• Canada shouldn’t renounce genocide policy
    Vancouver Sun, Letter to the Editor, 9 April 2013
    Re: 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 respond with an absolute “no.”

    Canadians have played an integral part in humanitarian efforts toward Armenians since the 1800s. 

    For instance, Nova Scotia nurse Sara Corning saved 5,000 Armenian children orphaned during the genocide from further destruction in 1922, as Turkish forces set the city of Smyrna ablaze. 

    The Armenian genocide has been reaffirmed politically and historically for decades. It is in Turkey where the issue continues to be taboo and cause for many intellectuals to be imprisoned, in violation of their rights and freedoms.

    Imagine a Germany where Hitler is a hero and the memory of Oskar Schindler in oblivion. 

    Turkey continues to lionize the architects of genocide while the story of brave Turks who saved Armenian lives withers in the overbearing silence and oppression. 

    Canada’s values and morals are not for sale; rather they are ingrained in Canadian society and very much a part of every Canadian citizen. 

    Raffi Sarkissian, Sara Corning Centre for Genocide Education, Toronto, Ont.
  • 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 Perpetrators, Representations and Interpretations, was held at the University of Siena in Florence, Italy. It brought together over 250 scholars to present as part of 85 panels over four days.

    Ohanian’s presentation, called “Georgetown, Ontario: A Nexus of Interests and a Home for Armenian Genocide Orphans in Canada”, sought to account for why the Canadian government, which had restricted “Asiatic” immigration since the 1880s and routinely turned away refugees, opened its doors to orphaned genocide survivors in 1923; and why Canadian individuals supported this endeavour, considering that the Armenians were a group with whom they had had no direct experience and who lived some 10,000 km away. Ultimately, between 1923 and 1930, 160 boys, girls, and women were granted express permission to immigrate to Canada under the auspices of the Armenian Relief Association and United Church of Canada. In sum, he argued that humanitarian empathy, nation building, British imperial identity, church interests, and a sense of Christian duty stirred sufficient interest among disparate segments of Canadian society to allow for the bringing down of immigration barriers set up against individuals like these child survivors.

    The paper was paired with one by Asya Darbinyan, Deputy Director of the Armenian Genocide Museum & Institute in Yerevan, Armenia, titled “Representation and Responsibility: American Publicity and Armenian Orphans”.

    Ohanian’s participation at the conference demonstrates the Corning Centre’s commitment to supporting ongoing research into genocide and human rights, especially where they intersect with Canadian history and policy making. For the conference’s full program, click here.
  • ​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, eyewitness testimony and Canada and the Armenian Genocide. The visits have been highly interactive and allowed students the opportunity to ask questions as they navigate the complexities surrounding genocide, human rights and world politics. 

    The Corning Centre is dedicated to promoting human rights, anti-racism and genocide education in Canada. Our presentations inspire students to become active voices in promoting diversity and respect for all. We encourage teachers to contact us and book a classroom visit for the 2013-2014 academic year or even for their summer school classes and please stay tuned for upcoming events and classroom resources.

    In the meantime, if you would like to follow us please sign up to our newsletter, like our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/corningcentre) and follow us on Twitter (www.twitter.com/corningcentre).
  • 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 the world in remembering our collective past and learning from the experiences we have struggled through as members of the human family.

    We encourage you to visit www.twentyvoices.com or www.theforgotten.org to watch survivor testimonies; read a poem dedicated to the victims in class, such as one by Canadian academic and poet Alan Whitehorn’s (link); or watch a documentary, such as Suzanne Khardalian’s Grandma’s Tattoos (link). Give them voice. Share their stories.

    With warm regards,

    Raffi Sarkissian, OCT, MEd
    Founder and Chair
    Sara Corning Centre for Genocide Education
  • 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, April 21, 2013, at 3:00 PM at the Armenian Community Centre Banquet Hall (45 Hallcrown Place, Toronto, ON  M2J 4Y4). 

    The Centre’s Director of Research, Daniel Ohanian, continues to conduct research on Armenian Genocide orphans in Canada. “There is an abundance of primary and secondary sources that continue to shed light on the story of the boys, girls and women who were saved from refugee camps and orphanages by being brought to Canada. Their lives are a testament to the ability of human beings to cope with tragedy and to persevere despite overwhelming loss.”

    Raffi Sarkissian, Founder and Chair, believes commemoration is among the best means of public education. “We encourage the public to visit the exhibit, commemorate the Armenian Genocide and celebrate Canada’s positive contributions to humanity in the years preceding, during and after 1915. Collectively remembering the Armenian Genocide as Canadians sends a strong message of solidarity in defending human rights and justice internationally.” 

    To read more about the Georgetown Armenian Boys, click here. 

    For additional information, to book a classroom visit, or to request an interview, write to us through our Contact Us page.