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The Ukrainian Famine/Genocide
Speech
by the Honourable Doug Martindale, MLA for Burrows
Legislative Assembly of Manitoba
10 June 2004
An estimated seven million Ukrainians died of starvation between 1932 and 1933 in a deliberately induced famine now known in Ukrainian as the "Holodomor." It is today considered one of the worst atrocities of the Soviet regime, but is relatively unknown.
The 1986 study of the famine by British historian Robert Conquest, entitled "Harvest of Sorrow," was perhaps the first time that Western audiences received information about this tragic event.
Conquest has said that since the disintegration of the Soviet Union, much evidence has emerged about the famine genocide.
Evidence has shown that many Ukrainians were sentenced to horrifying and slow deaths from starvation. This artificial famine was part of attempts to destroy the aspirations of an independent Ukraine and to stop aspirations of the people to freedom.
This horrible event has deeply scarred Ukrainian communities here in Manitoba, across Canada and around the world. Memorial commemorations of the 70th Anniversary of the Holodomor (famine genocide) took place last fall across the world.
In Winnipeg, survivors of the Holodomor gathered at St. Mary the Protectress Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Winnipeg's North End for a symposium on the famine genocide of 1932-33 to talk about the experiences and share their stories with the public. There are still some survivors and witnesses left from the genocidal famine of 1932-33 with us today, and they attended the symposium to share their experiences with the public. As part of this symposium there was a large commemorative service in front of the famine monument at Winnipeg's City Hall. Lubomyr Luciuk, director of research for the Ukrainian Canadian Civil Liberties Union was able to participate in seminars on the issues of the famine genocide.The symposium also featured Senator Raynell Andreychuk speaking about the Senate of Canada's recognition of the famine, and a presentation with Moe Levy, executive director of the Asper Foundation, who spoke about the plans for the Canadian Museum for Human Rights that will be built in Winnipeg.
This genocidal famine affected hundreds of thousands of Canadians who have their roots in Ukraine. Many families lost relatives and friends. In recognition of this anniversary in Manitoba, the provincial Minister of Labour, Immigration and Multiculturalism proclaimed the week of November 23rd to 30th 2003 to be the week of the Great/Genocide in Ukraine.
Today, I urge the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba to join with the Ukrainian community in commemorating this tragic event. Legislatures around the world, including the Senate of Canada and the Senate of Australia have passed similar resolutions. In May of last year the Parliament of Ukraine, the Verhovna Rada, declared the 1932-1933 famine in Ukraine "an act of genocide." Last year the Ukrainian and international public marked the 70th anniversary of the Ukrainian National catastrophe, when food confiscation was used by the state as a weapon of the mass destruction of its own population for political reasons.
Reports of the man-made famine leaked out to the rest of the world but were dismissed by New York Times' Moscow correspondent Walter Duranty. In the 1930's, he wrote that there was no famine in Ukraine, and won a Pulitzer prize for journalism. His reports have been discredited by historians years later who called him an apologist for the USSR. (Winnipeg Free Press November 27, 2003) A campaign has been operating for some time to have Duranty's award posthumously revoked. The Pulitzer organization acknowledged Duranty's stories were false but refused to strip him of his award. (Winnipeg Free Press November 27, 2003)
We believe that it is in the public interest to recognize the Ukrainian Famine Genocide, and many people wish to honour the memory of those many people who lost their lives. Today we urge the government to recognize the last Saturday of November as the Day of the Ukrainian Famine/Genocide of 1932/33. The resolution before us would remove this tragedy from obscurity, and give survivors the hope that their horrible experience, and the memory of their loved ones who suffered through this tragic event, has not been ignored. By passing this resolution we honour their experiences and survival.
This resolution is necessary, and not merely as a symbolic gesture to Ukrainian Canadians. We must act upon the principles which this province holds dear - principles of democracy, freedom, human rights and human dignity. Only by learning the hard lessons of the past can we hope to prevent recurrences of political genocides in the future.
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RESOLUTION
UKRAINIAN FAMINE
MOVED BY:
MR. DOUG MARTINDALE
WHEREAS an estimated seven million Ukrainians died of starvation in 1932-33 in a deliberately induced Ukrainian famine, organized and master- minded by the Soviet regime; and
WHEREAS Ukrainians were sentenced to a horrifying slow death from starvation in an attempt to destroy aspirations of an independent Ukraine and to erase in the people all aspirations of freedom, and
WHEREAS this horror has inflicted a deep and lasting scar on the Ukrainian community here and throughout the world; and
WHEREAS the people of Manitoba wish to honour the memory of those who lost their lives; and
WHEREAS last year marked the 70th anniversary of this tragedy, and it is in the public interest to recognize the nature and consequences of the Ukrainian Famine/Genocide of 1932/33; and
WHEREAS in recognition of that anniversary the Minister of Labour, Immigration and Status of Women proclaimed the week of November 23rd to 30th 2003 to be the week of the Great Famine/Genocide in Ukraine.
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba urge the Provincial Government to join people throughout the world, and particularly Manitobans of Ukrainian heritage, in commemorating these tragic events, and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba urge the Provincial Government to consider recognizing the last Saturday of November as the Day of the Ukrainian Famine/Genocide of 1932/33.
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