The Government of Canada marks Dutch Heritage Day

OTTAWA, May 5, 2022

Today, people across Canada will mark Dutch Heritage Day, a time to honour the sacrifices made by past members of the Canadian armed forces in the liberation of the Netherlands during the Second World War. It is also an opportunity to celebrate the many contributions that generations of Dutch Canadians have made—and continue to make—to this country we all know and love.

Canada is the proud home of over 1 million people of Dutch descent, with members of the community making homesteads in the Canadian West during the 1890s. Through continued migration to Canada in the 1920s, Dutch Canadians became essential farm, industrial and domestic workers, and after the Second World War, many more immigrated as war brides and children of the Canadian soldiers who played a significant role in freeing their homeland from German occupation.

As the Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion, I encourage Canadians to take a moment to remember those who fought and others who lost their lives during the Dutch liberation, and to learn about Dutch heritage, which is a part of what makes our country what it is today.