An Act to establish Somali Heritage Month

Bill C-348 designates June as Somali Heritage Month nationally. Approximately 90,605 Canadians reported Somali origin on the 2021 Statistics Canada census, with a strong concentration in Ottawa (Lebreton Flats, Bayshore) and Toronto (Etobicoke, Rexdale). Somali immigration to Canada began primarily in the 1990s following the 1991 Somali civil war and the federal Convention Refugees Abroad Class program. Ontario formally established Somali Heritage Month in May 2024 (Bill 117). The bill was sponsored by Liberal MP Salma Zahid (Scarborough Centre); the Senate companion S-208 has been before the Senate Subcommittee on Veterans Affairs since 2023. Did not pass before 44-1 ended.