CEMA members brought the month of October to a close by attending the 30th anniversary gala organized by the Canadian Ethnocultural Council(CEC), in collaboration with the Italian Canadian Museum (ICM). It was an evening to celebrate the diligent work of all CEC member organizations across the country, and to salute their future work in the field of multiculturalism. On Thursday, November 4th, CEMA members had the opportunity to listen to two engaging guests, Mr. Kevin Johnson, the United States Consul General to Toronto, who reminded the audience of the long standing relationship that Canadians and Americans hold dear on all fronts, from the economy to the advancement of peace and democracy, and then Mr. Tom Anselmi, the VP and COO of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, who spoke about how the market is changing and so is their outreach. This year`s CEMA awards gala was unlike others in previous years. CEMA partnered with The Association for Canadian Studies and The Canadian Ethnic Studies Association at their annual conference. This partnership consequently expanded the audience base not only in the panel session which CEMA chaired, but also at the awards gala event. The independent jurors Minelle Mahtani, Julie Payne and Dat Ngyen rolled up their sleeves and made a concerted effort to select the best submissions in the categories of television, radio, print and internet. As is the case each year, a special Canadian receives the honour of the Sierhey Khmara Ziniak Award and this year it went to Anna Chiappa, for her unswerving dedication to multiculturalism and its affirmative expression through documentary.
The presenters on hand were the Honourable Minister of Labour, Lisa Raitt, Laura Albanese, Parliamentary Assistant to the Ontario Minister of Culture, Mark Sakamoto of the Ontario Media Development Corporation (OMDC), Jennifer Callegaro of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, Jack Jedwab of the Association for Canadian Studies, and Madeline Ziniak, the Chair of CEMA. The hosts were Lucy Zilio and Wei Lee from OMNI Television. The audience will not soon forget the evening’s entertainment, which consisted of the traditional Japanese drummers Yakudo, the folk trio Original Impressions, and the Shaolin Kung Fu masters. CEMA would like to extend a hearty congratulations to this years winners: Gina Valle (television documentary), Sudha Krishnan (television news), Dr. Qais Ghanem (radio), Ewart Walters (print) and Paul Nguyen (internet). The photos above provide a good overview of the evening. Join us next year!
