CANADA, April 5 - Premier John Horgan has issued the following statement marking the Qingming festival:

“Today, Chinese communities throughout British Columbia and around the world will begin to mark the Qingming festival, known as Tomb Sweeping Day. Families will visit cemeteries to tidy the resting places of their ancestors. Many also bring flowers as an expression of yearning for departed loved ones.

“Qingming is a time to give thanks and reconnect with family roots. It is also a time to honour the lives of previous generations of Chinese Canadians whose sacrifices and valuable contributions, often in the face of discrimination, have helped make British Columbia the place it is today.

“Our government’s support for the first Chinese Canadian Museum in Canada will help to preserve these stories for future generations. Their legacy needs to be shared all the more at a time of increased anti-Asian racism. All of us must speak out against bigotry, discrimination and intolerance.

“As families gather at cemeteries to respect and honour the memory of their relatives and ancestors, the spring blossoms remind us to look to the future with hope and optimism.

“On behalf of the people of British Columbia, I wish to acknowledge this occasion of solemn veneration.”

For Chinese and French translations: https://news.gov.bc.ca/26533#translations