Asian Heritage Month 2024
May 1, 2024 - Defence Stories
In 2001, the Senate of Canada adopted a motion to officially designate May as Asian Heritage Month and in 2002, the Government of Canada signed an official declaration. The month of May was chosen in recognition of the first known Japanese person who officially immigrated to Canada – a man named Manzo Nagano.
Asian Heritage Month provides the opportunity to deliberately recognize, reflect on, and celebrate the important contributions people of Asian descent have made to the Department of National Defence (DND), the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), and to their communities. Unfortunately, their lives in Canada are not without hardships or discrimination. Recent global events have generated further unjust hate and discrimination which must serve as a reminder to acknowledge and speak out against the continued existence of anti-Asian hate in Canada and globally.
Honouring Asian Canadian Armed Forces Members
Throughout time, CAF members of Asian descent have strengthened the forces with their talent and resiliency. Lieutenant-Commander (Retired) William K. L. Lore became the first Canadian of Chinese heritage to join Canada’s public service upon joining the Department of Transport in 1939, and the first Canadian of Chinese heritage to join the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) in 1943. He made remarkable contributions while serving as an intelligence staff officer, including leading a platoon of marines to take control of shore base HMS Tamar and freeing Canadian, British, and Hong Kong prisoners from the Sham Shui Po camp during Japan's surrender in 1945. During his time in the RCN, he rose to the rank of Lieutenant-Commander before his eventual retirement.
Aircraft Woman 1 Jean Suey Zee Lee was the only known Chinese Canadian woman to join the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) in the early nineteen forties. Though she may not have been sent to fight overseas in the war, she, and at least five women who worked for the Canadian Army, served in non-combat duty roles. This led to the RCAF creating a distinct but important women’s service called the Women’s Division of the RCAF, and later to the Canadian Army creating the Canadian Women’s Army Corps.
These two individuals blazed a trail for Asian Canadians to join the public service and the CAF and we must continue to ensure all members feel they belong and can contribute meaningfully to operational success. Diversity is a strength, and it is essential to the CAF’s long-term success.
Educating ourselves
Asian Heritage Month is a time to learn about the rich history of Asian communities in Canada. We should allow ourselves to learn from the lived experiences of Asian Defence Team members, their unique identities, traditions, and achievements. It is also a time to acknowledge and fight against the discrimination they face, past or present.
To learn more, there are several resources and organizations available to Defence Team members:
- May is Asian Heritage Month - Canada.ca is the official Government of Canada website for Asian Heritage Month.
- Asian Heritage in Canada | The Canadian Encyclopedia describes the Asian Canadian experience from its beginnings to now.
- The Virtual Museum of Asian Canadian Culture and Heritage (vmacch.ca) showcases various aspects of Asian Canadian heritage.
- The Terrifying But Beautiful Sea, the story of Lieutenant-Commander Kim Poirier, a member of the RCN.
- Dentistry on the High Seas, the story of Captain Aaron Lee, a CAF dentist.
- Captain M. Cletus Cheng - Veterans Affairs Canada, the story of a Chinese Canadian who died in service of his country.
- Chinese Canadians - Veterans Affairs Canada chronicles Chinese Canadian military service.
- Asian Canadians and Canada’s Military | Canadian War Museum is an overview of the history of Chinese, Japanese, and Sikh Canadian military service.
- Canadian Heritage - Noteworthy Canadians of Asian heritage, short biographies of some of the valuable contributions made by Canadians of Asian heritage.
- The Defence Team Anti-Racism Resource Hub is a website with guides, tip sheets, and resources to help Defence Team members accelerate systemic change within the Department.
- Addressing anti-Asian racism outlines how to confront and denounce anti-Asian racism and discrimination.
Connect
- Defence Visible Minorities Advisory Group (mil.ca) (only accessible on DWAN) establishes a dialogue between members of the Defence visible minority community and DND/CAF, to implement Employment Equity throughout the DND/CAF.