“106 years ago, a million Armenians were systematically murdered and ethnically cleansed by the Ottoman Turks — a genocide that, to this day, remains officially unacknowledged by far too many people and nations.
Today, on Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day, Armenians in Ontario will be thinking back on this tragedy. They’ll be remembering not only the loss of so many lives, but on the end of two thousand years of thriving Armenian culture and history in Asia Minor. They’ll be thinking of what was lost, and what might have been.
For other Ontarians – those of us who are not of Armenian descent — today serves as a reminder of how quickly tolerance can turn to intolerance. Today is an example of our need to be vigilant for any signs of growing hatred in our own midst, in 2021, and our ongoing responsibility to uphold the best ideals of our diverse, open and caring society. And today is an opportunity to learn from one another, to listen to the stories and the histories of the cultures and people who call Ontario home, and to remember, together.”