‘Our identities aren’t obstacles’: Senators and students reflect on Asian Heritage Month
To mark Asian Heritage Month, six senators of Asian descent met with students and teachers from across the country to talk about their lived experiences, their professional backgrounds and their paths to the Senate.
The online webinar was hosted by SENgage, the Senate’s youth outreach program, and moderated by Grade 11 students from the Vancouver School Board.
Edison Phan, Ashlyn Tsang and Crystal Pham, Grade 11 students with the Vancouver School Board, welcome senators Farah Mohamed, Yuen Pau Woo, Baltej S. Dhillon, Salma Ataullahjan, Flordeliz (Gigi) Osler and Yonah Martin to an online webinar for Asian Heritage Month on May 23, 2025.
This year’s theme was “Unity in Diversity: The Impact of Asian Communities in Shaping Canadian Identity.”
Here’s what the students and senators had to say.
“I am the first Canadian of Pakistani origin to be in the Senate of Canada. I immigrated to Canada in 1980, and I settled in the Toronto area. I come from a family of politicians, so I was very interested in Canada’s politics. My journey started as a community activist, building consensus among different groups. I’ve been in the Senate for 15 years, and I have always served on the human rights committee. Human rights are my passion, from the human rights of women and children to racialized groups.”
– Senator Salma Ataullahjan
“I started my life in Canada like many immigrants of Asian descent — working hard. I was a farm worker who spent many years picking berries. It was a hard start, but it speaks to the resilience and the contributions of those who have come here from far away. We’ve faced tribulations, challenges and adversities, but, at the end of the day, Asian Heritage Month is about celebrating that resilience and that courage to make this country better.”
– Senator Baltej S. Dhillon
“My family story starts in Korea and Japan and here I am, many years later, in the Senate. It’s an institution that has allowed me to bring all my worlds together — as a teacher of 21 years, as a charity worker and as someone who is passionate about Korean War veterans. I worked hard to pass the Korean War Veterans Day Act, which was adopted in 2013. I would not be alive without the Korean War veterans and the sacrifices that they made.”
– Senator Yonah Martin
“I am of Indian heritage, born in Uganda and raised with a Persian name. I came here as a refugee in 1970 when I was two years old. My parents came to Canada — they were expelled from Uganda because of the colour of their skin — because it was a welcoming place for refugees at the time. For me, Asian Heritage Month is a real opportunity to have serious dialogue, to move the bar ahead and to learn about the incredible paths that people take to get here [Canada].”
– Senator Farah Mohamed
“As I look at the theme for this year’s Asian Heritage Month — unity in diversity — I think about the strength that we have as Canadians to celebrate our diversity. We can be diverse without being divided. We can be united without having to be uniform. That is the diversity that you see on the screen today, that is the diversity in your classroom, that is the diversity that we all live with.”
– Senator Flordeliz (Gigi) Osler
“Asian Canadians need to be in politics. If you choose to go into politics, bring your heritage, including your contemporary understanding of Asia. Don’t just bring what you expect Canadians to bring. Don’t bring what you think the mainstream wants you to bring because it’s the ‘Canadian’ way. If you have special knowledge, you need to bring it to the table.”
– Senator Yuen Pau Woo
“Interviewing the six senators during Asian Heritage Month expanded my knowledge of how diverse voices shape our democracy. I learned that leadership is not only built through policy, but through cultural identity, lived experience and the courage to represent every part of Canada’s rich tapestry, including the significant contributions of Asian communities.”
– Crystal Pham, a Grade 11 student with the Vancouver School Board, and one of the facilitators of the event
“Hearing the senators share their personal journeys showed me that representation is not just symbolic, it shapes real change. It reminded me that our cultural backgrounds are strengths, not barriers, in leadership spaces. This experience motivated me to keep using my voice to uplift others who share similar stories.”
– Edison Phan, a Grade 11 student with the Vancouver School Board, and one of the facilitators of the event
“With the opportunity to hear from six wonderful senators, their stories prove that politics doesn’t have to divide us; it can be the place where diverse experiences unite to solve problems together. I left believing that when we bring our full identities to the table, we are able to strengthen each other and our communities. That’s the kind of politics I want to help build.”
