Parliamentary Group Supports Community on Rights Museum

Ottawa, March 2, 2011 - Concern among parliamentarians about the content and governance of the Canadian Museum For Human Rights is growing.  Following a recent meeting between the Ukrainian Canadian Congress and the all-party Canada Ukraine Parliamentary Friendship Group (CUPFG), the Friendship Group passed a motion supporting the Ukrainian community and has written to express its concerns to the Board of the Canadian Museum For Human Rights.

“We are pleased that the Friendship Group has, in a non-partisan manner, unanimously voted to support the Ukrainian community,” stated UCC National President Paul Grod.  “I would like to thank the Friendship Group for supporting the community on this critical issue.

The group has written to Mr. Arni Thorsteinson, Chair of the CMHR’s Board of Trustees, to request that the Board consider the importance of the Holodomor to the proper understanding of human rights and to the prevention of extreme human rights abuses.  They asked that it be specifically considered when planning the content at the Canadian Museum For Human Rights, and that the Holodomor genocide be given a unique and prominent place in the CMHR to truly reflect Canadian values within the Museum.

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Momentum Builds as Growing Number of Liberal MPs Press for Prominent Holodomor Gallery in Canadian Museum For Human Rights

Ottawa, March 2, 2011 - Today, another ten Liberal MPs added their names to “The Statement of Liberal Members of Parliament on the Canadian Museum for Human Rights” calling for the establishment of a permanent zone (gallery) on the Holodomor (Ukrainian Famine-Genocide) in Canada’s national human rights museum.

The ten new Liberal Members of Parliament are (in alphabetical order): Hon. Wayne Easter, P.C., M.P. (Malpeque), Hon. Hedy Fry, P.C., M.P. (Vancouver Centre), Andrew Kania, M.P. (Brampton West), Hon. Jim Karygiannis, P.C., M.P. (Scarborough-Agincourt), Hon. Keith Martin, P.C., M.P. (Esquimalt-Juan de Fuca), Massimo Pacetti, M.P. (Saint-Lonard-Saint-Michel), Hon. Bob Rae, P.C., M.P. (Toronto Centre), Scott Simms, M.P. (Bonavista-Gander-Grand Falls-Windsor), Alan Tonks, M.P. (York South-Weston), and Frank Valeriote, M.P. (Guelph).

This brings the total number of Liberal Members of Parliament that have publicly called for a permanent zone (exhibit) on the Holodomor in the Canadian Museum For Human Rights to fifteen.

To view CUPFG letter and Liberal MP Statement re CMHR, visit www.ucc.ca