrival and have made significant contributions to the growth and prosperity of Canada.
January is an important month for Tamil Canadians, as the Tamil Harvest Festival, Thai Pongal, is celebrated in this month.
By proclaiming the month of January as Tamil Heritage Month, our great nation will recognize that Tamil Canadians have been an asset to Canada’s social, economic, political and cultural fabric. Tamil Heritage Month will be an opportunity to remember, celebrate and educate future generations about the inspirational role that Tamil Canadians have played and continue to play in communities across Canada.
We request all political parties to come together to unanimously pass this motion and officially declare January as Tamil Heritage Month in Canada."
Related: Why Tamil Heritage?
Featured image sourced from liberal.ca.
