Organizations and educational resources

Learn about the organizations and educational resources on Asian heritage in Canada. If you are interested in adding information regarding your organization, please send your request to the Multiculturalism and Anti-Racism Branch.

On this page

• Organizations
• Educational resources
• Noteworthy films
• Special thanks

Organizations

Alberta

• Asian Heritage Month Society of Edmonton
  Founded in May 1998, the Asian Heritage Month Society of Edmonton continues to deliver in the production and presentation of cultural works to new audiences and in the intergenerational exchange of ideas and experiences among leading Canadian creators of Asian heritage.
• Pakistani Canadian Cultural Association of Alberta
  PCCA Alberta is a non-political, non-religious, not-for-profit organization of Pakistani Canadians in the province of Alberta, providing a platform for the community and others to celebrate Pakistani culture.
• Bangladesh Heritage and Ethnic Society of Alberta
  The Bangladesh Heritage and Ethnic Society of Alberta (BHESA) is a Canadian socio-cultural organization that preserves, promotes, and celebrates Bangladesh culture, heritage, and history, serving the local community of Bangladeshi-Canadians in the Edmonton area.
• Bangladesh Canada Association of Edmonton
  

  The Bangladesh Canada Association of Edmonton (BCAE) was established in 1979 as a cultural, social and not-for-profit organization. The BCAE serves Edmontonians that have emigrated from Bangladesh, descendants of the Bangladeshi immigrants, and to those who have interests in art, culture, people and society of Bangladesh. Its mission is to provide cultural and social interactions for the families and individuals of Bangladeshi Edmontonians, to integrate them with other communities in Canada and to offer a variety of programs and services to its members as well as non-members. This is a member-run organization and anyone living in greater Edmonton or its vicinity, believing in its cause, and / or being interested in the social and cultural norms of Bangladeshi people may become a member.

British Columbia

• Chinatown Vancouver
  Vancouver has been home to a vibrant Chinese community since the mid-19th century. Today, Vancouver's Chinatown is one of the largest in North America and provides an authentic Asian encounter complete with unique architecture, exotic culinary aromas, and an array of imported goods.
• Chinese Cultural Centre of Greater Vancouver
  The Centre promotes understanding and friendship between the Chinese community and other cultural groups in Canada.
• Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre
  The Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre opened in September 2000 and houses the Nikkei National Museum and a Japanese Canadian cultural centre. The Centre’s mandate is to promote a better understanding and appreciation of Japanese Canadian culture, heritage, and contributions from Canadians of Japanese heritage to Canadian society.
• Vancouver Asian Heritage Month Society
  For more than 25 years, VAHMS has worked closely with local Asian-Canadian communities and organizations that support the vision of becoming the main hub for celebrating Asian-Canadian arts and culture in the Metro-Vancouver area.
• Hua Foundation
  Hua foundation is a youth empowerment not-for-profit connecting cultural heritage and social change. Their approach is about leading community-based research and action, empowering youth and youth-led initiatives, and building community partnerships and resilience.
• Vancouver Chinatown Foundation
  The Vancouver Chinatown Foundation is a registered charity committed to the revitalization of Chinatown, one of Canada’s most iconic neighborhoods in the historic heart of Vancouver. The Foundation is dedicated to building a more resilient and inclusive community by promoting the well-being of those in need, while preserving Chinatown’s irreplaceable cultural heritage.
• Chinatown Storytelling Centre
  The Chinatown Storytelling Centre is the first permanent space of its kind dedicated to sharing the stories from the Chinese Canadian journey and the living heritage of Vancouver's Chinatown. With unique programming, immersive exhibits, and interactive kiosks, the Chinatown Storytelling Centre is at the core of the Vancouver Chinatown Foundation’s cultural revitalization efforts.

Manitoba

• Asian Heritage Society of Manitoba
  The Society is comprised of dedicated individuals who help make Asian Heritage Month a success each year. Their goals are to bring together members of the community in Manitoba to acknowledge the contributions of Asian Canadians to Canadian society through arts, culture, and heritage.

Saskatchewan

• India Canada Association of Saskatchewan
  India Canada Association of Saskatchewan (ICA) is a non-profit dedicated to promoting East Indian heritage and cross-cultural awareness through programming, outreach, and community engagement. Their vision is to share the immensity of Indian culture for the promotion of peaceful co-existence for all humanity.

New Brunswick

• Asian Heritage Society of New Brunswick
  The Society was established in 2002 to promote the federal objectives of Asian Heritage Month and to organize educational and cultural events commemorating the legacy of Canadians of Asian heritage, past and present.

Ontario

• Chinese Cultural Centre of Greater Toronto
  Over the past 30 years, the community-focused Centre has become a Home for the West to meet the East and the Past to meet the Future where people from all walks of life and ethnic backgrounds come together, share and enjoy the cultural diversity and artistic mosaic of Canada.
• Ottawa Asian Heritage Month Society
  The Society is a not-for-profit organization of volunteers that coordinates celebrations in the National Capital Region.
• Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre– Toronto
  The Centre fosters mutual understanding and facilitates the exchange of information about Japanese culture with the community at large through a wide range of programs. The Centre also works to build a spirit of co-operation and harmony among people of different cultures by coordinating community events and programs with other diverse organizations.
• Canadian Multicultural Council – Asians in Ontario
  The Council is an umbrella organization representing more than 20 Asian Canadian associations of various Asian countries, ethnic regions, and cultures in Canada. It was established in 1998 to promote inter-cultural cooperation among its members and racial harmony through the understanding of cultures and heritage.
• Council of Agencies Serving South Asians (CASSA)
  CASSA facilitates the economic, social, political and cultural empowerment of South Asians by serving as a resource for information, research, mobilization, coordination and leadership on social justice issues affecting the communities. It is also creating social change by building alliances and working collaboratively with those who share a vision of empowering all communities to participate in defining Canada’s future.

