Asian Heritage Month 2026

Asian Heritage Month is a time to honour the depth, diversity, and enduring contributions of Asian Canadian communities that have shaped Canada’s social, cultural, and economic fabric across generations. It is also a moment to reflect honestly on the challenges many Asian Canadians continue to face, and on our shared responsibility to confront racism, exclusion, and harmful narratives wherever they arise. 

The Canadian Race Relations Foundation (CRRF)’s commitment to addressing anti‑Asian racism is rooted in our very origins. Established in 1996 as part of the Japanese Canadian Redress Agreement, the CRRF emerged from a national reckoning with historic injustices, including the forced internment of Japanese Canadians during the Second World War. This origin reflects the pivotal role played by Japanese Canadians in transforming redress into a lasting framework for addressing all forms of racism in Canada.  

And yet anti-Asian racism remains a persistent and evolving reality in Canada. Hate crimes targeting Asian communities in Canada surged by nearly 300% during the COVID-19 pandemic, exposing deep-rooted biases and vulnerabilities.  

The numbers remain elevated, and new findings continue to raise serious concern. 

A national study on online hate in Canada documenting a sharp rise in anti-Asian slurs and targeted harassment in digital spaces between 2023 and 2025, with over 26,000 posts containing anti-South Asian and anti-Asian language identified in Canadian online environments, including rhetoric that dehumanizes and stereotypes Asian communities and contributes to broader patterns of exclusion and fear. Ongoing geopolitical tensions and narratives around foreign interference, fueling a climate of suspicion in which Chinese-Canadian communities are unfairly perceived as security risks and “perpetual foreigners”. A report indicating that South Asians in London, Ontario, were the second most targeted group in 2025, with an increase of nearly 106 per cent over the previous year. Most recently, new national findings on anti-Sikh hate in Canada, outlining the impacts of hate, discrimination, and systemic exclusion faced by Sikh Canadians, drawing on over 1,600 survey responses and nationwide community discussions. 

It’s time to move beyond awareness toward deeper, sustained action, embedding strategies to confront anti-Asian racism more meaningfully in education and institutional practice, advancing research and policy solutions, developing accessible learning resources, and strengthening connections by convening Asian communities across Canada. 

At the CRRF, we are continuing to push this work forward, drawing on our role as a national convener, knowledge-builder, and catalyst for change – deepening understanding, strengthening communities, and helping to shape more equitable systems across Canada.  

Over the past year, we continued to strengthen our commitment to advancing inclusion, representation, and community resilience by supporting initiatives that elevate Asian Canadian voices and histories, from film and cultural festivals such as FascinAsian and South by Southeast, to community solidarity spaces like the Chinatown Solidarity Summit, alongside projects addressing historical injustice, food insecurity, disaster impacts, and systemic racism through initiatives including Building Local Capacity for Anti-South Asian Racism in Hamilton, Feeding Chinatown in Montréal, the Lapu Lapu Tragedy youth impact study in Metro Vancouver, and the Resilience and Resistance student empowerment initiative across the Greater Toronto Area. 

Together, these efforts reflect a sustained approach to confronting anti-Asian racism—not only by raising awareness, but by investing in storytelling, cultural exchange, and community leadership that challenge exclusion and build a more equitable society. 

We’re looking forward to continuing this support in the upcoming weeks: 

• FascinAsian Film Festival 
  Calgary, AB April 30–May 3 
  Edmonton May 12–16 
  Winnipeg May 1–3  

• Reclaiming Roots: Cultural Walking Tour & Exhibit 
  North York / Richmond Hill, ON 27 June 2026 

• Reclaim and Resist: Visible Mending & Storytelling Workshop 
  Montreal, QC 2 May 2026 and 14 May 2026 
  Vancouver, BC 16 May 2026 and 28 May 2026 

To learn more about our work and keep up with our programs and initiatives, subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook.