Bob Chiarelli

Mayor / Maire

January 17, 2006                                

Can D. Le
Commissioner for External Affairs
Vietnamese Canadian Federation
Vietnamese Boat People Museum Project Leader

249 Rochester St.
Ottawa, On. KIR 7M9

Dear Mr. Le;

In my capacity as Mayor of the City of Ottawa, it is my distinct pleasure to lend my fullest support in principle to the Vietnamese Boat People Museum Project proposed by the Vietnamese Canadian Federation.

I am encouraged that this project would notably assist Vietnamese youths and their posterity to appreciate better the unfathomable hardships, as well as the human and material sacrifices of the 3 million Vietnamese, who abruptly exited, largely by perilous means at sea, the former South Vietnam in the wake of the change in the political and economic landscape of April 1975, in what is now recognized as Vietnam.

The project would also serve as a lasting testimony to the strength of human spirit, steadfastness, ingenuity and significant achievements of the 170,000 Vietnamese professionals, business people, farmers, fishermen, and others who resettled in Canada, including Ottawa.

In addition, the project would help to retell the story of Ottawa 4,000, spearheaded in 1979 by the mayor of the day Marion Dewar, and which was a grassroots humanitarian initiative that successfully secured local sponsorship of 4,000 Vietnamese refugees for resettlement in our nation's capital. This is not only an account of the generosity of the people of Ottawa to open their homes, hearts and community to a recently arrived community of new Canadians; but also the history of the Vietnamese boat peoples' success in building a vibrant and prosperous community in the heart of Ottawa. The local Vietnamese community members' contributions to our city's rich multicultural landscape and economic wealth are immeasurable and merit recognition in this project.

I am confident that with the appropriate assistance from a wide host of supporters that the Vietnamese Boat People Museum Project would prove to be an enduring legacy to the successful resettlement of the original 4,000 Vietnamese refugees, and allow future generations to celebrate their Vietnamese heritage with a deeper understanding of their contributions to Canadian society.

Sincerely,

Bob Chiarelli

Mayor

City of Ottawa

110 Laurier Avenue West, Ottawa, ON K1P 1J1 / 110, avenue Laurier ouest, Ottawa (ON) K1P 1J1
Tel/tel. : (613) 580-2496 Fax/telec. : (613) 580-2509
e-mail / courriel : Bob.Chiarelli@ottawa.ca
Internet: Ottawa.ca