Quebec

• Festival Accès Asie
  Festival Accès Asie was first formed in 1995 as the Montreal Asian Heritage Festival, with an Asian Heritage Month mandate. It presents all artistic disciplines in dance, comedy, theatre, video, film, visual arts, music, poetry, performance, and new media.
• Young Chinese Professionals Association (YCPA)
  The YCPA aims at uniting, empowering, and propelling young Asian professionals and entrepreneurs. It fosters networks and creates opportunities to connect, train, and equip their members with the tools to exceed their potential and become today’s leaders.

Newfoundland and Labrador

• Friends of India Association - Newfoundland and Labrador
  The Friends of India Association is one of the pioneer community groups in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. For more than 50 years, the organization has celebrated contributions from India and has greatly promoted cross-cultural understanding within the province.

Educational resources

• Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden
  Located in Vancouver, it is the first full-scale classical Chinese Garden ever constructed outside of China.
• Chinese Canadian Women, 1923-1967
  Funded by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, the online exhibit entitled Chinese Canadian Women, 1923-1967: Inspiration - Innovation – Ingenuity, explores a compelling chapter of Canadian history through the experiences of Canadian women of Chinese heritage.
• Heroes Remember: Chinese-Canadian Veterans
  Veteran Affairs Canada’s Heroes Remember presents 21 veterans who speak candidly about their wartime efforts.
• Chinese Canadian Military Museum Society
  The Society is an integrated component of the Chinese Museum within the Chinese Cultural Centre complex in Vancouver's Chinatown. Its goal is to collect, preserve, document, and commemorate the role of Chinese Canadian veterans in the service of Canada's military and its impact on Chinese Canadian history and civil rights.
• Historica Canada
  This website describes the Canada-Asia experience from earliest times to the present day. The website discusses the Asian experience in Canada, and the evolution of Canadian society, from exclusion to greater tolerance including the embracing of diversity.
• The Ties that Bind
  The Ties That Bind: Building the CPR, Building a Place in Canada examines the struggle of communities of Chinese heritage in Canada, to establish their identity and roots in Canada. This online project was developed by The Foundation to Commemorate the Chinese Railroad Workers in Canada.
• The Virtual Museum of Asian Canadian Cultural Heritage (VMACCH)
  In showcasing Asian Canadian heritage, VMACCH enables Asian Canadians to share their heritage among themselves and with the rest of Canada. The website also features works by Canadian artists of Asian heritage and encourages participation in the cultural life of Canada. It is also a valuable teaching resource for schools on Asian heritage and culture.

Noteworthy films

• Iron Road
  The story of Iron Road presents an ideal opportunity to educate young people about the history of the Chinese community in Canada, the building of the Canadian Pacific Railway, and the cultural diversity of our nation.
• Unwanted Soldiers
  This picture tells the personal story of filmmaker Jari Osborne's father, and other Chinese Canadian veterans who fought in the Second World War. Osborne's father and his compatriots recall their training for top-secret missions behind enemy lines in Southeast Asia, as they proudly fought for a country that had discriminated against them.
• Everything Will Be
  Everything Will Be is a documentary by Sundance award-winning director Julia Kwan. It captures the subtle changes in Vancouver's once-thriving Chinatown—in the midst of a transformation that plays out across many ethnic enclaves in Canada. This film shows how gentrification and new immigrants have transformed Vancouver's, once-homogenous, working-class Chinatown. The community's oldest and newest members offer their intimate perspectives on the shifting landscape as they reflect on change, memory, and legacy.
• Tiger! 
  This film traces the journey of "Tiger" Jeet Singh, a Punjabi-Canadian immigrant who became one of Japan's most popular professional wrestlers. It follows his life from being a newly-landed Canadian resident to frequent travel to fight in Japan to his current day life in small-town Ontario as a successful local businessman.
• Scenes from a Corner Store
  An intimate portrayal of a Canadian-Korean family's struggle to understand each other. The documentary shows the common struggle between old-world Asian parents passing down their traditional values and their new-world kids' resistance despite their love for their father and mother.
• Sleeping Tigers: The Asahi Baseball Story
  This documentary tells the story of the Asahi baseball team, champions of the Pacific Northwest, until they lost everything and were herded into internment camps after Pearl Harbor. Within the barbed wire, the Tigers' passion for the game remained contagious, as RCMP officials and local townspeople joined in, breaking down racial and cultural barriers.
• Continuous Journey
  This film recounts the Komagata Maru Incident of 1914 through a mix of archival and contemporary footage. The ship carrying 376 immigrants from India to Canada became the battleground between those seeking immigration to Canada and the imperial forces that refused to allow them their right to a fair passage from India.

Special thanks

We would like to give a special thanks to the following organizations for their valuable input and contributions:

• Asian Heritage Society of New Brunswick
• Ottawa Asian Heritage Month Society
• Vancouver Asian Heritage Month Society
• Young Chinese Professionals Association (YCPA)