International Holodomor Memorial Day in Canada

A Day of Remembrance - Saturday, November 27

77th Anniversary of Famine Genocide in Ukraine 1932-33

Statement by the Prime Minister of Canada, The Rt. Hon. Stephen Harper, P.C., M.P.

I am honoured to join Canadians in the solemn commemoration of the 77th anniversary of the Holodomor. On this day, we remember the millions of Ukrainians who suffered and perished during one of the most terrible crimes in history. Millions of men, women and children – predominantly Ukrainian – died of starvation under Joseph Stalin’s oppressive regime.

Canada’s heritage is forever connected to this unimaginable tragedy through the more than one million Canadians of Ukrainian decent, many of whom lost loved ones in that time of horror. The Holodomor is a part of the past that we as Canadians must never forget. Two years ago, our Government was proud to lead an effort in Parliament to officially recognize the Holodomor as a genocide and establish an annual day of commemoration on the fourth Saturday of each November.

I was deeply moved by the vivid depictions and sad memories of this humanitarian catastrophe preserved at the National Holodomor Memorial, when I visited Kyiv this October. I was reminded of the Ukrainian communities back home that honour the memory of victims of the Holodomor with monuments in parks and public squares.

During my visit to Ukraine, I was impressed by the profound friendship our two countries share. Canada stood against the oppression of Ukraine during the two World Wars and the Cold War, and was the first Western country to formally recognize its independence from Soviet Communism.

As our friendship grows, Canada will continue to support Ukraine in its journey toward strengthening freedom, democracy, justice and human rights. As Canadians, we admire and respect Ukrainians’ pursuit of liberty and freedom, their spirit of independence, and their courage and determination.

Excerpts of Statement by the Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism, The Hon. Jason Kenney

The Government of Canada is committed to remembering the victims of the Holodomor… In 2007 the Government of Canada proudly co-sponsored Ukraine’s motion at UNESCO to honour the millions who perished in the

famine and to acknowledge that their deaths were caused by the cruel actions and policies of a totalitarian regime.

By helping people remember the victims of the Holodomor, we remind Canadians that we share a responsibility to ensure that similar atrocities never happen again… I join all Canadians, and particularly Canadians of Ukrainian origin, in solemnly marking the anniversary of this crime against humanity.”

 Excerpts of Statement by the Premier of Ontario, The Hon. Dalton McGuinty

Ontario has enacted the Holodomor Memorial Day Act. The legislation is the result of all political parties coming together in a common cause… the fourth Saturday of November will be a day of remembrance. the Ontario Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration’s website is helping to raise awareness of the Holodomor. It contains a resource that parents and teachers can use to teach children about the great suffering - and also the tremendous courage - of the Ukrainian people.

Throughout Ontario, there are thousands of people of Ukrainian descent who work hard to build good lives for their families and to create a stronger Ontario for all of us…

But such good fortune also comes with an obligation to honour and remember the culture, history and achievements of those nations that have given to us some of their best and brightest sons and daughters. And that is why it is up to all of us to stand together with the Ukrainian people to remember their darkest hours and to celebrate their progress in building a free and strong society.

Statements by Members of Parliament in the House of Commons

James Bezan (Selkirk-Interlake, CPC) on November 23, 2010

 The Prime Minister’s official trip to Ukraine last month further demonstrates the close relationship that we enjoy between our two countries.

The Prime Minister paid tribute to the millions of Ukrainians who died during the Holodomor by placing a symbolic jar of grain on behalf of all Canadians at a [commemorative statute called ‘Sad Memory of Childhood’] by the National Holodomor Memorial Museum in Kyiv.

He acknowledged the enormity of the event and the millions who perished under Stalin’s Soviet regime and demonstrated our hope that such an atrocity never occur again.

I was proud to witness our Prime Minister standing in solidarity with Ukrainians in Lviv and declaring Holodomor an act of genocide.
Borys Wrzesnewskyj (Etobicoke Centre, Liberal) on November 22, 2010

 In Kyiv, the Holodomor memorial is a statue of a small starving girl holding three sheaves of wheat. Stalin decreed food illegal for Ukrainian peasants. Having as little as three sheaves of wheat was a crime and the penalty was death.

Wherever Ukrainian peasants lived, armed Communist red brigades enforced this decree. Peasant farmers suffered the slow pain of death by starvation and the excruciating pain of watching their children and spouses slowly to death with them. In the very breadbasket of Europe, one by one, millions laid their starving bodies onto Ukraine’s fertile black soil to die.

During National Holodomor Awareness Week, let us pledge that “never again” will finally mean never again.

 In Ottawa, the Holodomor Comme-moration Ceremony – Remembering the Victims of the Ukrainian Famine Genocide 1932-33 was held on November 30, sponsored by the Embassy of Ukraine and the Canada-Ukraine Parliamentary Friendship Group with politicians and the public in attendance.

National Holodomor Awareness Week 2010 was November 22-28, 2010 with many events held across Canada to learn about, honour the survivors and remember the victims of this genocide.

Vichnaya Im Pam’yat’

Ukraine Remembers – the World Acknowledges!