TORONTO, Oct. 17, 2017 /CNW/ - On Sunday October 15 2017, the Canadian Race Relations Foundation (CRRF) celebrated its 20th anniversary.

Established as part of the 1988 Redress Agreement between the Japanese-Canadian community and the Federal government of Canada, the CRRF has the mandate "to facilitate throughout Canada the development, sharing and application of knowledge and expertise in order to contribute to the elimination of racism and all forms of racial discrimination in Canadian society".

Guests at the event, held at the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre in Toronto, included elected officials and representatives of a number of cultural communities and organizations committed to intergroup cooperation.

The Honourable Kathleen Wynne, Premier of Ontario, Arif Virani, Parliamentary Secretary (Multiculturalism) to the Minister of Canadian Heritage, Yasmin Ratansi, Member of Parliament and Chin Lee Councillor, City of Toronto, praised both the Japanese Canadian Community and the CRRF for their commitment to the vision of a better Canada, one in which barriers to the full and equal participation of all Canadians would be eliminated through education, research and public awareness.

As part of the program, the CRRF was pleased to launch a special educational resource called Doing the Right Thing. The resource encourages students in schools across Canada to consider moments in Canadian history where governmental decisions were made and to assess if the right thing was done and - if not - what should have been done.

In his remarks, Albert Lo, Chairperson CRRF said, "creating a better future is not as simple as turning a page and promising to do better. Resolutions are important, but more is required. George Santayana's aphorism about history is well known but, on this occasion, I offer in its place one that is more direct: Just because we think that we are done with history does not mean that history is done with us. Events in many parts of the world show how deep anger and grievance can run, the dangers of not addressing the causes of discontent, and finding solutions and resolutions."

About the Canadian Race Relations Foundation

The Canadian Race Relations Foundation (CRRF) is a Crown Corporation dedicated to working towards the elimination of racism and all forms of racial discrimination. Its mission is to advance Canadian identity in the pursuit of positive race relations, equity, fairness, social harmony and dignity for all Canadians. The CRRF does this by providing independent, outspoken national leadership, informing national policies and public conversation, and acting as a resource and facilitator.

SOURCE Canadian Race Relations Foundation

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