News & Events

Yesterday and today, we collectively commemorate and observe the UN’s International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of This Crime (December 9) and UN Human Rights Day (December 10). On this occasion, the Sara Corning Centre for Genocide Education would like to announce an. . .

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Today, Raffi Sarkissian, founder of the Corning Centre, published an article titled “Canada Must Strongly Condemn Aggression against Armenia” in The Hill Times. It discusses the urgent need for Canadian action against the war crimes and ethnic cleansing taking place against Armenia and the Republic of Artsakh. To read it, click here.

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On September 27, 2020, the Republic of Azerbaijan launched a large-scale military operation against the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) in the South Caucasus. The attack, which is the largest violation to date of a ceasefire agreement signed in 1994, has already cost more than 1,000 Armenian and Azerbaijani lives. Throughout, there have been worries that. . .

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The Sara Corning Centre for Genocide Education was honoured to participate in a series of events that commemorated the life of its namesake nurse, teacher, and humanitarian. The events took place in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, between September 13 to 15, 2019, and were hosted by the Sara Corning Society. On September 14, our founder, Raffi. . .

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We are pleased to announce our participation in the Sara Corning Society‘s Commemoration Weekend September 13 to 15, 2019 in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. See flyer below for full details of commemorative weekend honouring our Centre’s namesake. The Sara Corning Centre for Genocide Education will be hosting a presentation on Saturday, September 14th at 9:00am at the Tri-County Regional. . .

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We are pleased to announce our participation in the Sara Corning Society’s Commemoration Weekend, September 13–15, 2019, in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. See the flyer below for the details of this weekend meant to commemorate our centre’s namesake. The Corning Centre will be hosting a presentation on Saturday, September 14, at 9:00 AM, at the Tri-County. . .

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On March 2, 2019, the Sara Corning Centre for Genocide Education, in partnership with Facing History and Ourselves, organized a free teachers’ conference for Ontario educators called “Teaching the Armenian Genocide in Ontario Classrooms.” The workshop started with a session by Facing History and Ourselves facilitator Ben Gross, who discussed the resources available to teachers. . .

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Exhibition: ”The Forty Days of Musa Dagh: Testament of the Resistance at the Heart of the Armenian Genocide” Following three months of struggle and resistance against the Ottoman army, 4,500 Armenians from the villages of Musa Dagh (Turkey) were saved by the French. July 1, 2017, marks Canada’s 150th birthday and the 94th anniversary of. . .

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July 1, 2017, marks Canada’s 150th birthday and the 94th anniversary of the arrival of the first 46 Armenian genocide orphans at Georgetown, Ontario. A group of 50 were collected from the London, UK-based Armenian Refugees (Lord Mayor’s) Fund Orphanage in Corfu, Greece, and traveled via Marseilles to Cherbourg, France. Four were held back for. . .

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July 1, 2017, marks Canada’s 150th birthday and the 94th anniversary of the arrival of the first 46 Armenian genocide orphans at Georgetown, Ontario. A group of 50 were collected from the London, UK-based Armenian Refugees (Lord Mayor’s) Fund Orphanage in Corfu, Greece, and traveled via Marseilles to Cherbourg, France. Four were held back for several weeks, with the. . .

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The conference has already reached its capacity attendance with 230 students and 12 teachers registered from six Ontario schools and four school boards! We are still taking requests, since we may be able to accommodate more students. Please visit our registration page to submit your school information. The conference has already reached its capacity attendance. . .

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The Corning Centre had the honour of introducing Bared Maronian’s inspiring and powerful documentary, Women of 1915 for the second time at Hamazkayin Toronto Pomegranate Film Festival Committee’s special encore presentation in benefit of the A.R.S. Armenian School annual Telethon on Saturday, February 25. Corning Centre Founder and Chair Raffi Sarkissian introduced the film stating. . .

