It is not enough just to have a birth certificate, certifying one’s birth in Canada. It is not enough to be a native Canadian and expect that mere birth alone is everything: privileges, responsibilities, pride, allegiance. One must grow into citizenship; one must shoulder the responsibilities before there is any real joy in the privileges; one must be vigilant for the honour of one’s country, its integrity, else how can one say with pride: “I am Canadian.”
Muriel Kitagawa FULL QUOTE
September 22, 2008 marks the 20th anniversary of the signing of the Redress Agreement, an unprecedented historic event, important not only to Japanese Canadians, but to all other minority groups as well.
To mark this significant event, National Association of Japanese Canadians (NAJC), joined by its membership organization, Greater Vancouver Japanese Canadian Citizens Association, will host a national celebration with a program consisting of cultural performances and conference sessions, and receptions and gala dinner.
The event expects to bring together individuals and groups of diverse culture and ethnicity to not only remember and celebrate past accomplishments but also to reflect upon current issues and to work together in various partnerships toward achieving a better world for all.
Your participation in this event will, I’m sure, help to make this a memorable event.
Please register, and join us. Click here for more information.
DID YOU KNOW?
Composition of the Japanese Canadian community in Canada:
Single ancestry born in Canada 40.5%
Single ancestry born outside of Canada 22.0%
Mixed ancestry 37.5%Note: Peoples of mixed ancestry increased from 26% in 1991 to 37.5% in 2001.
Mixed marriages 70%
Intermarriage rate 95%The percentages of mixed marriages and intermarriage are the highest of all the ethnic groups. These figures reveal the dramatic shift that is taking place in the Japanese Canadian community. The number of Japanese immigrants has remained constant but the number of people with mixed Japanese ancestry has nearly doubled in 10 years. The possibility for two Japanese Canadians to marry is limited because of the small population. The scattered distribution of the community has resulted in the high intermarriage rate. Japanese Canadians are the most integrated and assimilated group of all the ethnic communities.
Download Acknowledgment by Prime Minister of Canada
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