On May 6, upon the invitation of the Honorable Sheila Copps, former Deputy Prime Minister of Canada, H.E. Lan Lijun, Ambassador of the People's Republic of China to Canada, attended the annual Asian of the Year Awards ceremony at Parliament Hill. Also present at the ceremony were around 300 representatives from the Canadian Government, members of federal parliament, heads of Asia diplomatic missions in Canada, dignitaries and family members of the award winners. Ambassador Lan had friendly exchanges with award winners and took photos with them during the event.

There were five categories for the 2009 Awards: arts/sports, business/public service, volunteerism, lifetime achievement and Asia-Canada relations with three nominees for each category. Canadian Chinese make up for seven among 15 nominations. Winners this year are: Sandra Oh, an outstanding Korean-Canadian descent actress; Carol Huynh, who won Team Canada the first gold medal during the Beijing Olympic Games; Dr. Nelly W.K.Ng, former president of Canadian Fund for Preservation of Chinese Heritage; and Dr. David T. Fung, President and CEO of ACDEG International Inc. in Vancouver. The Right Honorable Adrienne Clarkson, former Governor General was announced winner for the lifetime achievement category and former Canadian Prime Minister the Right Honorable Jean Chretien topped other candidates for his contribution to Asia-Canada relations. Winners last year include Patrick Chan, the youngest champion of Canadian men's figure skating in history and John Chew Mah, chancellor of the order of St. John Ambulance.

Asian of the Year Awards was initiated by AsianNetwork Canada and run by the Asian of the Year Society. It is the only national award in Canada that recognizes prominent Canadian citizens of Asian descent. The awards are presented annually on the Parliament Hill during the Asian Heritage Month, the establishment of which was tabled by the Honorable Senator Vivienne Poy in 2001 and then passed by the federal parliament. The Asian Heritage Month aims to incentivize Asian descendents and acquaint Canadians with Asian cultures.