Community Dialogue

Hon. Dr. Vivienne Poy – First Asian Canadian Senator and Historian

Vivienne Poy, PhD (University of Toronto), is a historian, an author, a public speaker, an entrepreneur, a community activist and a fashion designer. She established her own retail and wholesale company in creative knitwear in the early 1980s.

In 1998, she was the first Canadian of Asian heritage to be appointed to the Senate of Canada where she focused on gender issues, multiculturalism, immigration and human rights. She started the process in 2000 to amend our National Anthem to make it inclusive of all Canadians, with the wording “in all of us command” by tabling 2 successive Bills in the Senate. In 2001, Vivienne was instrumental in having May declared as Asian Heritage Month across Canada by the Federal Government. 

Vivienne is Chancellor Emerita of the University of Toronto. She is an author/co-editor and contributor of numerous publications. After her retirement from the Senate of Canada in September 2012, she continues to speak and write, and remains actively involved with NGOs, such as ORBIS (Can), Plan International (Can), ACCT Foundation, The Chinese Canadian Museum in Vancouver, Covenant House, Scott Mission, the Famous5 Foundation, and numerous organizations and communities across Canada. She is also assisting UHN in promoting organ transplant from living donors.

Vivienne is an Advisor of Pacific Canada Heritage Centre-Museum of Migration. She is on the Canadian Museum for Human Rights National Advisory Council, an Hon. Co-chair “For All Canadians” for Canadian Blood Services, an Hon. Patron of Chinese Canadian Historical Project – Simon Fraser University, an Hon. Chair of the Advisory Committee of “Hong Kong-Canada Crosscurrents Project, 1962-2012,” (UofT & UBC), a Patron of the Chinese Canadian Legend Awards, and a Member of the Advisory Committee of Journal of Modern Life-Writing Study, Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.

Vivienne has received numerous honorary degrees and professorship from universities in USA, China, Hong Kong, South Korea and across Canada.

Recent Awards:

• Life-Long Contribution Award from Canadian Youth Champions. (March 3, 2024).
• WeWorkingWomen 2023 Grand Impact Award, (Oct. 22, 2023)
• Celebrity Judge for Nature Canada’s Nature Photo Contest, (2023, 2024 & 2025)
• VIBE’s Power 60: Inspiring Asian-Canadians of Influence, (2023)
• Xinflix Hua Cai Person of the Year Award, (Dec. 17, 2022)
• Distinguished Hakka Leaders Award, (June 26, 2022)
• Canadian Council for the Advancement of Education, Friend of Education Award, (May 2022)
• One of Canada’s Most Inspiring Women by Marquee Magazine, (Fall Issue 2021)
• 10 Incredible Asian-Canadians You Didn’t Learn About in History Class, (April 22, 2021)
• Canadian Women Now and Then: More than 100 Stories of Fearless Trailblazers, (2020)

Earlier Awards:

• Officer of the Order of St. John  
• The G. Raymond Chang Award (University of the West Indies)
• International Women’s Day Award
• WXN Canada’s Most Powerful Women, Top 100 Trailblazer
• Eid-ul-Fitr Award by the Association of Progressive Muslims of Ont.
• Inaugural Golden Mountain Achievements Award in Victoria, BC
• NAAAP 100 Award from the National Association of Asian American Professionals, New York, USA
• The Most Successful Women Award by Jessica Magazine (Hong Kong & China)
• Lifetime Achievement Award from The Association of Chinese Canadian Entrepreneurs Chinese Canadian Legend Award

Hon. Teresa Woo-Paw, ECA – Founder and Chair, ACCT Foundation (Moderator)

Teresa is a tireless advocate for diversity, social inclusion and active civic participation. She is known for her ability in bringing diverse people together to joint efforts, break new grounds and create bigger impacts in society.

She is the first Canadian woman of Asian descent elected to the Calgary Board of Education (1995-2000), the Alberta Legislature and Cabinet Minister in Alberta (2008-2015).

