FOR THE RECORD: Prime minister's remarks at signing of agreement in principle on redress (09/11/05)

FOR THE RECORD

Prime minister's remarks at signing of agreement in principle on redress

Following is the text of remarks delivered on August 24 by Prime Minister Paul Martin at the signing of the agreement in principle regarding redress for the national internment operations of 1914-1920.

I am pleased to be in Regina to announce an agreement in principle with the Ukrainian Canadian community concerning wartime measures and immigration restrictions imposed by the federal government in the past.

This agreement is part of the Acknowledgement, Commemoration and Education Program set up by the government to help commemorate the historical experiences of communities affected by such wartime measures and immigration restrictions and to educate Canadians about them.

It is also designed to highlight and commemorate the contributions that affected communities have made to Canadian society and to help build a better understanding among all Canadians of the strength of Canada's diversity.

This is a significant step forward. Through this agreement and program, we recognize that government actions of the past, while legal at the time, are inconceivable in today's Canada and incompatible with the values that we as Canadians hold so strongly. Individual rights, the protection of minorities, respect for others, openness, inclusion, fairness - these are fundamental to our identity and way of life.

The impact of wartime measures and immigration restrictions on ethnic communities in Canada and their families took a heavy human toll.

But it took another kind of toll - on our ability to see the importance of diversity and human rights protection in an evolving Canada. Our vision of the future was blocked by misplaced fears and misguided policies.

This, sadly, was the experience of the Ukrainian Canadian community during the first world war. In coping with the crisis overseas at the time, the federal government left unprotected certain ethnic groups who were, by any reckoning, Canadians.

They, like so many other immigrants, had come to this country looking for a new life and new opportunity. But they were treated in a manner which today we see as inconsistent with and offensive to the values that underpin Canadian society and our democratic way of life.

Ukrainian Canadians played an important role in the settlement and growth of Canada's West. Throughout that great belt of Ukrainian settlement in Canada's West - stretching from Winnipeg and central Manitoba through Saskatchewan to Edmonton and northern Alberta - they built homesteads, founded communities, raised their families and lived peaceably.

Yet this was not enough to protect them.

By the sweat of their brows and the strength of their backs, they helped to lay the foundations of modern Canada, investing what they could in improving their lives and in educating their children.

This still was not enough to protect them.

It has been estimated that more than 5,000 Ukrainian Canadians were rounded up and sent off to internment camps. Other restrictions were imposed that curbed basic freedoms and denied fundamental rights to those of Ukrainian origin.

The AIP is thus also a statement of resolve on the part of the government of Canada, in collaboration with the Ukrainian Canadian community, that such actions will never happen again.

It has been said that those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.

But it is not enough just to remember the past. We must actively learn from it. We must put in place the institutions, the laws, the mechanisms - as well as the education and the understanding - to ensure that we don't ever repeat the past.

Over the years, Canadians and their governments have painstakingly and successfully built a network of legal and constitutional protections to guarantee individual rights as well as minority rights for our ethnic communities.

In the midst of these laws and institutions is the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, standing as the bulwark, ensuring that innocent Canadians and communities will not be persecuted or targeted as once happened in the past.

Canada is one of the world's most ethnically and culturally diverse societies. We recognize diversity as a source of strength and innovation. We are a country built on immigration and the principles of acceptance and inclusiveness.

This is how we got to where we are today. This is what will take us confidently, successfully into the century ahead. We must remember the past, yes, but we must also learn from it constructively. In this way, we make the past serve our future.

Let us re-dedicate ourselves to creating a more equitable society now and a better future for generations to come. Let us continue to promote our values of respect, tolerance, fairness - and inclusion.

There can be no doubt that the Ukrainian Canadian community has dedicated itself to traveling this route.

The Ukrainian Canadian community has been present in Canada for more than a century. Your roots are deep - throughout the West, in urban centers and towns, and villages across the country. The contribution you have made to Canada is impressive, strong, continuing.

Through today's agreement in principle, you are showing again that strength of character that enabled your forebears to arrive with little but their determination and faith - and succeed. And made Canada a better country.

In closing, let me thank all those who worked so assiduously and successfully in producing this agreement in principle - Ministers [Liz] Frulla and [Raymond] Chan, MPs [Borys] Wrzesnewskyj and [Walt] Lastewka, and, in particular, the leaders and members of the Ukrainian Canadian community.

This is a moment we can all be proud of.

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