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‘Our thoughts are with Armenian Genocide victims and we solemnly swear to never allow history to be repeated’ – Trudeau

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Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau toured the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute today and signed the guestbook after paying tribute to the victims of the genocide in the Tsitsernakaberd Memorial.

Trudeau signed the guestbook in both English and French.

“An incredibly moving tribute to those who so unjustly lost their lives. Canadians will always stand tall against the hatred and violence that fueled such terrible acts,” Trudeau signed in English.

“Today our thoughts are with the victims of the Armenian Genocide and we solemnly swear to never allow history to be repeated,” the Canadian PM said in French.

Trudeau is in Armenia on an official visit. He took part in the XVII Summit of La Francophonie in Yerevan.

The Canadian PM had meetings with Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan and President Armen Sarkissian.

 

Trudeau: together with Pashinyan we decided to make travellers’ job easier

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Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau expressed his gratitude to the Armenian nation for “fabulous welcome” during the mutual press conference with Nikol Pashinyan.

He mentioned that together with Pashinyan they decided to make travellers’ job to both countries easier, reports Aysor.am. “This meeting with Armenian Prime Minister gave the opportunity to discuss Armenian-Canadian relations based on mutual respect. There is a 60.000 Armenian diaspora in Canada which develops our society. We also support the new comers”, stated Justin Trudeau. “This meeting only starts out cooperation”, said Trudeau.

Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau participated in the works of XVII La Francophonie Summit hosted in Yerevan, and his official visit to Armenian started on October 12.

Source: https://www.aysor.am/am/news/2018/10/13/%D5%8B%D5%A1%D5%BD%D5%A9%D5%AB%D5%B6-%D4%B9%D6%80%D5%B5%D5%B8%D6%82%D5%A4%D5%B8/1477081

Canada: Trudeau sorry for ‘historic wrong’ against Canadians ‘Cultural genocide’

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The prime minister has apologized to First Nations people in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador for abuse at assimilation-oriented schools. The system of boarding schools operated until 1980.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau issued a sweeping apology on Friday to the indigenous people of Newfoundland and Labrador province for abuses suffered at assimilation-focused boarding schools throughout the 20th century.

“We are here today to acknowledge an historic wrong,” a visibly emotional Trudeau said, asking forgiveness for the “physical, psychological and sexual abuse,” that occurred at the five schools in the province which only shut their doors in 1980.

“These are the hard truths of Canada’s history.”

Trudeau’s apology came as the government settles a class-action lawsuit brought by about 900 former pupils of the schools, many of whom were forcibly removed from their communities and isolated from their families in an attempt to force assimilation with mainstream culture.

According to The New York Times, the plaintiffs were awarded 50 million Canadian dollars in compensation.

At the ceremony in Happy Valley-Goose Bay with Trudeau was Tony Obed, a former student of the boarding schools and the leading force behind the lawsuit. Obed, who has spoken openly about sexual assault at his former school, accepted the apology from the Canadian government.

‘Cultural genocide’

Assimilation boarding schools were common in the United States and Canada throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, with some in Canada enduring until as late as 1996. In Canada, many of the schools were run by the federal government, and sometimes by missionaries and charity groups.

While former Prime Minister Stephen Harper issued a large apology for the network of schools in 2008, Newfoundland and Labrador was left out due to the fact that it wasn’t a province of Canada until 1949.

A truth and reconciliation commission that followed Harper’s 2008 apology found that the injustices perpetrated by the boarding schools amounted to “cultural genocide.”

Although recent Canadian administrations have made efforts to right historic wrongs against indigenous or First Nations people, inequality remains rampant. A study by the think tank Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives published in 2016 found that 60 percent of aboriginal children on reserves lived in poverty, and that First Nations women were significantly statistically overrepresented murder victims in Canada.