Teresa holds a bachelor of arts degree in social work from the University of Calgary. She founded and built eight non-profit entities over a span of 40 plus years including the ACCT Foundation & Asian Canadians Together-ACT2EndRacism National Network; Asian Heritage Foundation, the Ethnocultural Council of Calgary (Action Dignity) and the Calgary Chinese Community Service Association. She has worked with almost 100 organizations in Canada.

Teresa received appointment as the Chair of the Canadian Race Relations Foundation by the Governor in Council in 2018 and is currently Chair of ACCT Foundation and created the Inspire to Lead Leaders’ Summit and the Aspire to Act Leadership Training Program; Convener of ACT2EndRacism Network; Co-Chair of Asian Heritage Foundation; Board member of Calgary Arts Foundation; City of Calgary-Tomorrow’s Chinatown and Lougheed House Advisory Committees.

Teresa loves the arts, gardening, travelling and spending time with her grandchildren.

Awards:

• Chinese Canadian Legend 2016
• YWCA Women of Distinction Award, 1998
• Immigrants of Distinction Award, 1998
• Queen Elizabeth’s 60th Jubilee Award, 2012
• Queen’s Jubilee Award – Multiculturalism & Community Services 2002
• Alberta Centennial Medal & Medallion, 2005
• Canada 125th Commemorative Award for Community Services

Dr. Grace Wong Sneddon – Chair, Victoria Chinatown Museum Society (VCMS)

Grace has an Interdisciplinary PhD in Anthropology and Pacific and Asian Studies from the University of Victoria. Her areas of research include: race and gender in popular culture, Asian North American identity and the Chinese diasporic culture. As past Adviser to the Provost on Equity and Diversity for fifteen years, her research has informed her extensive experience in the area of educational and employment equity. She is an adjunct professor in the Department of Art History and Visual Studies and an associate fellow in the Centre for the Studies of Religion and Societies at the University of Victoria. Committed to her community, she is President of the Greater Victoria Eldercare Foundation, Director of the Hoy Sun Ning Yung Association and past Chair of the Victoria Foundation.

Dr. Adam Con – Professor of Music, University of Victoria

Dr. Con, a fourth-generation Chinese Canadian, was born in Vancouver and has resided in Victoria, BC, since 2014. His deep family roots in Victoria include his paternal grandmother, who was born there, and his paternal great-grandparents, who are buried at the Chinese Cemetery at Harling Point. Dr. Con is Professor of Music at the University of Victoria, where he teaches music education and choral conducting, supervises undergraduate and graduate accordion students, and serves as a university senator and Vice-President of the Faculty Association. His previous leadership roles include Acting Associate Dean of Fine Arts, Chair of the Senate Committee on Curriculum, and active member of the Senate Committee on Planning. For over a decade, he has coordinated musicians and curated music for UVic convocation ceremonies.

In the broader Victoria community, Dr. Con serves as Artistic Director of Capriccio Vocal Ensemble and take an active role serving as executive board member the Coalition for Music Education in BC, and on the board of Choral Canada. He is also co-chair of Podium 2026, Canada’s national conference, which will be hosted at the University of Victoria.

Dr. Con’s interdisciplinary expertise in Body Mapping, Alexander Technique and Tai Chi Chuan has led to numerous international invitations to perform, conduct and present workshops. Highlights include engagements at Foro Coro Americano in Argentina, I Foro Internacional De Educación Musical in Mexico, ISME The International Society for Music Education, and numerous national and provincial music educator’s and choral conferences across Canada and the United States, such as the Canadian Podium Choral Conducting Symposium, the American Choral Directors Association, the Canadian GALA Conference, the Canadian and the American Orff-Schulwerk National Conferences, the BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba Choral Federations and Provincial Music Education Conferences.

Peyton Yip – Youth Leader

Peyton Yip was adopted from Jiangxi Province, China in 2008. She is imminently proud of co-founding the BIPOC Awareness Club at Esquimalt High School to deter racism, combat discrimination, amplify minority voices, and highlight the diverse student body. As well, Peyton collaboratively planned and hosted the School District 61 Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Forum which invited minority students across School District 61 to come together to discuss what the district can do better.