Mr. Speaker, as reported by the Armenian newspaper Abaka in Montreal, on April 24, 1996 Yvan Bordeleau, Liberal MNA for l'Acadie, was refused the consent of the Pequiste government to introduce a motion to commemorate the 81st anniversary of the Armenian genocide of 1915.
This unfortunate decision ends a 16-year old tradition in the National Assembly of Quebec. Ironically on the 81st anniversary of the Armenian genocide, the Parliament of Canada unanimously passed a historic resolution that will see the week of April 20 to 27 each year set aside to remember the victims of atrocities, inhumanities and genocide.
I am appalled at the actions of the Pequiste government in failing to continue the tradition of recognizing the first genocide of the 20th century.
I call on the Bloc Quebecois members to encourage their colleagues in Quebec to once more recognize in an official way the anniversary of the Armenian genocide. It is time to put an end to this hypocrisy.