|
Toronto, April 9, 2009 – Making history today, members of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario unanimously passed Bill 147, the Holodomor Memorial Day Act.
The co-sponsors, lead by Dave Levac, Liberal MPP for Brant, along with Cheri DiNovo, NDP MPP for Parkdale-High Park, and Frank Klees, PC MPP for Newmarket-Aurora together introduce Bill 147 which commemorates victims of the Holodomor (the engineered famine in Ukraine which murdered millions of Ukrainians from 1932-33).
The legislation declares the fourth Saturday of November each year in the Province of Ontario as Holodomor Memorial Day.
 “Today, the Government of Ontario paid tribute to the millions of innocent victims of the Holodomor, condemned the heinous crimes of the Soviet Communist regime, and restored historical justice. We applaud your perseverance and resolve to ensure the passage of Bill 147 that proclaims the fourth Saturday of every November as a day of remembrance-Holodomor Memorial Day and that recognizes the Holodomor of 1932-1933 as an act of genocide,” said Chrystyna Bidiak, National President of the League of Ukrainian Canadian Women. “Learning the truth about all crimes against humanity is the only way we can ensure that criminals will no longer be emboldened by indifference and that such dark pages in history will never be allowed to happen again.”
“We commend the members of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario for their work to ensure that the tragedy of the Holodomor is recognized and will no longer be whitewashed by apologists for the Soviet system that created this genocide,” stated Paul Grod, Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC) National President. “I would especially like to recognize and congratulate the League of Ukrainian Canadians, one of UCC’s constituent member organizations, for their tireless efforts in educating Canadians and in working with the Legislature of Ontario to ensure this important legislation was passed today.”
|