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We are excited to announce the publication of Understanding Atrocities: Remembering, Representing, and Teaching Genocide, edited by Scott W. Murray and published by the University of Calgary Press. The book includes a chapter by Corning Centre Founder and Chair Raffi Sarkissian. “Understanding Atrocities is a wide-ranging collection of essays bridging scholarly and community-based efforts to understand and. . .

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The Corning Centre had the honour of participating in Toronto’s Holocaust Education Week this year with a presentation titled Memory and Justice: The Armenian Genocide in partnership with Temple Kol Ami. The event took place on Friday, November 4, 2016, at 7:30pm at Temple Kol Ami during the Friday night service. Raffi Sarkissian, founder and chair of the. . .

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Through a motion passed unanimously in 2013, the Toronto District School Board declared April as Genocide Awareness Month. On April 24, 2015, the Canadian Parliament also unanimously passed Motion M-587, declaring April of each year as Genocide Remembrance, Condemnation and Prevention Month and April 24 of each year as Armenian Genocide Memorial Day.  On the. . .

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On Tuesday March 8, the Corning Centre co-organized a TDSB student conference at the Central Technical School, in cooperation with Alpha Education, Facing History and Ourselves, Holodomor Research and Education Consortium and the TDSB Aboriginal Education Centre.  The conference, which was attended by over 100 students, was titled “From Remembrance to Action: Exploring Upstanders Facing. . .

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The Corning Centre, in partnership with the Armenian Genocide Centennial Committee of Ontario, hosted two book launch event for “The Call From Armenian: Canada’s Response to the Armenian Genocide” by Aram Adjemian. Both events, one held in Cambridge on Friday, February 19 and the second in Toronto on Sunday, February 21, had successful turn outs.. . .

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On Tuesday March 8, 2016, the Sara Corning Centre will take part in a student conference titled – From Remembrance to Action: Exploring Upstanders Facing Difficult History and their Importance in Today’s World. The conference will be organized in partnership with Alpha Education, Facing History and Ourselves, Holodomor Research and Education Consortium and the TDSB. . .

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In partnership with The Armenian Genocide Centennial Committee,  the Sara Corning Centre for Genocide Education has organization a special book presentation for Aram Adjemian’s The Call from Armenia: Canada’s Response to the Armenian Genocide. The first of our two events will be taking place Friday, February 19th, 2016 at 8:00 PM at the Cambridge Armenian Community. . .

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As we embark on a new year full of many exciting projects ahead, we would like to take this time to look back at some of our accomplishments of 2015. As part of our work towards the commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, the Centre launched the 100 Voices Project. The initiative aims. . .

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We look forward to seeing you at both events this week!

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The Corning Centre will be participating in Toronto’s Holocaust Education Week this year with an event dedicated the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. It is titled 100 Voices: Commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide and will be presented in partnership with the Winchevsky Centre—United Jewish People’s Order. The event description on the official website, www.holocaustcentre.com/HEW, reads,. . .

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We are one month into the new academic year and we already have several events to announce, two of which are in the month of October.  The Corning Centre will be presenting an audio-visual exhibit titled “Canada, We Thank You” at Toronto City Hall from October 22 to 28. ​An opening ceremony and public reception will. . .

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July 1, 2015, marks Canada’s 148th birthday and the 92nd anniversary of the arrival of the first 46 Armenian genocide orphans at Georgetown, Ontario. A group of 50 were collected from the London, UK-based Armenian Refugees (Lord Mayor’s) Fund Orphanage in Corfu, Greece, and traveled via Marseilles to Cherbourg, France. Four were held back for several weeks, with the. . .

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The Corning Centre is pleased to announce that, thanks to the kindness of the United Church of Canada, the public can now access photographs of the Georgetown Girls, the Georgetown Boys, and their farm home online and free of charge. Daniel Ohanian, Director of Research, explained on this occasion, “The Centre had inquired about ordering. . .

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In the month of April, commemorative events dedicated to the centenary of the Armenian Genocide took place in cities worldwide. The Corning Centre participated in official commemorations in five cities: Yerevan, Toronto, Ottawa, Istanbul and New York. Below are photos from those events. In the month of April, commemorative events dedicated to the centenary of the. . .

