Ottawa, April 8, 2011 (UCCLA)
- Misrepresentations have been broadcast about the Ukrainian Canadian Civil Liberties
Association’s position with respect to the taxpayer-funded Canadian Museum For Human
Rights.
UCCLA wants all 12 CMHR galleries
to be thematic, comparative and inclusive. We have never opposed the inclusion of
the Shoah (Holocaust) in a gallery recalling the many incidents of genocide and
crimes against humanity that have befouled human history. We are, however, against
any [one] group’s suffering being elevated above all others in this national museum,
and that includes allocating a separate gallery [only] for the genocidal Great Famine
of 1932-33 in Soviet Ukraine, the Holodomor.
The orchestrated outcry about the
“Animal Farm” postcard reflects the desperation of those who, having failed to counter
UCCLA’s legitimate concerns over the proposed contents and ongoing governance of
this national institution, are now resorting to bully-boy tactics and name-calling
to obfuscate the truth - which is that MOST Canadians want this publicly-funded
museum to focus on Canadian stories and human rights, not human wrongs.
Genuine dialogue can still reconcile
this controversy. We believe Israel Asper had a genuine and decent vision of what
this museum could become, for
The distinguished Holocaust scholar,
Professor Michael Marrus, has said recently that the CMHR “needs a rethink.” Exactly right. We’ve been saying so all
along.