Parliament passes the Latin American Heritage Month Act
Ottawa, June 21, 2018 – Yesterday, the House of Commons voted unanimously to pass Bill S-218, An Act respecting Latin American Heritage Month, officially designating the month of October as the Latin American Heritage Month in Canada. The bill received unanimous approval from the Senate on November 29, 2017.
The bill was originally introduced in the Senate by the late Honourable Tobias C. Enverga Jr. in February 2016. He introduced the bill to promote and explore the Latin American culture. The passage of this bill follows the enactment of the Hispanic Heritage Month at the City of Toronto in 2014 and at the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in 2016.
According to the Canada 2016 Census, there are over 400,000 Latin Americans living in Canada. Across the country, many events will celebrate the first official Latin American Heritage Month in October, including the Hispanic Day on the Hill.
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“By designating the month of October as the Latin American Heritage Month, we will encourage the sharing of Latin American culture with all Canadians. The Latin American culture has lots to offer, including music, food, literature, film and fashion, and it greatly influences the Canadian cultural trends. Canadians demonstrate a particular interest for the Latin American history and culture, making Latin America one of the most popular destinations for Canadians. The month of October will now also be an opportunity to recognize the cultural, social and economic contribution of Canadians of Latin American origin. I believe we owe a debt of gratitude to the late Senator Enverga for working hard to see this bill pass.”
– Senator Rosa Galvez
Related Links:
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For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact:
Stéphane Laviolette
Office of Senator Rosa Galvez
613-996-2210 Stephane.Laviolette@sen.parl.gc.ca