Open for signatureElectronice-7521 · Parliament 45

End ethnic commemorations

Sign on the House of Commons website

Petitioners ask the House of Commons to end the practice of officially recognizing days or months for any ethnic or heritage group and to celebrate Canadians solely as Canadians, irrespective of ethnicity.

Why we would sign this petition

  • It would emphasize a single Canadian identity by removing official observances tied to particular ethnic or heritage groups, aligning public recognition with a shared national identity.
  • It would eliminate commemorative observances that petitioners say amount to tokenism, which they argue undermines social cohesion.
  • It would refocus national commemorations on common history and traditions, as petitioners request, rather than on separate ethnic group identities.

Why we wouldn’t sign this petition

  • Removing ethnic or heritage observances could reduce visibility and recognition of communities and risk contributing to their marginalization.
  • Targeted commemorations can educate the public about diverse histories and contributions; ending them might forfeit opportunities to foster understanding and address past harms.
  • A blanket ban is blunt and may ignore practical alternatives like clearer criteria or broader inclusive observances that balance unity with recognition.

The summary and both sets of reasons are AI-generated from the petition and given equal weight. Claims are the petitioners’ own; consult the official record for the full text.

Official petition

Petition to the House of Commons The Government of Canada continues to expand the number of officially recognized heritage months, commemorative days, and observances dedicated to specific ethnic and cultural communities; The Government of Canada already recognizes more than 20 commemorative days and months for individual ethnic groups; These forms of empty virtue signaling tokenize ethnic communities; This tokenism undermines social cohesion and does not promote Canadian identity and citizenship; and National commemorations should reinforce a common Canadian identity rooted in the history, values, and traditions that built our country, based on the legacy of Canada's English and French founding nations, rather than divide Canadians into separate ethnic groups. We, the undersigned, residents and citizens of Canada, call upon the House of Commons to: 1. End the tokenism practice of recognizing a day or month in commemoration of any ethnic or heritage group; and 2. Celebrate Canadians for the sake of being Canadian not based on ethnicity or ancestry. 1. End the tokenism practice of recognizing a day or month in commemoration of any ethnic or heritage group; and 2. Celebrate Canadians for the sake of being Canadian not based on ethnicity or ancestry.

Government response

No government response is available yet.