Asian Heritage Portal

Promoting Asian Canadian History and Heritage

Victoria's Chinatown is the oldest surviving Chinatown in Canada.
© Parks Canada

Welcome to the Parks Canada Asian Heritage Portal.

This portal gathers together information on Asian Canadian events, persons and sites that have been recognized as nationally significant and have been designated by the Minister on the advice of the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada.

Parks Canada, which is the Government of Canada agency responsible for the national commemoration program, has made it a priority to increase the number of designations associated with the history of Canada's ethnocultural communities, including Asian Canadians.

As of August 2008, nine National Historic Sites, two National Historic Persons and four National Historic Events related to Canada's Asian Communities have been recognized and commemorated.

Asian Heritage Month

Asian Heritage Month was established to acknowledge the history of Asian Canadians and their contributions to Canada.

The month also provides Canadians with an opportunity to reflect on the hardships faced by Asian Canadians in the past, and to celebrate their contributions to the growth and prosperity of our country.

The Government of Canada officially recognized May as Asian Heritage Month in 2001, and it was first observed in May 2002. This came as a result of a motion introduced in the Senate by Senator Vivienne Poy, the first Canadian of Chinese descent to sit in the Senate.

Navigating the portal

This portal aims to create greater awareness of Asian Canadian history, and to serve as a gateway to access further information on this subject.

The portal gathers Parks Canada and other online resources related to Asian Canadian heritage and history together in this one location. Some of the resources you will find here include:

• Information on how National Historic Sites, Persons and Events are designated
• Information on the National Historic Sites, National Historic Events, and National Historic Persons related to Asian Canadians
• Stories about Asian Canadians in Canada's history
• Curriculum-based pedagogical resources related to immigration to Canada
• Links to multimedia resources related to Asian Canadian history
• Link to the Parks Canada Ethnocultural Communities' History Portal