Thousands of people took part in a commemoration ceremony at Queen’s Park Sunday to mark the 100th anniversary of the Armenian genocide.
The march started at Queen’s park and ended with a service at the Metropolitan United Church led by Cardinal Thomas Collins.
The Queen’s Park rally was attended by a number of officials from all levels of government, including Premier Kathleen Wynne, Defence Minister Jason Kenney and Mayor John Tory.
“This anniversary is a powerful reminder of the need to remain vigilant in upholding the dignity and equality of each and every one of us as human beings,” Wynne said. “It reminds us that we must continue to stand up against hatred. We must continue to work together to ensure that the atrocities of the past are never repeated. ”
Tory struck a similar note in his remarks, telling the crowd that the milestone is an opportunity to reflect on the past and to make sure that it is never repeated.
“We, your fellow citizens here in Toronto – it’s been spoken about on behalf of all of the rest of Canada as well – have not forgotten the genocide and the victims of this tragedy,” Tory said.
As many as 1.5 million Armenians are believed to have been slaughtered at the hands of Ottoman forces starting in 1915.
Canada officially recognized the massacre as a genocide in 2004. However its recognition has been a contentious issue around the world because the Turkish government has staunchly refused to recognize the events as genocide.
Canadian-Armenian filmmaker Atom Egoyan also spoke at the rally and said he’s heartened to see so much public support for the Armenian community and recognition of its history, despite the Turkish government’s opposition.
“It was a historic moment, I’m just so thrilled” Egoyan told CP24 after the rally. “Since I came to Toronto 33 years ago I’ve been dreaming of this moment and it’s just so great.”
He said the genocide is a “textbook case of what happens when justice is not adhered to” and that its lessons ring true for all cultures.
“Today’s message is really about solidarity with all victims of genocide, for all races and cultures that have actually experienced this type of ethnic hatred and violence,” Egoyan said.
He said he was pleased to see a variety of cultural groups coming out to mark the anniversary.
“In our case in terms of the Armenians, it’s also about dealing with this question of denial, denial of the perpetrator,” he said. “We are really dealing with a situation where 100 years later the Turkish state is still actively denying.”
Police said approximately 5,000 people attended the march.
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