Ontario passes bill to mark ‘Tibetan Heritage Month’

By Choekyi Lhamo

DHARAMSHALA, Sept 28: A bill marking July as the ‘Tibetan Heritage month’ was recently passed unanimously in the Ontario Legislature on Thursday. MPP Bhutila Karpoche introduced the bill representing the Parkdale-High Park which is home to the largest Tibetan-Canadian community in North America (NA).

MPP Bhutila said she aimed to recognize the important contributions made by the Tibetans in Ontario and also bring about awareness to Tibetan issues. She addressed the parliament by marking the importance of the month, “July is an important month for Tibetans around the world. On July 6, we as a community celebrate the birthday of His Holiness the fourteenth Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso, an honorary Canadian citizen . . . This day signifies the resilience of the Tibetan people.”

The parliamentarian remarked that the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), also known as the Tibetan exile government declared the year 2020 as the year of gratitude to His Holiness the Dalai Lama to recognize his achievements. She then attributes the Bill 131 – Tibetan Heritage month Act as a “thank you to His Holiness [by Tibetans in Ontario] for sharing his message of love and compassion through various acts of service and giving back to the community.”

Bhutila’s bill has garnered support from various Tibetan organizations including the Canadian Tibetan Association of Ontario (CTAO), Tibetan Women’s Association of Ontario (TWAO), Chushi Gangdruk, Students for a Free Tibet- Canada and the Regional Tibetan Youth Congress of Toronto.

Karpoche became the first person of Tibetan heritage to be elected to public office in 2018. She immigrated to the country with her family in 2002, and then received her BSc from the University of British Columbia and MPH from the University of Toronto. She also holds a PhD candidature in Policy Studies, and served on the Board of Directors of CTAO and on the steering committee of the International Tibet Network (ITN).