The following electronic version is for informational purposes only.
The printed version remains the official version.
MR. BRUCE RALSTON
This Bill recognizes the famine and genocide that killed millions of Ukrainians and others in 1932-33 during the period of forced collectivization in the Soviet Union. This tragedy is known as the Holodomor. No less than 4.3 million Ukrainians and possibly as many as 10 million died during the Holodomor.
The term "Holodomor", a Ukrainian word that means "extermination by means of starvation" is used to describe this Ukrainian Famine and Genocide (Holodomor) of 1932-33.
The Ukrainian Famine and Genocide in 1932 and 1933 was deliberately planned and executed by the Soviet regime to systematically destroy the Ukrainian people's aspirations for a free and independent Ukraine.
Since the Soviet authorities denied, concealed or destroyed information about the Ukrainian Famine and Genocide (Holodomor) of 1932-33 accurate information about this tragic event has only recently become available.
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Parliamentary Assembly (OSCE PA) has passed a resolution that welcomes the recognition of the Holodomor in the United Nations, by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and by the national parliaments of a number of the OSCE participating States; and strongly encourages all parliaments to adopt acts regarding recognition of the Holodomor.
The Government of Ukraine, the Parliament of Canada, the Provincial Legislatures of Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec, UNESCO, the United Nations, the United States House of Representatives and Senate, the European Parliament, and over 40 other jurisdictions worldwide have officially condemned the Holodomor or recognized it as a genocide, and;
The Government of Ukraine has declared the 4th Saturday in November as the day to commemorate the Ukrainian Famine and Genocide (Holodomor) of 1932-33. The Parliament of Canada and other Canadian Legislatures have followed suit.
Some of the survivors of the Ukrainian Famine and Genocide (Holodomor) of 1932-33 and their descendants reside in British Columbia and have contributed greatly to British Columbia's cultural, economic, political and educational life.
HER MAJESTY, by and with the advice and consent of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of British Columbia, enacts as follows:
1 Recognizing that the "Holodomor", a term based on two Ukrainian words: holod, meaning hunger, starvation or famine; and moryty, to induce suffering, to kill; refers to an act of genocide and a campaign of deliberate starvation against the Ukrainian people committed by the Soviet state in 1932 and 1933, the purposes of this Act are to:
(a) recognize the millions of Ukrainians and others who perished during the Holodomor, and
(b) provide an opportunity to reflect on the enduring lessons of the Holodomor and other crimes against humanity.
2 Throughout British Columbia, the fourth Saturday in November in each year is proclaimed Ukrainian Famine and Genocide (Holodomor) Memorial Day to memorialize those who perished as victims of the Holodomor.
3 For greater certainty, the Ukrainian Famine and Genocide (Holodomor) Memorial Day is not a legal holiday, nor a non-juridical day.
4 This Act comes into force on the date of Royal Assent.
This Bill recognizes the famine and genocide that killed millions of Ukrainians and others in 1932-33 during the period of forced collectivization in the Soviet Union. This tragedy is known as the Holodomor. No less than 4.3 million Ukrainians and possibly as many as 10 million died during the Holodomor.
The term "Holodomor", a Ukrainian word that means "extermination by means of starvation" is used to describe this Ukrainian Famine and Genocide (Holodomor) of 1932-33.
The Ukrainian Famine and Genocide in 1932 and 1933 was deliberately planned and executed by the Soviet regime to systematically destroy the Ukrainian people's aspirations for a free and independent Ukraine.
Since the Soviet authorities denied, concealed or destroyed information about the Ukrainian Famine and Genocide (Holodomor) of 1932-33 accurate information about this tragic event has only recently become available.
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Parliamentary Assembly (OSCE PA) has passed a resolution that welcomes the recognition of the Holodomor in the United Nations, by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and by the national parliaments of a number of the OSCE participating States; and strongly encourages all parliaments to adopt acts regarding recognition of the Holodomor.
The Government of Ukraine, the Parliament of Canada, the Provincial Legislatures of Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec, UNESCO, the United Nations, the United States House of Representatives and Senate, the European Parliament, and over 40 other jurisdictions worldwide have officially condemned the Holodomor or recognized it as a genocide, and;
The Government of Ukraine has declared the 4th Saturday in November as the day to commemorate the Ukrainian Famine and Genocide (Holodomor) of 1932-33. The Parliament of Canada and other Canadian Legislatures have followed suit.
Some of the survivors of the Ukrainian Famine and Genocide (Holodomor) of 1932-33 and their descendants reside in British Columbia and have contributed greatly to British Columbia's cultural, economic, political and educational life.