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CTC Meets PM Harper
OTTAVA (Bizim Anadolu) - On 17 June, 2008, a delegation from the Council of Turkish Canadians (CTC) met Prime Minister, Rt. Hon. Stephen Harper in his office on Parliament Hill. CTC told Bizim Anadolu that the Minister of Multiculturalism, Hon. Jason Kenny, was also present at this landmark meeting in which members of the Turkish community had the opportunity to meet formally the Prime Minister. It was a cordial meeting during which issues of concern to Turkish Canadians were also raised. Following the introductions and a friendly chat, the Prime Minister Harper asked the CTC members about the concerns they wished to talk about. The CTC acknowledged the warm reception it had received from Hon. Jason Kenney at an earlier meeting. Mr. Kenney confirmed that the previous meeting was a positive step towards establishing good relations between the Turkish community of Canada and the Conservative Government. The CTC expressed the concerns of the Turkish Canadian community over the use of the term "genocide" in Canada in describing the Ottoman-Armenian conflict almost a century ago. The UN adopted the term "genocide" in 1948 to describe high crimes committed against humanity such as the Holocaust. It should not be used loosely, and the UN itself has never used the term for the Ottoman Armenian case; neither has any court of law. CTC believes its use in the Armenian case is factually unsubstantiated, scholarly disputed and amounts to insulting the heritage of Turkish Canadians. The CTC does acknowledge the large-scale loss of lives prompted by the Armenian revolt in Eastern Anatolia during the First World War. This revolt resulted in attacks on, and a general massacre of, local Turkish and Kurdish populations in the region. When armed Armenian groups joined the war on the side of the invading Russian army, the Ottomans relocated the Armenian population away from the war zone as a matter of military necessity. The CTC believes it is wrong to remember only the Armenian losses in this tragic period that took many innocent lives, Turkish, Armenian, and others. The full facts of the Ottoman Armenian conflict are not yet determined, important Armenian archives are still closed to foreigners, and a genuine scholarly dispute exists amongst expert historians. The CTC expressed its appreciation to the Prime Minister and the Canadian Government for supporting the proposal put forward by Turkey to Armenia in 2005 to form a joint history commission to investigate the events and share its findings with the international society. The President of CTC, Dr. Kevser Taymaz invited the PM to join the "International Children's Day" festivities planned by the CTC for the week prior to April 23, 2009. It was noted that the founder of the modern Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, was the first leader to officially recognize the special importance of children for the future of a nation and declared April 23 as Childrens' Day. In 1992, UNICEF recognized this day as International Children's Day. CTC told Bizim Anadolu that they were very pleased with the Prime Minister's warm reception and were encouraged to continue making the voice of Turkish Canadians heard in line with Canadian values of fairness and objectivity. Canada needs to familiarize itself, despite attempts to prevent it, with the growing body of scholarly work that challenges one-sided interpretations of history. In this positive meeting, it was stressed that, as Canadian citizens, members of the CTC stand for reconciliation amongst all ethnic groups in Canada. To this end, CTC will work hard in the future to promote a healthier and a more even-handed Canadian policy in the resolution of the Turkish-Armenian controversy. June 2008 |
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