Sunday marks the inaugural Dutch Heritage Day in Canada. 
The brain child of Chatham-Kent-Leamington MP Dave Van Kesteren, the day was created last month thanks to his private members bill.
He says that while there hasn’t been a lot of time to prepare events for this year, next year will likely be a different story.
“Probably be a little bit more low key (this year,) but it might be a great day to talk about the blessings of being in this country, why we’re so thankful, and what we can do to make this a better place,” Van Kesteren says.
May 5, 2020 will mark 75 years since the liberation of the Netherlands from Nazi occupation.
“I’m hoping this will maybe stimulate the Dutch community to take notice. I’m hoping we can do some other things in our community to mark the day, I am going to prod that a little bit, but I’m hoping it’ll take on a life of its own. We’ve got some irons in the fire.”
As his final motion before retiring, Van Kesteren says he’s thrilled to be able to honour the heritage of his own family and so many others in the area.
