Canadian parliament approved international language day on 21st February

On January 31, 2018, the Canadian parliament approved a motion to recognize February 21st as International Mother Language Day. The motion was introduced by Member of Parliament Randeep Sarai, who highlighted the importance of linguistic diversity and the preservation of endangered languages.

International Mother Language Day was established by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 1999 to promote linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism. The day is celebrated annually on February 21st to commemorate the Bengali Language Movement in Bangladesh in 1952, when students and activists protested for the recognition of their mother tongue, Bengali, as an official language of East Pakistan (which later became Bangladesh).

Canada is home to a diverse population, with over 200 languages spoken across the country. International Mother Language Day provides an opportunity to celebrate this linguistic diversity and to recognize the importance of preserving endangered languages. It also promotes the value of multilingualism and the benefits it brings to individuals and society as a whole.