Saturday, May 30, 2015

Strengthening Ties between Canada and Armenia

OTTAWA – On May 26, Harold Albrecht, MP for Kitchener-Conestoga and Chair of the Canada-Armenia Parliamentary Friendship Group along with his counterpart Mr. Hovhannes Sahakyan, Chairman of the Armenia-Canada Parliamentary Friendship Group met to sign a joint declaration to strengthen Canada and Armenia’s close bilateral relations and people-to-people ties.

His Excellency Galust Sahakyan, President of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia, and accompanying Armenian Parliamentarians were also present for the signing ceremony.


The declaration seeks to “enhance the already good relations between the two legislative bodies, in the spirit of friendship and mutual understanding; encourage close and direct cooperation between the Canada-Armenia Parliamentary Friendship Group in the Parliament of Canada and the Armenia-Canada Friendship Group in the National Assembly of Armenia; stimulate visits of the Members of the two Parliaments, as well as the exchange of ideas, in order to share expertise and best practices on issues of mutual interest, such as promoting rule of law and human rights, and combating terrorism.”

Upon signing the declaration MP Albrecht stated that “The Armenian-Canadian community has made, and continues to make, a rich and vibrant contribution to Canada’s multicultural society. This joint declaration will serve to bring our two countries even closer together. I am proud to have had the opportunity to sign it on Canada’s behalf.”

As always, please share this message with friends and family.

Sincerely,

The Office of the Hon. Jason Kenney, PC, MP
Calgary Southeast

Wednesday, May 13, 2015

Canadian Senate Reaffirms Recognition of Armenian Genocide

Canadian Senate Reaffirms Recognition of Armenian Genocide

OTTAWA (May 13, 2015) - The Canadian Senate reaffirmed today its recognition of the Armenian Genocide by reiterating support for Motion 44, first approved in June 2002.

“By formally recognizing the Armenian genocide, Canada lives up to the principles that we have promoted throughout the world. Any country that desires to suppress its past, any country that does not confront its past head on, seriously risks a failure to liberate itself from its own history” stated Sen. Thanh Hai Ngo in his declaration.

On the heels of the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide he added that “this heinous crime remains unanswered, since Turkey refuses to recognise it. The Senate of Canada has not been indifferent to the atrocities committed during the Armenian genocide. We have to promote justice, human rights, tolerance, and peaceful co-existence between nations because it is the right thing to do. It is my honor to speak before this Chamber on the Centennial Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, and to reaffirm our strong commitment towards Motion 44, as passed in June 2002.”

Speaker of the Senate, Honourable Leo Housakos marked the solemn occasion of the Armenian Genocide and greeted the Ambassador of Armenia Mr. Armen Yeganian and members of the Armenian Community sitting in the Gallery, at the opening of the session. Other Senators joined their colleagues reaffirming the Upper Chamber’s commitment towards human rights, international justice and peace.

The reaffirmation of this historic motion was realized through the collective effort of the Armenian Genocide Centennial Committee of Canada.

Monday, May 11, 2015

Intent of the Turkish authorities to commit the Armenian Genocide.

Three points covering the intent of the Turkish authorities to commit the Armenian Genocide.

1.   INTENT is proven indirectly by the systematic approach; I call this the brawn, the brain and the remainder argument.  Conscription into working battalions (not frontline duties) for Armenian youth, and then their eventual murder (or death by exhaustion), followed by the arrest and murder of all the thinkers and leaders, followed by the ‘mopping up’ of the remainder.  The sequence with which this is done, specifically, through WWI of using it as a pretext to first get rid of the brawn (the ability to fight back) and then once that is taken care of within the first six months to get rid of the brain (the ability to plan a resistance, organize for survival etc.), leaving Armenians like a ‘cadaver’ of a people to be picked by the scavengers, is in itself proof of a planned approach.  It is a demonstration of a planned approach to kill, therefore of INTENT.  Deductively, it is, what I would suggest, the ’JACK THE RIPPER’ analogy.  From the way those murders were committed; we know that the murderer must have had serious training in anatomy and surgery of the period, hence the popular thesis that the killer was likely in the medical profession.
2.      INTENT is proven by definition of the word, by the mouth of the person who defined it.  This is simply the Lemkin argument.  The person who invented the word, clearly and unequivocally says that he wanted to create the word to describe what happened to the Armenians.  This sounds like a cop out, but it isn’t.  You cannot have a more powerful position than him saying it on video for the world to see and hear.  For those who have not seen it, it is here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-d992mJ27hs
3.      INTENT is proven by Talaat Pasha himself.  Through his private papers, which were entrusted to his widow, which ended up with the Turkish historian Murat Bardakci, which also ended up being published with full commentary and analysis by Ara Sarafian of the Gomidas Institute.  The book is available for free download here http://www.gomidas.org/books/show/23  ; again, you may or may not have known about this work or the details inside.  But it shows the meticulous records kept by Talaat of what was happening with the Armenians (very much like the Nazi records kept of what was happening with the Jews in the concentration camps).  Information is requested by him at regular intervals from all corners of the Ottoman Empire and is being recorded by him.  I call this the project argument.  If one wants progress reports, then that is a decision making tool, to adjust for further actions, therefore the progress report is related to a project, and hence to a plan to execute that project, and hence INTENT.