Chinese Canadian Legend Award winners selected

Arnold Chan, a former Member of Parliament who died in September, and current MP Shaun Chen were among the recipients of the 2017 Chinese Canadian Legend Award.

Chan, who became interested in politics at the age of 16, was first elected to Parliament in 2014. After his re-election in October 2015, he continued his parliamentary duties while battling a recurrence of cancer.

It was the first time in 18 years that the Chinese Canadian Legend Award was presented to politicians, according to Bammy Wong, president of the ABNA.

Jean Yip, Chan's widow, accepted the award and shared stories about him at the awards gala organized by the Asian Business Network Association (ABNA) on Saturday in Richmond Hill.

That touching moment led up to the celebration of this year's theme, "Our Country Our Legends", with an uplifting dance performance by young ballerinas to the song This Is My Canada.

Chen, who has served the community since his high school days, inherited the traditional Chinese values of diligence, resilience and humility from his family. At the same time, he firmly supports Canada's core values of equality and multiculturalism.

He believes that education is key to ensuring that everyone has equal opportunities for success. From the role of a Toronto District School Board (TDSB) trustee to that of a federal MP, Chen has helped build understanding among ethnic groups.

He protected funding for the English as a Second Language program for immigrant children, helped enhance the TDSB's transparency and accountability, and promoted awareness of the Nanking Massacre in schools and among the public.

Recipients of the 2017 award also included Robert Ho, who founded a charity of the Robert H.N. Ho Family Foundation to promote Chinese culture and art as well as Buddhist philosophy around the world;

Shirley Hoy, who has served in the city of Toronto and the Ontario provincial government in different capacities for more than 30 years;

Chi Ping Lee, a singer and composer who is the founder of the Chinese Artists Society of Toronto, the largest association of Chinese artists in North America; and

Benson Sy, who organizes the Greenfield Golf Charity Tournament to promote kidney health awareness and raise funds for the Kidney Foundation of Canada.

"The year's theme, 'Our Country, Our Legends', celebrates this historic year as we reflect upon our challenges and successes in the past as Chinese Canadians and renew ourselves for the future," said Alexandra Ngan, organizing committee co-chair.

"We hope that the legendary stories of our awardees will inspire all of us to manifest our unique Chinese culture in this multicultural country while integrating into the mainstream and creating more legends in Canada, our beloved country we proudly call home."

renali@chinadailyusa.com