Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre stated at a B.C. town hall last week that Canada has too many federally recognized heritage months, noting it is “kind of getting hard to keep track of which month is for what cause or for what group.” The comment came after a Liberal MP proposed declaring July as Somali Heritage Month.
Conservative MP sponsors petition against new heritage months
In response, Conservative MP Jamil Jivani sponsored a petition calling for Canada to never declare another heritage month. The petition reads: “End the tokenism practice of recognizing a day or month in commemoration of any ethnic or heritage group; and celebrate Canadians for the sake of being Canadian not based on ethnicity or ancestry.”
Canada officially recognizes 17 heritage months
According to the Department of Canadian Heritage, the Government of Canada officially observes 17 heritage months. This exceeds the number of months in the calendar, meaning multiple heritage months often overlap. Currently, June is host to four concurrent heritage months: National Indigenous History Month, Italian Heritage Month, Filipino Heritage Month, and Portuguese Heritage Month.
Pride Season spans four months
June was previously Pride Month, but the Department of Canadian Heritage upgraded it to the four-month-long “Pride Season,” meaning one-third of the Canadian year is now under pride observation. In addition to heritage months, the government also recognizes five commemorative weeks and 48 “important and commemorative days,” including Remembrance Day, Victoria Day, National Flag of Canada Day, and Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day.
