Arab Heritage Month Bill

Moved second reading of Bill S-227, An Act respecting Arab Heritage Month.

He said: Honourable senators, I rise before you today with immense pride to begin the debate on Bill S-227, An Act respecting Arab Heritage Month, a Senate public bill that would establish the month of April in Canada as “Arab Heritage Month.”

By doing so, I am resuming the process that began in the previous Parliament with Bill C-232, which was introduced by the Honourable David McGuinty in the House of Commons and passed the other place unanimously on March 8, 2023.

The bill was received in this chamber and was first sponsored by the Honourable Senator Gold. It was read the first time on March 9, 2023, and debated at second reading on March 22 and June 13, 2023, and on May 9, 2024.

It was referred to the Standing Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology. Then it was reported without amendment to the Senate in both official languages on October 24, 2024.

Third-reading debate of the bill commenced on November 7 and continued on November 26, 2024, when it was adjourned before the Senate rose for the Christmas break. It then died on the Order Paper upon Parliament’s prorogation and subsequent dissolution earlier this year.

The bill is an acknowledgment of the contributions made by Arab Canadians to our great country.

Thank you to the Honourable David McGuinty, MP for Ottawa South, the original sponsor of this bill, and to all of his honourable colleagues who supported its passage in the House of Commons.

Thank you to the Honourable Senator Marc Gold, former senator Jane Cordy and Senator Marty Klyne for their respective sponsorship of that bill.

Many thanks also to the Honourable Senator Salma Ataullahjan, the critic of that bill, and to Senator Wanda Bernard, former senator Ratna Omidvar and Senator Yuen Pau Woo, who have all thoughtfully engaged in that process.

Thank you to all of you for bringing Bill C-232 to the finish line of the previous Parliament. We were so close.

This bill, now Bill S-227, when passed, would be an historic achievement for three reasons: first, because it recognizes contributions that have shaped and enhanced Canada’s social fabric; second, because it aligns us with a global movement recognizing Arab contributions; and third, because it helps deepen Canadians’ understanding of the value Arab Canadians bring to our shared identity.

However, before any of that, it is necessary to know whom we are speaking about when we talk about Arabs and Arab Canadians.

Honourable senators, from an historical and religious traditions’ perspective, Arabs are a Semitic people. They are the descendants of the patriarch Abraham through his first son, Ishmael. As such, Arabs share linguistic, ancestral and historical connections with other Semitic groups in the Middle East and Africa. This includes, of course, ancient peoples such as the Akkadians, Assyrians, Phoenicians, Ancient Hebrews, Arameans and others, as well as modern peoples and languages such as Arabic speakers, Hebrew speakers, Amharic speakers, Tigrinya speakers and others.

For me, including Arabs in the Semitic family is not just semantics; it underscores our shared humanity. It reminds us that the people of the Middle East are metaphorically — if not literally — cousins.

I know that using the term “Semitic” to apply to Arabs may have fallen slightly out of the contemporary vocabulary in some Western societies, but I feel that doing so helps us counter harmful stereotypes and emphasizes our shared human heritage.

The term “Arab” is incredibly broad. It includes anyone who lives in, or hails from, the Arab world, whose first language or mother tongue is Arabic, and who has a deep sense of belonging to a shared Arab culture, heritage and history.

Honourable colleagues, the Arab world represents a massive geographical area that extends from the Arabian Gulf through North Africa to the shores of the Atlantic Ocean, spanning 22 Arab states. It is a region diverse in physical geography, climate and natural resources, but its inhabitants share cultural traditions and the Arabic language.

With a population of over 450 million people, the Arab world is religiously diverse as well. Contrary to what many Canadians may think, not all Arabs are Muslim nor are all Muslims Arabs. For instance, the Muslim world population is almost 2 billion people, and only less than 20% of whom are Muslim Arabs. Here in Canada there are about 2 million Muslim Canadians, and only half a million of whom are Arabs.

Today Canada is home to a vibrant and diverse Arab-Canadian community of about 1.1 million people, including the half million I mentioned, who identify as Arab Muslims and who follow several schools of thought.

The remaining majority identify as Arab Christians of various denominations, Arab Jews, followers of ancient religions that preceded monotheism or others who don’t identify with any religion at all.

In other words, my fellow senators, many Arab Canadians are religiously, ethnically and geographically very diverse and can be different from each other in many aspects.

Arab Canadians, however, share a common pride in the Arab civilization and in its historical contributions to the world, in particular, to Western societies through discovering and adding to the earlier great Greek civilization.

For a brief illustration, I would refer you to the words of Rom Landau, who wrote in his 1972 book The Arab Heritage of Western Civilization that “. . . while Europe was ignorant of the Greek legacy . . .” — during the Dark Ages — “. . . the Arabs discovered it.” The Arabs translated and extended Greek scholarship and conveyed it to Europe during the Renaissance.

