Lebanese Canadians' “historic” effect on Canada will be celebrated every November, thanks to a new act of parliament.
The Lebanese Heritage Month Act, introduced in April 2022, received unanimous support and was passed into law this month.
Under the new act, Ottawa will officially recognise November as Lebanese Heritage Month.
“Parliament wishes to recognise and celebrate the historic mark that Lebanese Canadians have made and continue to make in building Canadian society,” the bill says.
The legislation, led by Liberal MP Lena Metlege Diab of Halifax West in Nova Scotia, aims to encourage “Lebanese Canadians to promote their traditions and culture and share them with all Canadians”.
The MP, whose family originated from Dimane in northern Lebanon, praised the community's contributions to Canada in sectors including law, sports, arts, academia and politics.
Ms Diab took to Twitter to celebrate the passing of the bill.
“Deeply grateful to all my colleagues for their speeches and their support,” she said.
Ms Diab was particularly proud that the bill passed unanimously. She said it was a rare distinction that reflected how highly the community is regarded.
"Each and every one of them saw the contributions of people of Lebanese heritage in their own community and they wanted to share that and they want us to talk about it and they want us to recognise it," she said.
Canada has long been home to a sizeable Lebanese population, with communities in cities across the country.
"The history is so rich and so deep," Ms Diab told The National.
The first Lebanese immigrants arrived in Canada in the late 1880s.
Today, the community numbers more than 210,000, making it one of the largest non-European ethnic groups in the country, according to the 2021 Canadian Census.
Ontario and Quebec are home to the largest communities, with many Lebanese Canadians settling in French-speaking Montreal and its surrounding suburbs.
