November Diversity Calendar

Download the November Diversity Calendar

In November, we celebrate and remember:

• Indigenous Disability Awareness Month (IDAM) – Indigenous peoples of Canada experience a disability rate significantly higher than that of the general population. IDAM brings awareness of these barriers and the issues that Indigenous peoples living with disabilities and their families face every day. It is also a month to recognize the significant and valuable contributions they make to our communities socially, economically, and culturally every day.
• All Saints‘ Day & All Souls‘ Day on November 1: All Saint’s Day, also known as All Hallows’ Day, Hallowmas, Feast of All Saints, or Solemnity of All Saints, is a Christian festival celebrated in honour of all the saints, known and unknown. In Christianity, All Souls’ Day commemorates All Souls, the Holy Souls, or the Faithful Departed; that is, the souls of Christians who have died. In Mexico, the Day of the Dead (or Día de los Muertos) is an opportunity for family and friends to honour and remember deceased loved ones.
• National Aboriginal Veteran’s Day on November 8: A day to honour the story of Indigenous service in the First and Second World Wars, the Korean War and later Canadian Armed Forces efforts. While exact numbers are elusive, it has been estimated that as many as 12,000 First Nations, Métis and Inuit people served in the great conflicts of the 20th century. We respect and honour the contributions of Indigenous Veterans!
• Remembrance Day on November 11: Canadians pause in a silent moment of remembrance for the men and women who have served, and continue to serve our country during times of war, conflict and peace. Poppies are worn as the symbol of remembrance, a reminder of the blood-red flower that still grows on the former battlefields of France and Belgium.
• Diwali on November 12 to 16: Diwali or Deepavali is the Hindu festival of lights and the Hindu New Year. Diwali lasts for 5 days: Day 1 – New Year for business, Day 2 – the triumph of god Vishnu over the evil demon, Day 3 – Lakshmi, the goddess of prosperity visits homes lit by lamps, Day 4 – Bali worship day, Day 5 – devoted to brothers and sisters.
• World Diabetes Day on November 14: created in response to growing concerns about the escalating health threat posed by diabetes. It is marked every year on November 14, the birthday of Sir Frederick Banting, who co-discovered insulin along with Charles Best in 1922.
• Trans Day of Remembrance on November 20: A day to memorialize those who have been murdered as a result of transphobia and to bring attention to the continued violence endured by the transgender community.
• National Housing Day on November 22: a day to recognize the important work done by housing partners across Canada to improve access to housing for everyone. Housing helps us stay employed, do better in school and participate more fully in society. In Canada, 1.4M households live in unsuitable, inadequate homes and can’t afford an alternative; including accessible/affordable housing for people with disabilities.
• International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women on November 25: The Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women issued by the United Nations General Assembly in 1993, defines violence against women as “any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life”. Violence against women continues to be an obstacle to achieving equality, development, peace as well as to the fulfillment of women and girls’ human rights, but remains largely unreported due to the impunity, silence, stigma and shame surrounding it.
• Guru Nanak Gurpurab on November 27: One of the most sacred festivals in Sikhism, Gurpurab celebrates the birth of the first (highly revered) Sikh gurus Guru Nanak Dev Ji. Sikhs gather at the gurdwara for hymn-singing (kirtan) and to hear kathas (homilies) and share the langar (free meal).