Landau points out that:

. . . the Arabs did far more than mere translation. They also commented upon, and explained the Greeks, and gradually erected . . . an intellectual edifice of their own.

More importantly, honourable senators, what Arab Canadians have in common, as well, is a deep desire to make a profound and positive difference to our country through their contributions to business, arts, medicine, technology, education, sports and other aspects of Canadian society, including politics.

And that brings me back to this bill and to the first reason it is so important: Because it recognizes contributions by Arab Canadians that have enhanced our social fabric.

Honourable senators, Arab Canadians have been an essential part of Canada’s story for over 140 years. Syrian immigrants, mainly from what is present-day Lebanon, were the first Arab group to come to Canada. Their first known arrival was in the early 1880s. These immigrants were of both Christian and Islamic faiths. While they were not highly educated, they were entrepreneurial. After a short period of peddling in the countryside and labouring in factories, many started small retail businesses. In fact, by the first half of the 20th century, there was hardly a town in Nova Scotia that did not have a Syrian or Lebanese Arab operating a clothing, furniture or grocery store.

The first recorded Arab immigrant to Canada was Ibrahim Abou Nader — many of our colleagues and honourable MPs spoke about him — a Syrian Maronite Christian from present-day Lebanon who arrived in Montreal in 1882. He came at a time when immigration from the Ottoman Empire was rare, and he was a pioneer. Initially working as a peddler, walking from village to village with a pack on his back, Abou Nader quickly became known for his integrity, hard work and entrepreneurial spirit. Over time, he established a successful import business and helped lay the foundation for what would become a growing Canadian Arab community in Montreal and beyond.

Among other early Arab immigrants was Bedouin Ferran, also known as Peter Baker. “Baker” is the English translation of the Arabic word ferran. He arrived in 1910 and slowly made his way to the Northwest Territories, where he worked as a fur trader, wrote books and eventually became one of the first Arab Muslims to be elected in Canada, representing a mostly Indigenous riding in the Northwest Territories.

There was also King Ganam, who was born in Swift Current, Saskatchewan, in 1914 to Syrian parents. Ganam became one of the most famous fiddlers and composers of his era. He was one of the original inductees to the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame in 1989.

Honourable senators, from those earliest days to today, Arab Canadians have distinguished themselves in many fields and disciplines.

In business, the story of Salim Rassy, later known as Rossy, stands out. Salim was a Syrian-Lebanese immigrant who in 1910 founded a small general store on Saint-Laurent Boulevard in Montreal, Quebec. That small “all-dollar store” was the precursor to the now-renowned Dollarama chain of stores, and today his legacy endures in one of Canada’s largest retail enterprises.

In art and music, we probably all know the songs of Paul Anka, songs like “My Way,” “Put Your Head on My Shoulder,” “Diana” or “Puppy Love.” But we may not know that this talented singer-songwriter is of Syrian descent. And don’t worry; I won’t sing any of those songs.

In politics, our P.E.I. colleagues, the honourable Senators Robinson, Downe, Francis and MacAdam, would remember the late Joe Ghiz, the first premier of Prince Edward Island of non‑European descent, who exemplified leadership and dedication to public service.

Some of you, my fellow senators, might have worked with the late honourable senator Pierre De Bané. Born in Haifa, Palestine, he was the first Palestinian and the first person of Middle Eastern descent to be elected to the House of Commons of Canada in Matane, Quebec. In 1978, then-prime minister Pierre Trudeau appointed De Bané to the Canadian cabinet as the Minister of Supply and Services, and later he was named to the Senate in 1984. I knew Senator De Bané. He passed away in 2019. He was a prominent, effective and respectful senator.

Arab Canadians are community builders as well. Here, we should acknowledge Hilwie Hamdon, of Lebanese heritage, who spearheaded the creation of Canada’s first mosque in Edmonton, Alberta, which is a landmark of interfaith co-operation and community building.

It is thanks to those early pioneers that future generations of Canadian Arabs found a foothold in Canada and began contributing to every aspect of our national life.

Join me, my honourable colleagues, in further appreciation of early immigrant stories of Arabs in Canada and their contributions, and turn to the early research of Baha Abu-Laban titled An Olive Branch on the Family Tree: The Arabs in Canada, which gives a glimpse of what it might have been like for those young, adventurous Arabs who came with only their wits and perseverance and who became important contributors to Canadian society.

Arab heritage month will provide us with the opportunity to celebrate their contributions and the contributions of many other Arab Canadians to our country — Arab Canadians like Dr. Mohamed Lachemi, a distinguished engineer and the President of Toronto Metropolitan University who has led transformative advancements in sustainable construction. His journey from a remote Algerian village to becoming a leader in Canadian education highlights the contributions of Arab Canadians to progress and innovation.

