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Volume 2, Number 1, January-February 2006 Message from Ian E. Wilson
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 Ian E. Wilson, Librarian and Archivist of Canada Source |
On November 27, 2005, a special ceremony held at the Jamaican Canadian Centre in Toronto marked the first donation to Library and Archives Canada (LAC) of archival material from an Afro-Canadian and Caribbean organization.
On this occasion, and in the presence of a large audience, the Jamaican Canadian Association (JCA) and LAC signed a Deed of Gift confirming this donation and beginning a continuing relationship between the two organizations.
The material is part of an important collection of archival records compiled by Dr. Vincent Conville during his doctoral research on the history of the JCA. It consists of documents relating to the Association's constitution and regulations, its activities between 1963 and 2002, its correspondence with various levels of government, its committees, conferences, administrative and financial reports, and its research notes on multiculturalism.
The Jamaican Canadian Association fonds will be a record of the challenges and achievements of the leadership and members of the JCA for future generations. It will be a special record for Afro-Canadian and Jamaican children and grandchildren who will examine this fonds to learn how their community addressed issues in the areas of education, employment, immigration and housing to become full citizens of Canada.
Through its activities, programs and volunteer efforts, the JCA has made and will continue to make a significant contribution to the building of modern Canadian society. With historical information provided from federal government departments and more importantly, information provided by the community itself, we know that a more objective history can be written--one that better reflects the Jamaican Canadian contributions to shaping the multicultural society we have today.
LAC is proud to house the fonds of the Jamaican Canadian Association and recognizes its important contribution to the cultural heritage of Canada. We encourage other members of the JCA and ethnocultural organizations to transfer their papers to LAC, so that their experiences and stories can be shared with all Canadians.