Ontario Assembly marks July as Egyptian heritage month

CAIRO – 7 June 2019: Ministry of Immigration and Egyptian Expatriates' Affairs congratulated the Egyptians living in Canada after the Legislative Assembly of Ontario approved the celebration of the Egyptian civilization and heritage month in Canada every year in July. Later this decision will be applied in all Canada's cities.

The Legislative Assembly of Ontario spoke about the successful examples of Egyptian immigrants in Canada like professor Hoda el Maraghy the dean of the faculty of engineering and the Egyptian actor Mena Massoud.

Ministers of immigration, culture, social solidarity and antiquities met on Wednesday, May 8 to discuss the initial plan for the immigration minister's proposal to prepare for the probable celebration of the Egyptian civilization and heritage month in Canada in July.

Minister of Immigration and Egyptian Expatriates' Affairs Nabila Makram previously met with Minister of Antiquities Khaled al-Anany and Minister of Culture Inas Abdel Dayem to discuss Canadian Member of Parliament Sherif Sabawy’s bill to the legislature to recognize the month of July as Egyptian Heritage Month.

The meeting aimed to benefit from bill 106 for 2019 that is being discussed at the moment in the Canadian Parliament of Ontario which declares July the Egyptian heritage month in Canada and to lay out a plan to advertise Egyptian archaeological discoveries and culture in Canada once the bill is approved.

The ministers prepared a memorandum on the proposal of the ceremony and was submitted by the immigration minister to the prime minister immediately after the Canadian Parliament issues its decision.

Declaring a month for Egyptian civilization and heritage in Canada came as a result of the efforts of MP Sherif Sabawy, Makram said, affirming Egypt's support for the efforts of the expats to strengthen relations between their homeland and the country where they reside.

The decision enables the Egyptian community to officially praise their homeland and is an extension of the celebration of the glorious July Revolution that commemorates Egypt's conversion to an independent republic.

The meeting delivered a message of encouragement to all Egyptian communities abroad that their government supports them in any effort being made for the benefit of the country, Makram previously said, commending the recent decision of the Canadian government to update the instructions for its citizens concerning traveling to Egypt.

Also, Anani suggested that the events include a number of lectures dealing with the history of Egypt since the Pharaonic era, shedding light on its cultural heritage and reviewing the modern archaeological discoveries and its significance in the human heritage.

He also suggested launching an initiative to invite people across Canada to visit Egypt.

Abdel Dayem suggested organizing a cultural convoy that includes a wide range of events to highlight the distinctive character of the Egyptian civilization and creativity.