RECOGNITION IS A START
By Sheila Copps
The Toronto Sun
May 10, 2006 Wednesday
Final Edition
But The PM’s Official Acknowledgement Of The Armenian Genocide Has Angered Turkey
A couple of years ago, I hosted a fundraiser in my home for a Liberal
MP. At the time, I received a rather nasty note from members of a
local Turkish political action committee explaining why they would
not attend.
They refused to step foot in my home because, as former heritage
minister, I had indirectly funded an Atom Egoyan film entitled
Ararat. They went on to outline how this film distorted history by
characterizing the loss of 1.5 million Armenian people as genocide.
It did not seem to matter to these activists that as minister,
I had absolutely no say as to which film received funding from the
government. Telefilm guarded its independence jealously and would
never bow to a ministerial intervention for funding.
I wondered whether they had even seen the film. It was a sensitive,
modern portrayal through the eyes of a self-described Armenian
descendant, which asked questions about the genocide from a Turkish
and Armenian perspective.
For Egoyan, of Armenian heritage, the genocide was part of his story
and the telling of it was an important personal journey.
Notwithstanding his perspective, he made sure the film included a
Turkish protagonist who held opposing views.
The film was not objective (most historical accounts never are),
and it did not pretend to be. But the fact that a local political
committee could refuse an invitation to my home almost 90 years after
the incidents shows just how deeply the issue still divides supporters
of Armenia and Turkey.
Today, Prime Minister Stephen Harper is feeling the political heat
from Turkish anger about his public comments recogizing the genocide.
Turkey said in a statement that it “rejects and condemns attempts
based on long years of propaganda and political designs to create
one-sided versions of history and to have lies be acknowledged as
though they were facts.” Its governmet has recalled its ambassador
to Canada and is threatening economic sanctions.
For years, Canadian parliamentarians have actively worked for
recognition of what happened to the Armenians as genocide. The first
parliamentary resolution was passed a decade ago, characterizing the
deaths as a “tragedy.” In 2004, a “genocide” resolution sailed through,
despite opposition from Foreign Affairs, which feared reprisals from
NATO ally Turkey.
The parliamentary resolution did not convince the government, much
to the chagrin of the 75 Liberal members who supported it. Business
with Turkey was just too lucrative to risk.
Ankara argues that history has been misinterpreted, that the casualties
were simply the normal toll on civilians in a war-torn period for
both countries. Others question why a 90-year-old wound matters. But
all reconciliation starts with recognition.
Holocaust deniers propagate more holocausts. Unacknowledged genocides
promote future acts of genocide.
That is why we should care that Armenia saw 1.5 million people
wiped out, spawning a diaspora which started in Canada with a plan
to resettle 100 orphans known as the Georgetown Boys. That is why
we should care that Hitler wiped out six million Jews and up to 11
million people in the Second World War. That is why we should care
that Rwanda lost up to 1 million in the genocide of Tutsis and moderate
Hutus. That is why we should also investigate recent published reports
from China on organ harvesting and execution of Falun Gong followers.
When genocide is long ago or far away, it is easy to ignore. When
trade trumps human rights, it is profitable to gloss over the messy
aftermath of genocide. It is a credit to Armenian-Canadians that they
have never wavered in their pursuit of genocide recognition. It is
a credit to the current government that it finally recognized what
Parliament understood years ago.