Garo Paylan held a series of meetings in Ottawa and Montreal with Members of Parliament and various current and former Canadian officials on May 2. 2017 (Photo: ANCC)
OTTAWA, Canada—Armenian Member of Turkish Parliament and a founding member of the People’s Democratic Party (HDP) Garo Paylan on May 2 held a series of meetings in Ottawa and Montreal with Members of Parliament and various current and former Canadian officials, the Armenian National Committee of Canada (ANCC) reported.
After a brief meeting with Turkish and Kurdish academics and recent exiles from Turkey, Paylan was hosted on Parliament Hill by Member of Parliament Arnold Chan of Scarborough-Agincourt, where he met a large group Parliamentarians representing various political parties.
During his meetings, Paylan had the opportunity to provide an overview of the current political climate in Turkey, the aftermath of the constitutional referendum, and the ongoing uncertainty and concern regarding the rights and freedoms of minorities living in Turkey. Paylan also urged Canadian Parliamentarians to raise awareness about the current situation in Turkey and play a pivotal role in ensuring that our shared values of justice, democracy, equality, and human rights are upheld in the Republic of Turkey and around the world.
During his meetings, Paylan had the opportunity to provide an overview of the current political climate in Turkey, the aftermath of the constitutional referendum, and the ongoing uncertainty and concern regarding the rights and freedoms of minorities living in Turkey. (Photo: ANCC)
Later in the day, Paylan also had the opportunity to meet Canada’s former Minister of Justice and Attorney General and current head of the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights, the Honorable Irwin Cotler, where similar issues were raised and discussed.
On April 30 and May 1, thousands of activists and community members from Canada’s Armenian, Assyrian and Kurdish communities gathered in Toronto and Montreal respectively, at special community events featuring Paylan. At both events, Paylan was welcomed with standing ovations. During the events, he stressed the importance of acknowledging history, specifically in regards to the Armenian Genocide, stating, “unpunished crimes lead to new crimes.â€
