Alberta Legislative Assembly Commemorates Holodomor

“One of history’s grave crimes against humanity, the Ukrainian famine and genocide (Holodomor) must not be forgotten,” said Honourable Robert E. Wanner, Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta. “Holodomor Memorial Day recognizes the countless victims of this tragic event and reminds us that defending and upholding human rights is not only a global responsibility but also the only way to prevent such an atrocity in the future.”

This commemoration statue is known as Bitter Memory of Childhood and is located in Kyiv, it’s part of a larger complex and museum that commemorates the Holodomor, the Memorial in Commemoration of Famines’ Victims in Ukraine. It was established in 2008, on the 75th anniversary of the Holodomor and sees around half a million visitors every year.

The Holodomor was a government-imposed famine in the Ukrainian SSR during 1932 and 1933. It is estimated that between 4 and 10 million individuals died of starvation during this time.

Over 300,000 people of Ukrainian ancestry, some of whom are survivors of the Holodomor or are descendants of those who suffered, call Alberta home.

In 2008 the Legislative Assembly of Alberta passed Bill 37, Ukrainian Famine and Genocide (Holodomor) Memorial Day Act, proclaiming the fourth Saturday in November as a day of Holodomor remembrance in Alberta.

The Edmonton monument was the first Holodomor monument that was erected in Canada. It was unveiled in 1983, on the 50th anniversary of the Holodomor, the genocidal famine in Ukraine. It is located in front of Edmonton’s city hall and was sculpted by Ludmilla Temertey.