Designate Hazara Remembrance Day
Petitioners ask the Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture to officially designate September 25 each year as the National Day of Remembrance for the Hazara Genocide (1891–1893) and ensure its annual observance.
Why we would sign this petition
- Establishes formal recognition of past atrocities and honors victims by creating an annual day of remembrance.
- Raises public awareness of the Hazara community’s continued persecution and signals Canada’s commitment to human rights and genocide prevention.
- Provides a recurring national occasion that can focus advocacy, education and community support for Hazara Canadians.
Why we wouldn’t sign this petition
- Formal designation is largely symbolic and may not deliver concrete protection, services, or policy change for the Hazara community.
- The government may face diplomatic or practical challenges in framing recognition of historical events tied to another country’s past and present politics.
- Signatories might prefer targeted measures (resettlement, funding, education) or broader human-rights policies instead of a commemorative day.
The summary and both sets of reasons are AI-generated from the petition and given equal weight. Claims are the petitioners’ own; consult the official record for the full text.
Official petition
Petition to the Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture The Subcommittee on International Human Rights of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development recognizes the Hazara endured mass atrocities under Abdur Rahman Khan from 1891 to 1893 and acknowledges the present-day persecution faced by the Hazara community; The Hazara people have endured a long ongoing genocide, marked by mass killings and forced displacement, in particular under the Taliban regime today; The Subcommittee stated that this report is meant to not only recognize their past suffering, but also to help protect their future by recognizing September 25th of every year as the day to remember the massacre of the Hazaras from 1891 to 1893; and The Subcommittee extended its utmost gratitude to the witnesses for their contributions to the study and expressed its hope for a future where the Hazaras of Afghanistan can live without persecution and fear. We, the undersigned, citizens and residents of Canada, call upon the Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture to officially recognize September 25th of every year as the National Day of Remembrance for the Hazara Genocide of 1891–1893, in accordance with the recommendation of the Subcommittee’s Twenty-Seventh Report, and to ensure that this day is observed annually to honour the victims, raise awareness of the Hazara people’s ongoing persecution, reaffirm Canada’s commitment to human rights and the prevention of genocide.
Government response
No government response is available yet.