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Remembering the Ukrainian Holocaust

Remarks by Hon. David Kilgour,

Member of Parliament for Edmonton – Mill Woods - Beaumont

City Hall

Edmonton

November 27, 2004

 

Ladies and Gentlemen – DOBRA DEN

Permit me to extend my heartfelt sympathy to the community on this solemn occasion commemorating the Ukrainian holocaust of 1932-1933.

We are gathered here today to remember one of the cruellest chapters in the long history of Ukraine and the twentieth century.

Seventy-one years ago, the Ukrainian people became victims of a conscious and deliberate genocide, the full nature of which has few precedents the history of humankind. 

In order to destroy the Ukraine’s then aspiration towards independence, and to crush its opposition to collectivization, Joseph Stalin resorted to the physical extinction of most probably ten million human beings by starvation. 

Ten million is the estimate of the Historical Research Group Memorial. 

A report by a prominent Belgian daily, Le Flandre Liberale, published on September 2, 1933, captured graphically the tragedy then unfolding in Ukraine.

“…So Ukraine is dying.  The Ukrainians are dying of hunger.  This is a great calamity not only for the culture of Russia, Europe and even the world.  For this dying land was once a great production centre of agriculture.  The soil is not changed, only the people have.  This is where we have to look for the causes of the great drama in which a whole nation has become a sacrificial victim.”

Stalin’s inhumanity was taking place right before the eyes of the democratic world.  With few exceptions, most world leaders of the day chose to look the other way and remain silent – to their enduring shame.  By the way, I understand that there has never been a famine in a genuine democracy!  How the famine in Ukraine and the current election problems in Ukraine relate and you will all understand very well.

But, the terrible atrocity and the suffering of the World War II did not break the spirit of the proud Ukrainian people.  In the face of this terrible hardship and oppression, Ukraine rose from the devastation like the mythical phoenix.

In 1991, the whole world watched the spectacular rebirth of the country for so long under foreign oppression.  Today, Ukraine faces another challenge -  a new threat to its democracy…in large part from Moscow – and this time from that great democrat from the KGB, Mr. Putin.

Permit me to repeat from what I said in Kiev on November 4th about Mr. Putin’s repeated interferences in the Ukraine election:

“How can President Putin and his government treat Ukraine as if it were today a province of Russia during this very important presidential campaign?

“Here are only a few of his well-known interferences with the election thus far, which have been brought to the attention of our delegation:

“Three days before the first vote on October 31, President Putin came to Kiev to support Viktor Yanukovych.  Leaders of democratic countries do not interfere openly in the elections of other countries.  This is why Paul Martin, our own Prime Minister, did not come to Kiev recently although he was in the region – to avoid giving anyone the impression that he was interfering in your election.”

“As everyone knows, government-owned television stations in Russia, which broadcast into this country, are campaigning openly for Mr. Yanukovych.  Our delegation was told that there are billboards up in central Moscow which give the same message.  Is such interference not shockingly inappropriate to any fair-minded democrat anywhere?  It is.”

“There are, as you know, good indications that Mr. Putin’s advisors are working for Mr. Yanukovych.  Russian money – large amounts of it – has evidently also been enlisted in the same cause.  If so, are such tactics not illegal under Ukraine’s election laws – and back firing with proud Ukrainians everywhere in this country?”

“One young Kiev resident, who voted for Mr. Yanukovych in the first round, told me that she is concerned about the role of Mr. Putin in Ukraine’s election.  Another Kiev resident, who did not even vote in round one, is so appalled by Mr. Putin and the abuses by President Kuchma’s government that he said he will vote in round two.”

“In conclusion, the role of our delegation is not to support any candidate.  Like all international observers, we want only to see a free and fair run-off election after the abuses evident in the first in some oblasts such as Lubansk.”

“It was not encouraging to learn yesterday that eleven senior officials, who are responsible for the counting of the votes, were fired without explanation when all of them are in oblasts where voters favoured Mr. Yushchenko.  Election fairness must not only exist, but must be seen to exist by voters.  That is the goal of all fair-minded democrats in this election”

In closing, thank you to the community for again holding this event.  We must do it always.

God bless Ukraine!

-30-

 

 
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