Mr. Speaker, George Santayana said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”
That is why I rise today and ask Canadians to join with me in remembering the first genocide of the 20th century when 1.5 million Armenians died at the hands of the Ottoman Empire. We remember, and in remembrance we recommit ourselves to the promise that never again will we stand idle in the face of such inhumanity.
Today hundreds of thousands of Armenians will gather in Yerevan to commemorate the lives lost between 1915 and 1923. As chair of the Canada–Armenia Parliamentary Friendship Group, I have been honoured to travel to Armenia and witness the prosperous democracy that has emerged. I have also had the privilege to meet Canadians of Armenian descent, who contribute so much to my home community of Waterloo Region and to this great country.
On this, the 98th anniversary of the Armenian genocide, I ask all Canadians to remember.