This year and every year, we are celebrating and marking April as Arab Heritage Month! Arab Heritage Month gives over 1-million Arab Canadians the space to showcase their culture and talents. It also provides the general Canadian public with the opportunity to learn more about the nuanced and diverse experiences and struggles that Arabs from coast to coast face. Keep an eye out on this page to see updates on events happening across Canada celebrating Arab heritage in April!
Bill C-232, which calls for the recognition of April as #ArabHeritageMonth in Canada, moved to the second debate and second reading on May 17, 2022! We heard from members of parliament on why Arab Heritage Month should be declared in Canada.
On March 3, 2022 - Bill C-232 moved to the second reading. We heard passionate speeches from MP David McGuinty, MP Ziad Aboultaif, MP Luc Desilets, MP Blake Desjarlais, MP Sameer Zuberi, and MP Karen Vecchio on why this month matters to them and the communities they serve. As a national nonpartisan organization that is championing this bill, the Canadian Arab Institute has been working with Members of Parliament across all political parties to ensure the timely passage of this bill. We are so glad to see all political parties come together and unite behind an important cause!
Declaring April as Arab Heritage Month
CAI’s Director of Research and Policy, Jad El Tal, joined CBC’s Gill Deacon on Here and Now, to discuss the Declaration of April as Arab Heritage Month!
“Arab Heritage Month is such an important month to have because it provides the opportunity and space for Arab-Canadians to showcase their culture, their talents, and why they're proud to be both Arab and Canadian.“ Listen to the whole segment here!
Make your voice heard!
We are gathering videos from Arabs across Canada to learn more about what it means to them to be Arab-Canadian. The compilation of videos will be used in our Arab Heritage Month 2022 campaign, amplified on CAI social media platforms, and shared with our community partners. If you are an Arab-Canadian, join us in celebrating our diverse culture by filling out the form below! We will send you more information via email soon.
Celebrate is one of CAI's pillars. We're inviting Canadians around the country to nominate Arab-Canadians who have displayed leadership, talent, perseverance, honesty, integrity, and service to the Canadian community.
Click here to nominate someone for CAI's Community Visionaries 2022. Nominations will be reviewed, and the winners will be announced at the end of Arab Heritage Month! Get your nominations in!