There are Arab Canadians like Dr. Hoda ElMaraghy, an Egyptian-Canadian professor from Windsor, Ontario, who, in 1994, was the first woman to serve as dean of engineering at a Canadian university, and might I add that she is also the first Canadian woman to obtain a PhD in mechanical engineering.

There are Arab Canadians like Dr. Mamdouh Shoukri, former President and Vice-Chancellor of York University.

There are Arab-Canadian entrepreneurs, developers and philanthropists from Western Canada — Manitoba, Alberta, Saskatchewan and British Columbia — like Joe Houssian, Mohammed Faris, Nabih Faris and their families.

Other incredible Arab-Canadian achievers like Hussain Ali Assaf, Habeeb Salloum, Hanny Hassan, Rola Dagher, Jad Shimaly, Bessma Momani, Nazem Kadri, Egyptian-Canadian actor Mena Massoud, Somali-Canadian singer K’naan and many others will be celebrated during Arab heritage month.

These, my fellow senators, are just a few examples of how Arab Canadians have made contributions to Canada from coast to coast to coast.

Recognizing these contributions is the first reason that this bill is so important. The second reason is that by formally designating April as Arab heritage month, Canada joins a growing number of leading nations, including the United States, who made the same kind of commitment several years ago. By joining other global leaders who have embraced diversity and inclusion, Canada continues to cement its leadership on the world stage as a progressive and caring country. By celebrating Arab heritage month, we send a powerful message that Canada will always value and respect all its citizens and their heritage.

Here we do not punish difference, we embrace it because we know that learning about each other, speaking with each other and welcoming each other into our homes is how we make strangers into neighbours, neighbours into friends and friends into family, as we should, because our country and the world are changing so very rapidly.

That brings me to the third reason this bill is so significant: Because it deepens our shared understanding of the contributions Arab Canadians have already made and will make.

Honourable senators, I have mentioned the past contributions, but I believe the future contributions of Arab Canadians will be no less significant. After all, Arab Canadians are one of the youngest and fastest growing groups in this country. More than half of the Arab community is under the age of 35, 42% are under the age of 24 and a full 26% are younger than 15. Young Arab Canadians are making a massive contribution to our economy, culture and innovation, shaping what it means to be both Arab and Canadian, which is why I believe that their energy and creativity will be essential to Canada’s future.

Arab heritage month also gives us a chance to reflect on global challenges and opportunities. It allows us to draw connections between Canada and the broader Arab world, which is a region where Canada shares historical, economic and cultural ties and mutual interests.

By recognizing the achievements of Arab Canadians, we can make these bonds even stronger and create mutual respect and understanding in global affairs. It is my hope and belief that this will also lead to increased trade, investments and partnerships in an ever-changing world.

By letting people know about Arab-Canadian achievements, all of us — Arab and non-Arab alike — are also reaffirming our commitment to building a future that is even more inclusive, fair and equal.

I must also add that as a proud, Syrian-born Arab Canadian, this moment holds profound significance for me. For decades, the rich culture and history of Arabs have often been overlooked or misunderstood. To see Arab heritage formally celebrated in this way is both personally moving and collectively inspiring.

It helps Arab Canadians to see themselves woven into the Canadian fabric, and I think it will also inspire the immense potential of Arab Canadians to contribute even more to the Canada of tomorrow.

Honourable colleagues, this recognition is especially touching for me against the backdrop of recent news from my homeland. The courage of Syrians, who have resisted an oppressive regime and suffered the wrath of conflicting geopolitical agendas, inspires hope for a brighter future. Their resilience mirrors the spirit of Arab Canadians who have overcome challenges to thrive and contribute meaningfully to our beloved Canada.

The recognition of Arab heritage month affirms my belief that Canada — my adopted home — and Syria — my birthplace — can both aspire to a future grounded in freedom, dignity and shared humanity.

Likewise, I hope that Arab heritage month will promote a better understanding of the new set of challenges faced by the Arab community here at home as well as foster a better understanding of the continued suffering of the people in Iraq, Lebanon, Palestine, Libya, Sudan and Yemen and their aspirations for justice, freedom, dignity and prosperity and to live in peace and harmony with their neighbours.

In conclusion, honourable colleagues, Arab heritage month is more than a celebration; it is a testament to the values that define Canada — inclusion, diversity, fairness and unity.

My fellow senators, let us embrace this opportunity to honour the contributions of Arab Canadians and to recommit ourselves to building a society where every culture is celebrated and every one of us has the chance to thrive.

Honourable colleagues, I respectfully urge you all to support this bill not only as a gesture of recognition but as a practical step towards building a more inclusive and unified Canada. By voting in support of Bill S-227, an act respecting Arab heritage month, we truly acknowledge that Arab Canadians are an olive branch of the Canadian family tree. Let us come together to ensure that Arab heritage month becomes a permanent fixture in our national calendar.

Thank you. Meegwetch.Shukran.