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The Corning Centre joins all genocide education programs and centres across the country in remembering the Jewish Holocaust. Working together to educate new generations about the importance of being upstanders in society is vital to ensuring that communities are grounded in the understanding, acceptance and appreciation of differences, diversity and multiculturalism. The history of the. . .

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April 24, 2015, will mark the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. In commemoration of this important event, the Corning Centre and Facing History and Ourselves organized a joint workshop to prepare educators for bringing this history into their classrooms.  Special guest Marsha Skrypuch gave a presentation on her research and the background to her. . .

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Grade 7 students at TDSB’s Forest Hill Public School learned about the Universal Declaration of Human Rights ahead of a school visit by the Corning Centre on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. The teaching staff, who had organized the visit, had done an incredible job in teaching the students about. . .

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On the occasion of the centenary of the Armenian Genocide, the Corning Centre has published two new resources and accompanying activities for educators. As we enter April, known widely as Genocide Awareness Month and the month during which the Armenian Genocide is officially commemorated (April 24), these resources will assist educators in teaching this history. . .

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The Sara Corning Centre for Genocide Education and University of Toronto Libraries are co-sponsoring an exhibit dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide titled “1915-2015: 100 Years of Life.” It will be curated by Hasmik Torossian, with the assistance of the Armenian Students’ Association of the University of Toronto. Displayed will be materials. . .

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(photographs by Ishkhan Ghazarian) On the evening of March 20, 2015, the colloquium titled “Conference on Genocide: Prevention to Justice” took place at the University of Toronto, St. George campus, with over 400 in attendance. The conference was organized by the Armenian Genocide Centennial Committee of Canada, hosted by the Armenian Students’ Associations of the. . .

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“My conscience calls me to bear witness. I am the voice of the exiled who scream in the desert.” — Armen T. Wegner The Corning Centre has just published a new lesson titled “Armin T. Wegner: Twice an Upstander,” which can be accessed through our Online Lesson Portal. It invites students to analyze the importance of advocating. . .

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The Sara Corning Centre for Genocide Education is proud to announce that it will be co-sponsoring an academic conference titled Genocide: Prevention to Justice, which is being held on the occasion of the centennial of the Armenian Genocide. The conference, organized by the Armenian Genocide Centennial Committee of Canada and hosted by the Armenian Students’. . .

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The Sara Corning Centre for Genocide Education is proud to announce the official launch of Speak Out, an essay, creative writing and visual arts contest dedicated to the themes of genocide and human rights on the occasion of the 100th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.  The contest will run until December 31, 2015 and is. . .

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April 24, 2015, will mark the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. As we commemorate this important date, please join us for a workshop that will prepare educators to bring this history into classrooms.   We will be joined by, Marsha Skrypuch who will discuss the research and background of her newest novel, Dance of the Banished,. . .

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The Corning Centre launched its 100 Voices project today with a news article from the Canadian press and a student interview. Over the next 100 days leading up to the centenary of the Armenian Genocide, the centre will continue to release a video clip representing themes of survival, memory and justice every day. Other materials featured will. . .

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Join the Department of Political Science, the Political Science Students’ Association, the Armenian Students’ Association, the Jewish Student Life and the Greek Students’ Association, for a very informative and interactive discussion featuring Raffi Sarkissian, founder and chair of the Sara Corning Centre for Genocide Education.Sarkissian will discuss the challenges faced by Armenians in their pursuit. . .

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Toronto’s annual Pomegranate Film Festival will kick off on Wednesday, November 5, with Oscar nominee Edet Belzberg’s Watchers of the Sky. It will be screened in the Armenian Youth Centre’s Hamazkayin Theatre at 7 PM.  The film is a documentary on the history of genocide inspired by Samantha Power’s Pulitzer Prize-winning book A Problem from Hell: America in the. . .

