On Friday, June 12, AGBU Canada honored Member of Parliament (MP) Brad Butt with the AGBU Armenia Award at the AGBU Center in Montréal. The award, presented during the AGBU Alex Manoogian School graduation ceremony, was given in thanks of Butt’s work in sponsoring Motion 587 (M-587) to designate April 24 as Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day in Canada.

Addressing the Class of 2015, MP Butt emphasized his dedication to the Armenian community and genocide recognition: “On April 24, 2015, the House of Commons unanimously adopted M-587 designating the month of April as Genocide Awareness, Prevention and Condemnation month in Canada. By doing so, we renewed our commitment to do everything we can to prevent such events from happening again.”

During his speech, MP Butt also recalled his trip to Armenia and praised the graduates of the AGBU Alex Manoogian’s School’s participation in the AGBU Discover Armenia program this summer: “Last August, while in Armenia, I visited the Armenian Genocide Memorial and Museum and I laid a wreath at the site, shedding tears for the 1.5 million people killed in this horrific time in human history. I hope you too will have the opportunity to do the same, because the only appropriate response is to strongly reaffirm our collective commitment as a society to remember and commemorate genocide, to educate future generations about the poisonous effects of hate and intolerance and to uphold the importance of preventing such atrocities from ever reoccurring.”

Following his speech, Butt presented AGBU Canada Representative Chahé Tanachian and AGBU Canada Executive Committee member Hagop Arslanian with the original, signed copy of M-587 as a token of respect and appreciation for the Canadian Armenian community.

“We have awarded MP Butt with the AGBU Armenia Award in recognition of his hard work for the adoption of M-587 and to express our gratitude and immense respect for the principled and courageous stance he took in the House of Commons,” said Tanachian.

On April 21, 2015, the Canadian Parliament adopted Motion-380, officially acknowledging the Armenian Genocide and condemning it as a crime against humanity.