Head of Canada-Armenia Friendship group Harold Albrecht commemorated 97th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide in his speech in Canada’s House of Commons.

In his address, Albrecht stressed that almost 100 years ago a policy of systematic extermination resulted in the deaths of between a million and a million and a half Armenians.

He recalled that both houses of parliament have adopted resolutions referring to these events as “the first genocide of the twentieth century”.

“To visit Armenia today is to enjoy a country that has grown and recovered and today enjoys democracy!

And today, our Armenian-Canadians communities celebrate their culture in healthy communities from Montreal to Vancouver, including in my own home area of Waterloo Region.

We remember this today, not to look back to 1915; but to learn from the lessons of history and recommit ourselves to ensuring that such a tragedy never happens again,” he said.