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In 2015, people around the world will be commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. This event, which took place between 1915 and 1923, is considered one of the first modern genocides in human history, becoming an example for others that followed. It was initiated by the extreme wing of the Committee of Union and. . .

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Welcome back to school!  The Corning Centre would like to congratulate all parents, teachers and students on the start of a new academic year — a new year full of new opportunities to make a difference! This month, we return to the school communities where we look to learn, grow and leave a positive impact. . .

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July 1, 2014, marks Canada’s 147th birthday and the 91st anniversary of the arrival of the first 46 Armenian genocide orphans at Georgetown, Ontario. A group of 50 were collected from the London, UK-based Armenian Refugees (Lord Mayor’s) Fund Orphanage in Corfu, Greece, and traveled via Marseilles to Cherbourg, France. Four were held back for several weeks, with the. . .

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The Corning Centre has had a busy month! As mentioned in a previous post, on April 3, we co-sponsored an event titled “From Remembrance to Action Student Conference: Exploring Upstanders Facing Difficult History” with the Toronto District School Board and Facing History and Ourselves. The conference reached 120 students from 6 schools and was an all-round success. The. . .

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April of every year is Genocide Awareness Month, and on this occasion the Corning Centre has planned to unveil a new section of its website: the Online Learning Modules. Through the portal, teachers will be able to access lesson plans developed by our Ontario Certified Teachers to use in their classrooms.  Our first lesson focuses on. . .

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The Sara Corning Centre for Genocide Education, in partnership with the Toronto District School Board and Facing History and Ourselves, held a half-day conference for students registered in the Grade 11 Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity course.  120 students from 6 schools attended the half-day conference, titled “From Remembrance to Action Student Conference: Exploring Upstanders. . .

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Through a motion passed unanimously in 2013, the Toronto District School Board declared April as Genocide Awareness Month (full text below). The Sara Corning Centre for Genocide Education is supportive of the TDSB’s continued efforts and its commitment to genocide education. With an exemplary curriculum on genocide — the Grade 11 Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity course. . .

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An Evening with Dr. James Waller, Author of Becoming Evil Thursday, April 10, 2014 @ 7:00 p.m. Library Lecture Theatre (LIB72)Ryerson University350 Victoria StreetToronto, ON Please join us for an engaging lecture by social psychologist Dr. James Waller, who will discuss themes from his critically acclaimed book Becoming Evil: How Ordinary People Commit Genocide and Mass Killing (Oxford University. . .

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“The Voice of Empowerment” is the title of a post by teacher Cheryl Payne-Stevens on the blog of the Ontario Network at Facing History and Ourselves. The article describes a visit to Cheryl’s classroom by Corning Centre chair Raffi Sarkissian, where he presented on genocide denial.  The post can be read at http://onnetwork.facinghistory.org/the-voice-of-empowerment/. Contact us here to. . .

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Raffi Sarkissian, founder and chair of the Sara Corning Centre for Genocide Education, will be presenting on the benefits and challenges of genocide education at an international, multidisciplinary conference titled “Understanding Atrocities: Remembering, Representing and Teaching Genocide.” The February 19–21, 2014, event is organized by the faculty of arts, faculty of teaching and learning and office of the provost. . .

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The Corning Centre joins all genocide education programs and centres across the country in remembering the Jewish Holocaust. Working together to educate new generations about the importance of being upstanders in society is vital to ensuring that communities are grounded in the understanding, accepting and valuing of differences, diversity and multiculturalism. The history of the. . .

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The Corning Centre has rung in the new year with its first major monetary gift. At the end of December, the organization received a cheque for $1,300 from the Armenian Nurses of Ontario, a division of the Armenian Canadian Medical Association. The generous donation was made in commemoration of the centre’s namesake, Sara Corning, a. . .

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Drawing a line connecting the Second Battle of Ypres, a predecessor of the Globe and Mail, and injustice in the Republic of Turkey, the Corning Centre expressed its views on the adverse effects of Armenian Genocide denial  on genocide prevention  in a recent op ed in the GM. Click here read the full piece.

