Montreal Gazette
November 25, 2009
QUEBEC — Members of the Quebec provincial legislature voted unanimously to approve on first reading a bill to commemorate the Ukrainian genocide in the 1930s, when Soviet dictator Josef Stalin withheld food from Ukraine, leading to millions of deaths.
The bill was presented by Parti Quebecois member Louise Beaudoin.
Once the bill receives final approval, the fourth Saturday in November
will be designated to commemorate the Ukrainian genocide, known as the
Holodomor.
If passed, Quebec will be the fourth province to mark the genocide.
Alberta passed similar legislation in October 2008.
Also, in May 2008, the Harper government said it would recognize the
Holodomor as genocide.
The genocide, in 1932 and 1933, was Stalin's attempt to subdue the
Ukrainian people by systematically starving them and restricting travel
beyond their villages. The exact number of victims remains unclear.
With files from Canwest News Service
© Copyright (c) Canwest News Service
Bill 390 - An Act to proclaim Ukrainian Famine and Genocide
(Holodomor) Memorial Day
http://ukemonde.blogspot.com/2009/11/bill-390-act-to-proclaim-ukrainian.html
Bill 390 - An Act to proclaim Ukrainian Famine and Genocide (Holodomor) Memorial Day
Introduced by
Madame Louise Beaudoin - Member for Rosemont
EXPLANATORY NOTES
The purpose of this bill is to proclaim the fourth Saturday in November in each year Ukranian Famine and Genocide (Holodomor) Memorial Day.
Bill 390
AN Act TO PROCLAIM UKRAINIAN FAMINE AND GENOCIDE (HOLODOMOR) MEMORIAL
DAY
AS the Holodomor is the name given to the famine and genocide that occurred in Ukraine in 1932 and 1933;
AS millions of Ukrainians perished as victims of a famine deliberately induced by the Soviet regime under Joseph Stalin to quash the aspirations of the Ukrainian people for a free and independent Ukraine;
AS the President of Ukraine issued a Presidential Decree on 26 November 1998 establishing the fourth Saturday in November as a National Day of Remembrance for the victims of this mass atrocity;
AS, in recent years, a number of countries have in various ways acknowledged the Holodomor in Ukraine as historical fact;
AS there is a Ukrainian community in Québec;
AS our fellow citizens of Ukrainian origin care deeply about commemorating the victims of the Ukrainian famine and genocide of 1932 and 1933;
AS Quebecers are committed to defending democratic values and human rights and as they reject intolerance and ethnic exclusion;
THE PARLIAMENT OF QUÉBEC ENACTS AS FOLLOWS:
1. The fourth Saturday in November in each year is proclaimed Ukrainian Famine and Genocide (Holodomor) Memorial Day.
2. This Act comes into force on (insert the date of assent to this Act).
Source: National Assembly of Quebec