TORONTO, Canada—More than 5,000 Torontonians commemorated the Centennial of the Armenian Genocide on April 19 in an event at Queen’s Park that honored the victims of the genocide and celebrated a people’s survival. All levels of government were represented at the commemoration event, where passionate speeches were delivered to a large and diverse crowd.
Premier Kathleen Wynne called the Armenian Genocide “a terrible tragedy” and “a dark moment in human history.” She went on to say that “the passage of a century has not diminished the horror of these events, nor has it diminished the importance of recognizing the atrocity in Armenia as genocide.”
Defense Minister Jason Kenney and Toronto Mayor John Tory addressed the crowd. Armenian-Canadian film director Atom Egoyan delivered an inspiring keynote address. Members of parliament, foreign diplomats, and consul generals of Germany, Lebanon, Argentina, and Cyprus were also present.
Those in attendance were asked to support Motion M-587—a motion that aims to designate the month of April as “Genocide Remembrance, Condemnation, and Prevention Month”—which will soon be introduced and voted on in the Canadian House of Commons.
Following the commemoration, supporters took to the streets, marching to raise awareness of all genocides. The march, organized by the Armenian community, also included representatives from the Jewish, Ukrainian, Assyrian, Pontian, Kurdish, and Rwandan communities.
The march was led by a group of boy scouts representing the Georgetown Boys, a group of Armenian orphans who were given shelter by Canada in 1923 in what became known as Canada’s Noble Experiment. The procession ended at the Metropolitan United Church where an ecumenical church service was led by the archbishop of the Toronto Roman Catholic Church, Cardinal Thomas Collins.
The unity march came just a week after Pope Francis called the slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians “genocide” and called on Turkey to take responsibility for its actions.
Several other events, including a sold-out Toronto Symphony Orchestra concert presenting “Sounds of Armenia,” are planned locally and across the country leading up to the Centennial of the Armenian Genocide, commemorated internationally on Fri., April 24.
Well done Toronto. Proud of you.