New pathway – Ukrainian News.
The Ukrainian Canadian community welcomes the announcement by Mélanie Joly, Minister of Canadian Heritage, of a three-year grant valued at $1.45 million to support the Holodomor National Awareness Tour and the Holodomor Mobile Classroom (“the HMC”).
The HMC is a state-of-the-art interactive audio-visual learning centre geared to high schools, universities and the public. The Tour and the HMC educates Canadian students, community leaders and the public about the events of the horrific Holodomor Famine-Genocide in Ukraine 1932-33, and its relevance to the world today. Since its launch in 2015, the HMC has toured Canada from coast to coast. Over 25,000 people including more than 18,000 students and educators have visited the HMC, learning about the values of multiculturalism, diversity, human rights and respect for human dignity.
The “Holodomor National Awareness Tour”, is a joint project between four organizations: the Canada Ukraine Foundation (CUF, the lead on the project), the Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC), the Ukrainian Canadian Research and Documentation Centre (UCRDC) and the Holodomor Research and Educational Consortium (HREC).
“This project was originally conceived to build bridges among communities to promote intercultural understanding, tolerance, awareness and a deeper respect for the democratic values that we Canadians hold so dear,” said Bob Onyschuk, Q.C., Past Chair of CUF, and Project Lead.
“We have done just that, and are delighted that the Government of Canada has honoured the success of this project by agreeing to renew it for a further 3 years. We are also very proud that the HMC was recognized in 2017 by the international A’ Design Awards Competition (Como, Italy) with a coveted Gold A’ Design Award in the Education and Training Content category for Best “Immersive Learning Experience” – and we plan to put the HMC to this hi-tech creative use for the next 3 years,” he added.
“We are grateful to the Government of Canada for its strong support for Holodomor education, which will teach Canadians of our shared responsibility to stand up to tyranny, oppression and crimes against humanity around the world,” said Paul Grod, National President of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress.
“This year, we commemorate the 85th anniversary of the Holodomor. We honour the millions of victims of the Holodomor and pay tribute to the survivors, whose courage in sharing their story ensured that the terrible Genocide did not remain hidden from the world.
“This systemic and horrific genocide, undertaken by a totalitarian Soviet regime, killed millions of Ukrainian men, women, and children by starvation. It was a failed attempt to destroy the identity and will of the Ukrainian people,” he added.
“Canada’s diversity is a strength and a source of great pride. Our government is proud to support projects like the Holodomor National Awareness Tour, which helps educate the public about the horrors one of the darkest chapters in human history: the Ukrainian Holodomor. I would like to thank the Canada-Ukraine Foundation and the Ukrainian Canadian community as a whole for their leadership in promoting intercultural dialogue and helping build a more inclusive Canada,” said Mélanie Joly, Minister of Canadian Heritage.
“We stand with the victims of the Holodomor and their descendants to remember and condemn this unconscionable act. Remembering history is our best hope against repeating it,” noted Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, in his November 25, 2017 Holodomor Memorial Day statement.
The funding announcement was also welcomed by the Official Opposition.
“I wish to congratulate the Ukrainian-Canadian Foundation on securing $1.4 million in funding for their Holodomor National Awareness Tour 2017–2020. The Holodomor National Awareness Tour is a vital educational program which educates Canadians on the Soviet orchestrated famine and genocide in Ukraine, the Holodomor, and highlights the importance of our shared values of freedom, democracy, human rights, and the rule of law,” said James Bezan, Member of Parliament for Selkirk Interlake Eastman, in a statement issued February 26.
“Our previous Conservative Government provided $1.5 million of funding for the Holodomor National Awareness Tour, recognizing the important role in educating Canadians on one of the worst genocides in human history. I am pleased to see the Liberal government continue our previous Conservative government’s legacy.
“My Private Member’s Bill in 2008, Bill C-459, recognized the Holodomor as a genocide and established the fourth Saturday in November as Holodomor Memorial Day. This Bill pays homage to the millions of lives lost and entire villages wiped out at the hands of Joseph Stalin’s brutal Soviet regime. With my Private Member’s Bill, Canada became the first country to recognize the Holodomor as genocide.
“While this funding is a step in the right direction, the Liberal government continues to ignore repeated calls by the Conservative Party of Canada to support Ukraine in its fight to keep its territorial integrity and sovereignty. The Conservative Party of Canada has urged Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on multiple occasions to reinstate RADARSAT imagery and provide the Ukrainian Armed Forces with lethal defensive weapons. Unfortunately, these calls have remained ignored by Prime Minister Trudeau and his Liberal government. We can, and must do more to support the Ukrainian people in their fight against Russian aggression and right to self-determination,” he added.
Funding for Holodomor National Awareness Tour has been generously provided by the following: Government of Canada, Government of Ontario, Government of Manitoba, Temerty Family Foundation, Ihnatowycz Family Foundation, Petro Jacyk Education Foundation and Huculak Foundation.
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