Petro Lopata

In the spirit of multiculturalism and tolerance, the organization Canadians for a Genocide Museum (CGM), established over two years ago, met at Queen’s Park on December 4 to discuss progress on one of its current projects – having a Genocide Week declared in the province of Ontario. Behind the initiative in Ontario’s parliament stands London West MPP Bob Wood (PC), whose private member’s Bill 97 woud legislate, as CGM puts it, an “occasion [that] would provide equitable recognition of these human tragedies as well as an inclusive opportunity for memorialization”. CGM hopes to have the bill proclaimed early next year.

Among other members of Ontario’s legislature, Mr Wood is working closely with Peter Kormos (NDP) and Tony Ruprecht (Liberal) to gain all-party support in parliament for the Genocide Week. Wood briefly attended the December 4 meeting to expalain the law making process to those present.

Chaired by Ukrainian Canadian Civil Liberties Association head John Gregorovich, a Mount Forest, Ontario lawyer, CGM’s primary aim, according to a statement from them, is to establish a federally funded “equitable and inclusive” Genocide Museum. With members from 37 different ethnic groups, this is no easy task. However, the fact that so many different communities have banded together to work towards a common goal paints a picture of hope for tolerance among nations, peoples and races.

In light of current events in Afghanistan and the Middle East, and as CGM puts it, “the woefully inadequate response” of the world to the genocide in Rwanda, CGM believes the present ignorance regarding genocides throughout history may be reversed through further research and education on the subject, with a “virtual” Museum of Genocide, a project CGM has recommended to the Federal legislature and to the Heritage Minister.

Ukrainians have a strong interest in the Genocide issue, and they were certainly well represented at the December 4 meeting. Present on behalf of the Ukrainian National Federation was UNF immediate past president Mary Pidkowich, representing the Ukrainian Woman’s Organization – Hanya Cirka, from the Ukrainian Canadian Congress – president Mary Szkambara, and from the Canadian Ukrainian Immigrant Aid Society – Michael Wawryshyn.

Although Ukrainians fell victim to some of history’s bloodiest genocides, its representatives at the meeting – as pointed out by German Canadian Congress Ontario president Ernst Friedel – were not demanding on the issue of a date for the proposed Genocide Week in Ontario. This remains as one of the group’s issues yet to be resolved, and represents a particular challenge when delegates from so many communities sit down together at the table. Calls for compromise from Mary Szkambara and Lina Ismail from the Canadian Arab Federation may help overcome the barriers to consensus among so diverse a gathering. As [–req. name] the representative of the Canadian Hungarian Federation pleaded, “see the forest despite the trees”.

James Kafieh, CGM executive secretary and a representative of [Palestine Heritage Canada] reported on the progress of another CGM initiaitve – promoting genocide education in Canadian schools. According to a CGM statement, the organization is assisting the York Region District School

Board develop a “unit of study to supplement the provincial program for Canadian and World Studies.” All CGM members have been asked to submit background information and resources describing their community’s genocide, to “compensate for deficiencies” in the present curriculum.