April 8, 2009 - 22:42 AMT
Canada to commemorate Armenian Genocide recognition anniversary
Canadian Armenian community has organized two separate and competing events to be held in the Parliament Building in Ottawa to commemorate the 5th anniversary of the recognition of the Armenian Genocide by the House of Commons.

On April 21 and 28, the Canadian Armenian community has organized two separate and competing events to be held in the Parliament Building in Ottawa to commemorate the 5th anniversary of the recognition of the Armenian Genocide by the House of Commons.

The Congress of Canadian Armenians (CCA), with the support of over 20 major Armenian organizations from across Canada, is hosting its event on April 21, exactly five years to the day after Private Members' Bill M-380 was passed by the House of Commons. The motion read: "That this house acknowledge the Armenian Genocide of 1915 and condemn this act as a crime against humanity."

All Members of Parliament, Senators, and the Ambassadors of countries that have also recognized the Armenian Genocide have been invited. At the event, the four co-sponsors of the motion and those who voted in its favor will be honored, as well as Prime Minister Stephen Harper who supported the motion and who on April 19, 2006 formally reaffirmed his and his party's recognition of the Armenian Genocide.