Historica Canada releases new Heritage Minute on ‘Boat People’ Refugees
TORONTO – June 20, 2017 Historica Canada released a new Heritage Minute about a family of Vietnamese ‘Boat People’ refugees to mark World Refugee Day. Based on the real experiences of the Trinh family, the Minute explores their journey by sea, through a Malaysian refugee camp, and finally to a new home in Montreal. This story of resilience is the 87th vignette in the Heritage Minute collection.
Following the Vietnam War, thousands of people across South East Asia fled the then-Communist Vietnamese government. Many left in crowded, rickety boats that were vulnerable to weather, pirates, disease and illness.
Touched by the plight of refugees, Canada reacted swiftly and played a major role on the international stage. Canada would accept some 60,000 refugees over 18 months in 1979–80. Among the 60,000 refugees accepted into Canada. Trinh, now a freelance reporter based in Ottawa, served as a consultant on this Minute.
“This was a defining event for Canada as well as the refugees we welcomed,” said Anthony Wilson-Smith, President and CEO of Historica Canada. “Canadians opened their hearts to people at a time of need, and they, in turn, have since made our country a better place with their many contributions.”
The “Boat People” Heritage Minute can be shared and embedded through this link.
For more information on South East Asian refugees in Canada, click here.
This Heritage Minute was produced by Historica Canada and Aetios Productions Inc., and filmed in Montreal, Quebec. The Heritage Minutes are made possible through funding from the Department of Canadian Heritage.
The Heritage Minutes are a collection of more than 85 bilingual short films, each depicting a significant person, event or story in Canadian history. The Minutes were created by The CRB Foundation in 1991 and re-launched by Historica Canada in 2012.
Historica Canada is the country’s largest organization dedicated to enhancing awareness of Canadian history and citizenship.