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There are 17Four of them are happening concurrently right now, and that's not including Pride Season You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account.Prime Minister Mark Carney raises a flag to mark the beginning of four-month-long Pride Season, during a ceremony near the visitor entrance on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Tuesday, June 9, 2026. Photo by HYUNGCHEOL PARK/PostmediaAt a B.C. town hall last week, Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre said there are too many federally recognized heritage months, and that it’s “kind of getting hard to keep track of which month is for what cause or for what group.”Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorThe spur for the question appears to have been a Liberal MP’s recent attempt to have July declared as Somali Heritage Month.In reply, Conservative MP Jamil Jivani sponsored a petition for Canada to never declare another heritage month ever again.“End the tokenism practice of recognizing a day or month in commemoration of any ethnic or heritage group; and celebrate Canadians for the sake of being Canadian not based on ethnicity or ancestry,” reads the text.Get a dash of perspective along with the trending news of the day in a very readable format.By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.The next issue of NP Posted will soon be in your inbox.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try againAccording to the Department of Canadian Heritage, there are 17 “heritage months” that are officially observed by the Government of Canada."In the past year, 71% of Canadian youth aged 12 to 17 reported experiencing at least one form of bullying. Today, for Pink Shirt Day, let’s wear pink, raise awareness on bullying prevention and cultivate a community of kindness! 💕" pic.twitter.com/8kDSFs2bMp— Global Affairs Canada (@GAC_Corporate) February 26, 2025This is obviously more than there are months in the calendar, meaning that some months are concurrently recognized as multiple heritage months at the same time.The busiest single month for this happens to be the current month. Right now, Canada is officially recognizing National Indigenous History Month, Italian Heritage Month, Filipino Heritage Month and Portuguese Heritage Month.June also used to be Pride Month, until the Department of Canadian Heritage upgraded it to the four-month-long “Pride Season,” meaning that one third of the Canadian year is now under pride observation.In addition, the Government of Canada also recognizes five commemorative weeks, and 48 “important and commemorate days.”This includes the traditional entries of Remembrance Day, Victoria Day, National Flag of Canada Day and Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day.But particularly over the last decade, special days have been added to virtually every week in the Canadian calendar, ranging from Human Rights Day (December 10), to National Day of Observance for COVID-19 (March 11) to Day of Commemoration of the Great Upheaval (July 28), which marks the forced 1750s removal of Acadians from the Maritimes.As to which group gets the most days, Indigenous Canadians get six. There’s National Ribbon Skirt Day, National Indigenous Languages Day, National Indigenous Peoples Day, Indigenous Veterans Day, Red Dress Day, and National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.In second place, it’s a tie between the military and transgender people, with four each.The military has the Anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge, Canadian Armed Forces Day, Remembrance Day and the aforementioned Indigenous Veterans Day.While for transgendered Canadians, there is International Transgender Day of Visibility, Transgender Day of Remembrance and International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia and. There’s also the International Day of Pink, which an official Government of Canada write-up describes as a day of action against “transphobia and transmisogyny.”Canada is proud to be home to one of the largest Tamil diasporas in the world. This January, we celebrate the richness of Tamil language & culture, honour the incredible contributions of Tamil communities, and recognize their courage and resilience. #TamilHeritageMonth pic.twitter.com/qhGyLI7F05— Salma Zahid (@SalmaZahid15) January 9, 2026Transgender Day of Remembrance is not only held shortly after conventional Remembrance Day, but it’s also the only day in the calendar to share billing with another calendar day, as November 20 was already National Child Day.Altogether, there are now just 20 days, all of them in December, in which the Government of Canada isn’t officially commemorating something.On December 10, the federally recognized 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence comes to an end, and Tamil Heritage Month doesn’t begin until January 1.In the interim there is only the Anniversary of the Statute of Westminster, which is marked on December 11.Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. 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