Journey to Freedom Day on the Hill
April 30, 2019
On April 30, Senator Ngo once again stood alongside parliamentarians and members of the Vietnamese Canadian community on the grounds of Parliament Hill to mark the occasion of Journey to Freedom Day.
Every year on April 30, we gather together to commemorate the mass exodus of the Vietnamese “Boat People” refugees to Canada after the fall of Saigon in 1975, and to mark their modern beginnings in this great country 44 years ago.
On April 30, 1975, Saigon fell to Communist forces at the end of the Vietnam War. As a result, millions of refugees took the perilous journey in search for freedom, democracy and human rights. While many neighbouring countries turned the Boat People away from their shores, Canada welcomed over 60,000 refugees with open arms – and remains to this day the greatest resettlement of refugees our country has ever experienced.
Canada is now home to a strong and vibrant community of more than 300,000 Vietnamese-Canadians who celebrate their cultural heritage as an integral part of Canadian society. Today’s Journey to Freedom on the Hill commemorates the inspiring voyage of the Vietnamese Boat People and celebrates the humanitarian role that Canada played in welcoming tens of thousands of Vietnamese refugees, who have since contributed to our country’s strength and diversity.
Among the parliamentarians who graciously attended this event were Liberal MPs Judy Sgro, Francesco Sorbara, Majid Jowhari and Michael Levitt. Conservative MP Peter Kent and NDP MP Anne Minh-Thu Quach also attended and shared a few words on this special day.
For more photos, click here!