CPAC appeal to Premier Wynne to support Bill 79

May 17, 2017

Honourable Kathleen Wynne

Premier of Ontario

Dear Premier Wynne:

I am writing to urge you to support Bill 79, An Act to Proclaim the Nanjing Massacre Commemorative Day.

Ontario is the home of the largest Asian population in Canada and a great number of Ontarians, including many of our CPAC members, have direct relationships with victims and survivors of the Nanjing Massacre. During this WWII atrocity, over 200,000 Chinese civilians and disarmed combatants were indiscriminately killed, and tens of thousands of women and girls were sexually assaulted by the Imperial Japanese Army.

Unfortunately, our children have virtually no formal opportunity to learn of this WWII humanitarian atrocity as this important historical event is not taught in Ontario schools. It is important to remember, reflect and educate Ontarians about the lessons of the Nanjing Massacre and honour the victims and families affected. This is key to promote peace and prevent such atrocities from happening again.

Our desire is to establish a Nanjing Massacre Commemorative Day, which is in keeping with Ontario’s proud tradition of commemorating similar human rights atrocities. In the past, the Legislature of Ontario has adopted a resolution to recognize the Armenian Genocide, passed the Holocaust Memorial Day Act, and passed the Holodomor Memorial Day Act. These recognitions have offered opportunities for reflection, reconciliation and education for all Ontarians.

Over the past five months, we have witnessed an overwhelming support of Bill 79 across all communities in Ontario, resulting in an unprecedented 90,000+ signatures on a petition to the Ontario Legislature to pass Bill 79.

We respect you as a progressive leader of a diverse province and inclusive society, of which you have proudly spoken on numerous occasions. We trust that you will respect the strong desire of the communities and support the passing of Bill 79, An Act to Proclaim the Nanjing Massacre Commemorative Day.

Respectfully,

Eric Xiao

President

Cc: Patrick Brown, Leader of the Official Opposition

Cc: Andrea Horwath, Leader of the New Democratic Party of Ontario

Click here to see: Original Letter