On Saturday April 24th, an impressive and emotional, open air Armenian Genocide 106th Anniversary event was held, attended by some thousand Montreal community members, in spite of highly windy conditions, around the Armenian Memorial monument in the Marcelin Wilson Parc.
It was noteworthy that the event was entirely organized by a community Youth United Committee with members from the Tekeyan Cultural Association (and RAG), the AGBU, The Nor Serount(Hentchags), the St.Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral, the Sourp Khatch Church, The St Nareg Armenian Catholic Church and the First Armenian Evangelical Church.
The event was presided by the Primate of Canada His Grace Bishop Abgar Hovagimian and it was held under the auspices of Her Excellency Anahit Harutunyan , Ambassador of Armenia in Ottawa who could not be present because of the current interprovincial Covid travel ban. Several Canadian federal provincial and municipal political representatives participated to the event.
An exhilarated resolution to prevail could be seen on the faces of the young and old Canadian-Armenian community members, as the news of US President Joe Biden’s historic proclamation and recognition of the Genocide had just been circulating.
Following the singing of the Canadian and Armenian national anthems, respectively by a star of the 2021 Star Academie, Zara Sargsyan, and popular Armenian singer Martin Yorgantz, and well-targeted introductory remarks in French and English by Marie-Laure Cimetier, Noushig Kadian and Maral Elliott, successively, Canadian Members of Parliament Alexandre Boulerice, Mario Beaulieu, Quebec Deputy, Christine St. Pierre, and municipal politicians Mayor Emilie Thulier, Mary Deros and Denis Coderre expressed their solidarity with the Arminian Cause, recalling that Canada had recognized the Armenian Genocide some 18 years ago. An appropriate recitation and songs program was presented by Martin Yorgantz, Miriam Baghdassarian (Quebec Voice finalist), and Silva Bekarian. A multitude of posters were held up by young people in the large crowd filling the beautiful park, where one could read next to statements condemning Turkey for its continued denial, statements condemning the Canadian arms sale to the Turkish-Azerbaijani perpetrators of the recent criminal war against Artsakh.
This highly emotional successful event was concluded by a religious program, readings from the Bible by the clergy, and closing recitation of the Lord’s Prayer, presided over by Bishop Hovagimyan.
The Armenian Mirror Spectator
