A special service was held earlier today to honour those who perished during the Ukraine famine in the 1930s, attended by Saskatchewan government officials and members of the province’s Ukranian community.
Around 10 million people perished during the famine in 1932 to 1933, when the Soviet Union confiscated crops from the Ukranian people and imposed regulations preventing them from leaving their communities in search of food. The sanctions created a man-made famine, called the Holodomor — which means “extermination by hunger” in Ukranian.
Minister Responsible for Saskatchewan-Ukraine Relations Greg Ottenbreit was in attendance for the memorial service and shared his condolences in a press release earlier today.
“The horrendous acts that took place cannot go unrecognized,” Ottenbreit said in the release. “For years their stories were denied and their stories were lost. Through this service, we honour and remember the ones who suffered and the ones who perished. It is through remembrance we learn from the past and their memories live on.”
The service was held in conjunction with Holodomor Memorial Week, which takes place from Nov. 18-24 and includes International Holodomor Memorial Day on Nov. 23 this year.
Saskatchewan’s Legislative Assembly was the first North American jurisdiction to recognize the genocide when they passed the Ukrainian Famine and Genocide (Holodomor) Memorial Day Act in 2008.
A memorial candle will remain lit during Holodomor Memorial Week, to mark the tragic losses in the genocide.