– Ashlyn Tsang, a Grade 11 student with the Vancouver School Board, and one of the facilitators of the event
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‘Our identities aren’t obstacles’: Senators and students reflect on Asian Heritage Month
To mark Asian Heritage Month, six senators of Asian descent met with students and teachers from across the country to talk about their lived experiences, their professional backgrounds and their paths to the Senate.
The online webinar was hosted by SENgage, the Senate’s youth outreach program, and moderated by Grade 11 students from the Vancouver School Board.
Edison Phan, Ashlyn Tsang and Crystal Pham, Grade 11 students with the Vancouver School Board, welcome senators Farah Mohamed, Yuen Pau Woo, Baltej S. Dhillon, Salma Ataullahjan, Flordeliz (Gigi) Osler and Yonah Martin to an online webinar for Asian Heritage Month on May 23, 2025.
This year’s theme was “Unity in Diversity: The Impact of Asian Communities in Shaping Canadian Identity.”
Here’s what the students and senators had to say.
“I am the first Canadian of Pakistani origin to be in the Senate of Canada. I immigrated to Canada in 1980, and I settled in the Toronto area. I come from a family of politicians, so I was very interested in Canada’s politics. My journey started as a community activist, building consensus among different groups. I’ve been in the Senate for 15 years, and I have always served on the human rights committee. Human rights are my passion, from the human rights of women and children to racialized groups.”
– Senator Salma Ataullahjan
“I started my life in Canada like many immigrants of Asian descent — working hard. I was a farm worker who spent many years picking berries. It was a hard start, but it speaks to the resilience and the contributions of those who have come here from far away. We’ve faced tribulations, challenges and adversities, but, at the end of the day, Asian Heritage Month is about celebrating that resilience and that courage to make this country better.”
– Senator Baltej S. Dhillon
“My family story starts in Korea and Japan and here I am, many years later, in the Senate. It’s an institution that has allowed me to bring all my worlds together — as a teacher of 21 years, as a charity worker and as someone who is passionate about Korean War veterans. I worked hard to pass the Korean War Veterans Day Act, which was adopted in 2013. I would not be alive without the Korean War veterans and the sacrifices that they made.”
– Senator Yonah Martin
“I am of Indian heritage, born in Uganda and raised with a Persian name. I came here as a refugee in 1970 when I was two years old. My parents came to Canada — they were expelled from Uganda because of the colour of their skin — because it was a welcoming place for refugees at the time. For me, Asian Heritage Month is a real opportunity to have serious dialogue, to move the bar ahead and to learn about the incredible paths that people take to get here [Canada].”
– Senator Farah Mohamed
“As I look at the theme for this year’s Asian Heritage Month — unity in diversity — I think about the strength that we have as Canadians to celebrate our diversity. We can be diverse without being divided. We can be united without having to be uniform. That is the diversity that you see on the screen today, that is the diversity in your classroom, that is the diversity that we all live with.”
– Senator Flordeliz (Gigi) Osler
“Asian Canadians need to be in politics. If you choose to go into politics, bring your heritage, including your contemporary understanding of Asia. Don’t just bring what you expect Canadians to bring. Don’t bring what you think the mainstream wants you to bring because it’s the ‘Canadian’ way. If you have special knowledge, you need to bring it to the table.”
– Senator Yuen Pau Woo
“Interviewing the six senators during Asian Heritage Month expanded my knowledge of how diverse voices shape our democracy. I learned that leadership is not only built through policy, but through cultural identity, lived experience and the courage to represent every part of Canada’s rich tapestry, including the significant contributions of Asian communities.”
– Crystal Pham, a Grade 11 student with the Vancouver School Board, and one of the facilitators of the event
“Hearing the senators share their personal journeys showed me that representation is not just symbolic, it shapes real change. It reminded me that our cultural backgrounds are strengths, not barriers, in leadership spaces. This experience motivated me to keep using my voice to uplift others who share similar stories.”
– Edison Phan, a Grade 11 student with the Vancouver School Board, and one of the facilitators of the event
“With the opportunity to hear from six wonderful senators, their stories prove that politics doesn’t have to divide us; it can be the place where diverse experiences unite to solve problems together. I left believing that when we bring our full identities to the table, we are able to strengthen each other and our communities. That’s the kind of politics I want to help build.”
– Ashlyn Tsang, a Grade 11 student with the Vancouver School Board, and one of the facilitators of the event