Lawmaker of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba Flor Marcelino told Xinhua Saturday that the assembly will shortly hold the third, or last, reading of her Nanjing Massacre Commemorative Day Act.
The Act is set to establish Dec. 13 as Nanjing Massacre Commemoration Day in the province.
The Nanjing Massacre Commemorative Day Act, or Bill 233, which was introduced by Marcelino, has passed its second reading with unanimous consent in the legislature of the Canadian province of Manitoba.
"This is an event that should be remembered for ever. Such kind of tragedy like the Nanjing Massacre should never, never happen again in the world," said Marcelino, a Filipino Canadian and also the first woman of color elected as a lawmaker in the province.
She is the leader of the New Democratic Party in the Manitoba legislature.
"Recognizing Dec. 13 as Nanjing Massacre Commemoration Day is an opportunity to gather, remember and honor the victims and families here in Manitoba," said Marcelino in a telephone interview with Xinhua.
"Manitoba has a vibrant and growing Chinese Canadian community. Our province is a center for dialogue on human rights and we are proud to work with the Chinese community here to recognize this important day," said Marcelino.
Marcelino was Minister for Culture, Heritage and Tourism of the Manitoba government from 2009-13. She served as Minister for Multiculturalism and Literacy from 2013-16.
Manitoba joins a growing movement in Canada to recognize and commemorate the Nanjing Massacre. On Thursday, the legislature of the Canadian province of Ontario passed a motion recognizing Dec. 13 in each year as Nanjing Massacre Commemorative Day.
The No. 66 motion, adopted by the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, was the first of its kind in a Western country.
The motion was introduced by Chinese-Canadian lawmaker Soo Wong in a bid to acknowledge and honor the over 300,000 victims of the Nanjing Massacre, a heinous crime committed by the Japanese militarists during World War II.
This year marks the 80th anniversary of the Nanjing Massacre.
