November 23, 2019
NOVEMBER 23, 2019
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
OTTAWA, ON – The Hon. Andrew Scheer, Leader of Canada’s Conservatives and the Official Opposition, issued the following statement:
“Today, millions of Ukrainians around the world will commemorate the 87th anniversary of one of the cruelest genocides of the twentieth century – the Holodomor.
“The deliberate starvation of millions of Ukrainians between 1932 and 1933 was a terrible crime committed against innocent men, women and children by Soviet communist dictator Joseph Stalin. While his evil plan to subjugate Ukrainians and suppress their collective memory failed, the Holodomor left a huge scar on the history of Ukraine. Those who survived the Soviet-orchestrated famine were kept behind the Iron Curtain and denied basic human rights for decades. I am extremely proud that it was under our Conservative government in 2008 that Canada finally recognized the Holodomor as genocide, immortalizing the memory of innocent victims and standing with the descendants of the victims of the Holodomor in Canada and around the world.
“I commend the efforts of the members of the Ukrainian Canadian community for their hard work and dedication in sharing the story of the Holodomor with fellow Canadians and the rest of the world. This year, once again, members of the Ukrainian-Canadian community in Toronto will have a special opportunity to pay tribute to the victims at the Holodomor Memorial unveiled last year. May this Memorial serve as a place of remembrance, respect and public education for all Canadians for years to come.
“The lessons of the Holodomor are relevant today as ever, as Ukraine continues to fight back against Russian military aggression. Conservatives have always stood with, and will continue to be a strong voice for, the people of a free, prosperous and democratic Ukraine.”
“The deliberate starvation of millions of Ukrainians between 1932 and 1933 was a terrible crime committed against innocent men, women and children by Soviet communist dictator Joseph Stalin. While his evil plan to subjugate Ukrainians and suppress their collective memory failed, the Holodomor left a huge scar on the history of Ukraine. Those who survived the Soviet-orchestrated famine were kept behind the Iron Curtain and denied basic human rights for decades. I am extremely proud that it was under our Conservative government in 2008 that Canada finally recognized the Holodomor as genocide, immortalizing the memory of innocent victims and standing with the descendants of the victims of the Holodomor in Canada and around the world.
“I commend the efforts of the members of the Ukrainian Canadian community for their hard work and dedication in sharing the story of the Holodomor with fellow Canadians and the rest of the world. This year, once again, members of the Ukrainian-Canadian community in Toronto will have a special opportunity to pay tribute to the victims at the Holodomor Memorial unveiled last year. May this Memorial serve as a place of remembrance, respect and public education for all Canadians for years to come.
“The lessons of the Holodomor are relevant today as ever, as Ukraine continues to fight back against Russian military aggression. Conservatives have always stood with, and will continue to be a strong voice for, the people of a free, prosperous and democratic Ukraine.”
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For more information, please contact:
Julie Pham
(613) 947-9932
Julie.Pham@parl.gc.ca
