Prime Minister Harper Commemorates Ukrainian Famine Genocide

Ottawa - Prime Minister Stephen Harper launched commemorations of the 75th Anniversary of the Holodomor - Famine Genocide in Ukraine of 1932-33 on Parliament Hill, joined by the Ukrainian Canadian Congress, the Canada-Ukraine Parliamentary Group and the Embassy of Ukraine in Canada. Survivors of the Holodomor from the Ottawa Region also participated in the November 28 ceremony with ecumenical prayer service and presentations by federal party leaders.

The following excerpts are from Mr. Harper’s statement: “… Tonight we remember and honour those Ukrainians who suffered horribly  during [Stalin’s] savage reign. The main instrument of Stalin’s persecution of Ukrainians was collectivization ... The result was one of the worst famines the world has ever known, millions of men, women and children - mostly Ukrainian, but also some Kazakhs and Russians – died of starvation …

We in Canada are bonded to this dark chapter in human history by more than a million Canadians of Ukrainian descent, many of whom lost loved ones in the Holodomor. And so, all Canadians join us in commemorating this 75th Anniversary of the terrible Famine of 1932-33. Because what was done to the Ukrainian people was a mortal offence against the values we hold dearest; freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law.

… At UNESCO, Canada proudly co-sponsored the Government of Ukraine’s motion honouring the millions who perished in the Famine and acknowledging that their deaths were caused by the brutal communist dictatorship of  Stalin.”

Ukrainians in Canada join the international community in commemorating this tragedy to spread the truth about the Holodomor.  The Ukrainian Canadian Congress calls upon the Government of Canada to be a leader in these efforts and to support Ukraine as it petitions the United Nations to acknowledge the Holodomor as an act of genocide against the Ukrainian nation.