Toronto (June 27, 2021): Canadian Multicultural Network (CMN) celebrated Multiculturalism Day on Sunday 27th June 2021, virtually via Facebook Live and YouTube by amazing cultural performances, messages and greetings from the dignitaries, trivia questions and prizes! The year 2021 marks particularly a special milestone as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Canadian Multiculturalism Policy that recognizes the diversity of the Canadian society.
The event started with the land acknowledgement and the national anthem sung by Uthara Menon.
Dr. Marcus Samuel, president of CMN gave the inaugural address. In his speech, he said that Canada’s diversity has a comparative advantage as it is a source of continuing creativity and innovation. Dr. Samuel is a Professor of Integrative Cell Biology in the Department of Biological Sciences and the Director of Greenhouse Operations at the University of Calgary. He also serves as the Vice-President of the prestigious Canadian Society of Plant Biologists. He is a proud Indo-Canadian who migrated to Canada 25 years ago to do his PhD at UBC.
The Hon Bardish Chagger, the Federal minister of diversity and inclusion with youth , Lisa Macloed Provincial Minister of Heritage, Sports, Tourism and Culture, His Worship John Tory (Mayor, Toronto), Her Worship Bonnie Crombie (Mayor, Mississauga), former Premier Kathleen Wynne, MPP for Don Valley West, Shaun Chen (member of parliament in Scarborough North), Dolly Begam (MPP for Scarborough Southwest), Sheref Sabawy (MPP for Mississauga – Erin Mills), and Deepak Anand (MPP for Mississauga – Malton), Sumeeta Kohli (Chairperson of Panorama India), Alice Li (President of KCPA (Kaleidoscope Chinese Performing Arts), Ronit Eizenmen (Director of Nirkoda Israeli Dancers of Toronto; Co-founder of Dorledor Project of Toronto), Branding Strategist, Author, Global Speaker, Artographer Radio Host and Actress Annie Koshy (South Asian Media Network), John Elamatha (Malayali Writer Based in Toronto), Randolph J. Johnson (Broadcaster and Event Host), Cynthia Chow( Mississauga Chinese Arts Organization (MCAO), sent their video greetings to grace this occasion. They all shared their thoughts on multiculturalism day and emphasized how important each culture is for our country and how we can embrace and welcome our differences.
Watch the Video:
Performances from Hayley Verral, Brandy Leary, KCPA (Kaleidoscope Chinese Performing Arts), Sancia & Simone, Mississauga Chinese Arts Organization (MCAO), Dr.Amitha Mundenchira, Nirkoda Israeli Dancers of Toronto and Saswati Sahoo, depicted the vibrant display of celebration and acceptance of various cultures in our country..
In keeping with the multiculturalism theme, the hosts Sushma Marllyn Phillip Charles and Zoha Zaheer engaged the audience with trivia games that added a cerebral aspect to the event. The event ended with Jaison Mathew, Chief Editor of CMN News giving the vote of thanks to all the dignitaries, participants and patrons of CMN. The event was funded by Heritage Canada.
Live on Facebook:
