Ottawa, Ontario
22 November 2013
Prime Minister Stephen Harper today issued the following statement commemorating the 80th anniversary of the Holodomor, which takes place tomorrow:
“Tomorrow, Canadians and people around the world will pause to remember the millions of men, women and children who perished during the Ukrainian famine-genocide of 1932-1933, an atrocity perpetrated by Josef Stalin’s communist regime.
“I encourage all citizens to stand with Ukrainian Canadians at commemoration ceremonies taking place across the country to honour both the victims and survivors of this tragedy.
“In 2010, I had the privilege of visiting the Holodomor Memorial and Museum in Kyiv. This experience was deeply moving and brought home the enormity and malevolence of the crimes committed against the Ukrainian people. I am very proud that Canada was the first country to recognize this deliberate and systematic starvation of millions of civilians as an act of genocide.
“Our Government will continue to pay tribute to all victims of Communism, as demonstrated by our recent commitment in the Speech from the Throne to build a memorial in their honour.
“Finally, I would like to pay homage to the tremendous spirit and strength that it took for Ukraine to survive the Holodomor and emerge as a proud and independent nation. This strength of character is evident everyday in the more than one million Canadians of Ukrainian descent whose contributions continue to enrich our great country.”