Canada’s Justin Trudeau shakes up indigenous affairs with Cabinet reshuffle

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Canadian PM Justin Trudeau has reshuffled his cabinet to change his government’s “colonial” era relations with indigenous tribes. Some First Nations people have said promises to improve their lives have been broken.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who took office in 2015 promising to repair relations with Canada’s 1.4 million indigenous people, said on Monday that his government needed a thorough overhaul.

As part of his restructuring, the federal Indigenous and Northern Affairs Ministry is to be split in two, with senior members of the Trudeau cabinet picked to head up each section. In the past, one single minister has represented the affairs of indigenous people. The new changes mean there will be two separate tracks – one to improve socioeconomic conditions and the other to promote self-determination.

“There’s a sense we have pushed the creaky old structures around about as far as they can go… it could not deliver the reconciliation that we need,” Trudeau told reporters.

Former Health Minister Jane Philpott (photo, third from left) will have the task of closing the socioeconomic gap between indigenous and non-indigenous Canadians. Her job will also be to ensure day-to-day services to tribes including housing, education and drinking water.

Carolyn Bennett (photo, left), meanwhile, will oversee “foundational changes” to laws, government policies and practices aimed at advancing the self-determination and self-government of tribes.

Lagging in health and wealth

Aboriginals make up about 4 percent of the Canadian population. Many live in poverty and suffer from poor health, made worse by a widespread lack of access to safe drinking water. The community has also been plagued with a high suicide rate.

Despite Trudeau’s election pledges and billions of dollars in new spending, activists say they have seen little improvement on the ground.

Canada’s Trudeau Stays True to Genocide Recognition

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Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

OTTAWA—In his inaugural year in office, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau released a statement commemorating the 101st anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. In a statement dated April 24, 2016 which he shared with the Armenian National Committee of Canada (ANCC), Prime Minister Trudeau recalls resolutions of both the Senate and the House of Commons recognizing the Armenian Genocide and states that “[Canadians] preserve the memory of those who lost their lives, and those who suffered, during this genocide and pay our deepest respects to their descendants, including those who now call Canada home.”

“We are encouraged to see that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is holding true to Canada’s commitment to condemn acts of genocide, including the Armenian Genocide,” stated ANCC President Dr. Girair Basmadjian. “While the Prime Minister’s message reaffirms the Canadian government’s recognition of the Armenian Genocide and the need to prevent future genocides, it fails to condemn successive Turkish governments that perpetrated the Armenian Genocide between 1915 and 1923, nor does it condemn the ongoing denial campaign by the Republic of Turkey,” concluded Basmadjian.

The ANCC believes firmly that “Canada’s back” and as a world leader in promoting and protecting human rights and democratic values in other states should help Turkey acknowledge its past by condemning all forms of denial. The ANCC and the Armenians who have chosen Canada as home will continue to work with our government and elected representatives throughout Canada to ensure that future statements include condemnation of any denial by successive Turkish governments.

On the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, the Canadian Parliament designated April as Genocide Remembrance, Condemnation and Prevention Month and April 24 as Armenian Genocide Memorial Day. On the 101st anniversary, the Prime Minister’s statement is an important part of the Canadian government’s commitment to remember and condemn past genocides and work to prevent future genocides.

The ANCC is the largest and the most influential Armenian-Canadian grassroots human rights organization. Working in coordination with a network of offices, chapters, and supporters throughout Canada and affiliated organizations around the world, the ANCC actively advances the concerns of the Armenian-Canadian community on a broad range of issues and works to eliminate abuses of human rights throughout Canada and the world.

Breaking News: In an upset, the Liberal Party’s Justin Trudeau is projected to become Canada’s next prime minister

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Justin Trudeau of the Liberal Party at a campaign rally this month. Credit Chris Wattie/Reuters

Justin Trudeau of the Liberal Party at a campaign rally this month. Credit Chris Wattie/Reuters

Monday, October 19, 2015 10:08 PM EDT
Justin Trudeau, the leader of Canada’s Liberal Party, has unseated the Conservative prime minister, Stephen Harper, according to a projection by the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. on Monday night.