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On November 5th, the founder and chair of the Corning Centre, Raffi Sarkissian, presented a lecture titled ‘Giving a Voice to the Voiceless- The Armenian Genocide’. The event was organized by the Institute for Global Citizenship and Equity and The School of Advancement at Centennial College as a part of the 33rd Annual Neuberger Holocaust Education Week.. . .

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The Canadian premiere of the Emmy Award-nominee documentary Orphans of the Genocide, directed by Bared Maronian, a four time regional Emmy Award winner, will take place during Toronto’s Pomegranate Film Festival at 3:00 PM on Sunday, November 10, 2013. The Sara Corning Centre for Genocide Education will have the honour of introducing the documentary.  The film’s description reads, “[This] Emmy-award nominee documentary. . .

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Below is a letter written on behalf of the Corning Centre in response to this recent article in the Globe and Mail.  Ms. Syvlia Stead,Public EditorThe Globe and Mail Dear Ms. Sylvia Stead, As a Canadian organization advocating for genocide education in Canada, we were disappointed to see the recent article by Doug Saunders in the Globe and. . .

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The Corning Centre has made an appearance in the latest issue of YorkU, York University’s alumni magazine. Click here for the article or here for the full issue.

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Raffi Sarkissian, Corning Centre founder and director, will be presenting at the 2013 Neuberger Holocaust Education Week. The event will take place on Tuesday, November 5, at 1:30 PM in Holy Trinity Armenian Church’s Magaros Artinian Hall (920 Progress Avenue, Toronto). The event is co-presented by the Institute for Global Citizenship and Equity and The School. . .

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July 1, 2013, marks Canada’s 146th birthday and the 90th anniversary of the arrival of the first 46 Armenian genocide orphans at Georgetown, Ontario. A group of 50 were collected from the London, UK-based Armenian Refugees (Lord Mayor’s) Fund Orphanage in Corfu, Greece, and traveled via Marseilles to Cherbourg, France. Four were held back for several weeks, with the. . .

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On June 20, 2013, Daniel Ohanian, Director of Research at the Sara Corning Centre for Genocide Education, presented a paper on Canadian humanitarianism and immigration policy within the context of the Armenian Genocide during the tenth biennial conference of the International Association for Genocide Scholars (IAGS). The conference, titled The Aftermath of Genocide: Victims and. . .

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The Sara Corning Centre for Genocide Education has visited over 600 students through its guest lecture services throughout the 2012–2013 academic year. By inviting the Corning Centre to their classrooms, teachers in various school boards created the unique opportunity for their students to receive information on topics such as the legacy of genocide, genocide denial,. . .

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Dear students, educators and supporters, We encourage all Canadians to take time on Wednesday, April 24, to reflect on the Genocide of the Armenians. Set aside time in your classes to discuss this watershed event and the adverse effects of discrimination and intolerance in society. Create an opportunity for your students to join others around. . .

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The Sara Corning Centre for Genocide Education will be presenting an exhibit titled 90 Years: Arrival of the Georgetown Armenian Boys, dedicated to the 90th anniversary of the arrival of the Georgetown Armenian Boys to Canada. The exhibit will be on display at the annual Armenian Genocide commemoration in Toronto, set to take place on Sunday,. . .

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We have added four new resources to our library! Two are short films that describe the story of the Georgetown Boys, their arrival to Canada, daily life on the farm home, and a reunion 60 years later. Another two are master’s theses on Canadian humanitarian efforts and political interest in the Armenians between 1880 and. . .

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Canada shouldn’t renounce genocide policyVancouver Sun, Letter to the Editor, 9 April 2013Re: Turkey says Canada’s genocide policy may hinder free-trade deal, web only, April 7 As Turkish ambassador to Canada Tuncay Babali tried to “make clear” that Canada should backtrack on its moral stance on the Armenian genocide to proceed with economic co-operation, Canadians will. . .

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Welcome to the Corning Centre’s online home! You should also join us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. We’ll be sure to return the favour!

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