Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) named three members to the Indo-Canadian Advisory Committee for the Community Historical Recognition Program (CHRP) on Saturday.
The CHRP funds community-based projects that provide recognition of the experiences of ethno-cultural communities affected by historical wartime measures and/or immigration restrictions in place in Canada.
The newly-founded committee will be considering proposals for projects that recognize such experiences of the Indo-Canadian community, and advising Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Canada Minister Jason Kenney on the merit of the proposals.
The government is making $2.5-million available to the Indo-Canadian Community for projects that commemorate and provide education about the Komagata Maru incident in 1914, when a ship carrying 376 East Indian passengers arrived in Vancouver,British Columbia . Most of the passengers were not allowed to land in Canada because the ship did not make a continuous journey to Canada, a requirement of Canadian immigration regulations at the time.
“This Government believes it is important for all Canadians to learn about our history. These important projects enable the communities affected to undertake meaningful commemorative and educational activities to ensure that their experiences are shared with others,” said Kenney.
Jack Uppal, a Vancouver business owner and South Asian Community leader, will chair the committee, which also includes Dr. Ratna Ghosh, a McGill University Professor and Member of the Order of Canada, and Iqbal Gill, a schoolteacher and editor of a weekly Punjabi newspaper.
“These three individuals have demonstrated great leadership and made major contributions on issues important to their community. The advice they are providing on the merit of eligible Indo-Canadian Community Historical Recognition Program projects is extremely valuable,” Kenney said.
The CHRP, announced by CIC in 2006 and initiated in 2008, supports these educational and commemorative projects which also serve to promote these communities’ contributions to building Canada.