Premier Jason Kenney issued statement to recognize Journey to Freedom Day

The Voice of Canada News:

“After the fall of Saigon, 65,000 South Vietnamese were executed. One million Vietnamese were sent to prison and re-education camps, where an estimated 165,000 more people died.

“Millions of people from Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos risked the open seas in overcrowded ships to find a place of safety. About a quarter-million never made it; they drowned in storms, or were murdered or sold by pirates.

“More than 120,000 of the survivors came to Canada. Churches, voluntary organizations and citizen groups adopted refugee families. For every person they took in, the federal government took care of another. As the federal Minister of Immigration, I worked with Canada’s Vietnamese community to welcome hundreds of Vietnamese boat people stranded in southeast Asia following the close of the resettlement program.

“In 2018 as Leader of the Opposition, I was pleased to table a motion in the Legislature declaring April 30th as Journey to Freedom Day in Alberta.

“As much as there is war, torment and injustice in this world, there is the greater power of generosity and compassion. Today we pay tribute to the Canadians who welcomed these refugees. We acknowledge the profound price for freedom the boat people paid, and we recognize the vibrant Vietnamese community who give so much to this province.

“Canada has always been a vision of freedom and safety for the world’s refugees. I encourage all of us to reflect on that past, and reaffirm our commitment to be a welcoming place in the future.”