Inspired by Recognition in French Senate, Renew Pressure on the Canadian Senate to Recognize Artsakh

On November 25th, the French Senate adopted a resolution calling for the Recognition of Artsakh! The resolution also included other key items, including calls for providing massive humanitarian aid to Nagorno Karabakh and calls for international investigation into war crimes committed by Azerbaijan (details are available here).

We must continue our efforts to exert pressure on the Canadian senate to vote in favour of Senator Leo Houkakos’ motion M-36, calling upon the Canadian federal government to:

Condemn Turkish-Azerbaijani aggression

Ban all arms sales to Turkey

Recognize the Republic of Artsakh’s inalienable right to self-determination

Recognize the independence of the Republic of Artsakh

YOUR CALL TO ACTION - COMPLETE THESE 2 STEPS:

1. Send ANOTHER letter to ALL Canadian Senators

Urge them to vote in favour of this very important and critical motion. Please make sure to complete the form with details at the top.

Ask Senators to be like France

First Name *

Last Name *

Email *

Phone *

Postal Code *

Message *

Dear Honourable Senator,
 
I am writing to urge you to support the motion (M-36) tabled on October 27, 2020, by Senator Leo Housakos, calling upon the Government of Canada "to immediately condemn the joint Azerbaijani-Turkish aggression against the Republic of Artsakh, uphold the ban on military exports to Turkey, recognize the Republic of Artsakh's inalienable right to self-determination and, in light of further escalation and continued targeting of innocent Armenian civilians, recognize the independence of the Republic of Artsakh."

On September 27, Azerbaijan, with Turkey's full political and military support, unleashed an unprecedented, long-planned and large-scale war against the Republic of Artsakh.  Their objective - the complete conquest of Artsakh. For over 40 days, Azerbaijan was relentless in its specific attacks on civilian targets.  Equipped with jihadist mercenaries, illegal cluster bombs, Turkish UAVs, Bayraktars and F-16 combat jets, it shelled highly dense civilian areas on a daily basis.  The results were catastrophic. We witnessed the senseless loss of civilian life, along with the destruction of schools, churches, hospitals, homes and infrastructure. Over 90,000 civilians had to flee Artsakh, many are no longer able to return to their homes.

On November 10, an extremely grievous agreement was signed between Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan, bringing the ongoing war in Artsakh to a halt. This disastrous agreement - spearheaded by Russia and supported by Turkey, who coincidentally was one of the war aggressors - poses a significant danger to the South Caucasus region's long-term stability and security. This agreement also paves the way for Turkey and Azerbaijan to continue their state-sponsored campaigns of ethnic cleansing and cultural appropriation in Artsakh. Subsequent to the date this agreement took effect, there have been numerous videos and other evidence demonstrating that the war crimes being committed by Azerbaijan against the Armenians of Artsakh and continues even today. POWs and civilians of Artsakh are being executed or mutilated; Armenian churches and cultural sites continue to be damaged or destroyed.

On November 25, the French Senate adopted a resolution calling for the recognition of Artsakh.  By adopting this resolution, the French Senate became the first and the highest chamber of the world to recognize the right to self-determination of the People of Artsakh. In light of the current situation, Canada must follow suit and immediately pass the already introduced motion M-36. As a globally recognized peacekeeping nation, Canada must stand up to these tyrannical regimes and their blatant violation of international humanitarian law and human rights. Canada must represent justice and support peace and stability around the world. 

Honourable Senator, I urge you and your colleagues to unanimously vote in favour of the motion by officially recognizing the Republic of Artsakh, as an urgent and necessary response to the aggression and genocidal campaign perpetrated by Azerbaijan and Turkey.  The right to this territory is not a matter of dispute. It is a matter of the people's right to self-determination and is the only path forward to lasting peace in the region.
 
Thank you for your support and I look forward to hearing your positive response.

Sincerely yours,

Yes! Please email me about future action alerts.

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2. Call, Email AND Tweet to the leaders of each Senate group

Urge them to vote in favour of Senator Housakos’ motion. If you had already contacted the Senators as per our previous action alerts, we thank you but we ask that you contact them again. Through constant and repeated calls, we will present ongoing reminders of this motion to the Senators and demonstrate that their support of M-36 is of critical importance to Canadians.

Government Representative in the Senate: Senator Marc Gold

Phone: 613-995-0222

Email: marc.gold@sen.parl.gc.ca Twitter: @SenMarcGold

Leader of the Opposition: Senator Donald Plett

Phone: 613-947-6416

Email: don.plett@sen.parl.gc.ca Twitter: @DonPlett

Independent Senators Group: Senator Yuen Pau Woo

Phone: 613-995-9244

Email: YuenPau.Woo@sen.parl.gc.ca Twitter: @yuenpauwoo

Canadian Senators Group: Senator Scott Tannas

Phone: 613-943-2240

Email: scott.tannas@sen.parl.gc.ca Twitter: @ScottTannas

Progressive Senators Group: Senator Jane Cordy

Phone: 613-995-8409

Email: jane.cordy@sen.parl.gc.ca Twitter: @SenatorCordy

Speak with a staff member or leave a polite message using the script below:

“Dear Honourable Senator, I am calling you as a Canadian citizen to urge you to support Senator Leo Housakos' motion (Motion-36) asking the government to condemn the joint Turkish-Azerbaijani aggression, ban arms exports to Turkey and recognize the independence of the Republic of Artsakh. I ask you to do this not for political reasons, but because it's the morally right thing to do. The French Senate has recently passed a similar resolution and it is high time for our Canadian Senate to act and stand on the right side of history to prevent a second genocide of the Armenian people. I, along with many Canadians, are counting on your support on this very urgent and existential matter. Thank you.”

If you have trouble getting through to a voicemail or member of staff, continue to call throughout the day until you can leave your message.

Please also:

- Encourage other Canadians to make the same calls, emails and tweets and spread the word.
- Like and share the alert on the Armenian National Committee of Canada’s Facebook page
- Like and retweet the Armenian National Committee of Canada’s tweet using #RecognizeArtsakh

Thank you joghovoort!