UKRAINIAN CANADIAN COMMUNITY HOSTS SPECIAL RECEPTION FOR HOLODOMOR AWARENESS AT QUEEN’S PARK
Kalyna Kardash
Toronto, Canada
On May 26, the Ukrainian Canadian Congress – Toronto Branch and the League of Ukrainian Canadians co-hosted a special reception at Queen’s Park to express their appreciation to the Government of Ontario for moving forward with the inclusion of the Holodomor - the 1932-1933 genocidal famine in Ukraine - in the newly revised History and Social Studies secondary school curriculum in Ontario.
Prior to the reception, Etobicoke-Centre MPP Yvan Baker delivered a brief statement in the Chamber of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario on the importance of recognizing the Holodomor and honouring its victims.
Special guests at the event included Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne, Speaker Dave Levac, and a number of Members of the Provincial Parliament from all three parties that co-sponsored Bill 147, the Holodomor Memorial Day Act. Two survivors of the Holodomor, Stephan Horlatsch and Mykola Latyshko, were also in attendance.
Notably, the Holodomor Memorial Day Act was the first piece of Legislation in the province’s history to be introduced with tri-partisan sponsorship. The Act was passed in April 2009.
The reception, which was sponsored by Buduchnist Credit Union and the League of Ukrainian Canadians, included presentations from various community stakeholders, including the UCC Holodomor Education Committee and the Ukrainian Canadian Research and Documentation Centre. Dr. Oleh Romanyshyn and Orest Steciw of the League of Ukrainian Canadians also spoke and presented the latest documentary publication, Holodomor: The Ukrainian Genocide 1932-33, of which they are the lead editors.
“I would like to sincerely thank the Ontario Liberal Party, the Progressive Conservative Party, and the New Democratic Party for unanimously passing Bill 147, the Holodomor Memorial Day Act in April 2009, recognizing the Holodomor as an act of genocide perpetrated against the Ukrainian people by Stalin’s regime,” said Steciw. “Many thanks to Speaker Dave Levac, MPP Cheri Dinovo, and MPP Frank Klees for sponsoring and supporting Bill 147, and in particular to the Honourable Dave Levac for championing our cause.”
In appreciation of Premier Wynne and the Government of Ontario moving forward on Holodomor education in Ontario high schools, Holodomor: The Ukrainian Genocide 1932-33 was presented to the Premier, Speaker Dave Levac, representatives of the leaders of the Progressive Conservative Party and the New Democratic Party, and the Minister of Education, Hon. Liz Sandals.
In her remarks Premier Wynne emphasized the Holodomor Memorial Day Act’s all-party backing, noting that “this is not a partisan issue. This is a human issue that we can all relate to.”
“I wanted to especially acknowledge the survivors, Nicholas [Mykola] and Stephan. Nobody in this room can imagine what you saw and what you lived through, so we are very grateful to you for being part of reminding us and teaching us,” said Wynne.
“A moment in history that horrifies should not be forgotten because it was human beings who did this to other human beings,” the Premier stated. “We have a responsibility to remember the criminal abuse that was inflicted on the Ukrainian people, and a responsibility to ensure that horrors like the Holodomor do not happen again.”
Kalyna Kardash
Notably, the Holodomor Memorial Day Act was the first piece of Legislation in the province’s history to be introduced with tri-partisan sponsorship. The Act was passed in April 2009.
“I would like to sincerely thank the Ontario Liberal Party, the Progressive Conservative Party, and the New Democratic Party for unanimously passing Bill 147, the Holodomor Memorial Day Act in April 2009, recognizing the Holodomor as an act of genocide perpetrated against the Ukrainian people by Stalin’s regime,” said Steciw. “Many thanks to Speaker Dave Levac, MPP Cheri Dinovo, and MPP Frank Klees for sponsoring and supporting Bill 147, and in particular to the Honourable Dave Levac for championing our cause.”
“I wanted to especially acknowledge the survivors, Nicholas [Mykola] and Stephan. Nobody in this room can imagine what you saw and what you lived through, so we are very grateful to you for being part of reminding us and teaching us,” said Wynne.
