Submited by The Council of Doukhobors in Canada
In regard to the open letter to BC’s Attorney General from page A2 of the August 24 issue of Castlegar News, we wish to clarify:
The Council of Doukhobors in Canada (CDC) is a voluntary unregistered society representing Doukhobor organizations, societies, and/or communities in BC, Alberta, and Saskatchewan. Our purpose is to promote communication and cooperation within the Doukhobor community in Canada, speak to issues of importance to Doukhobors, and engage in outreach to Doukhobor communities in the Russian Federation, Ukraine, and Georgia.
The purpose of our open letter was not to represent, misrepresent, or attempt to speak for New Denver survivors or their families, but to show our support for their human rights, and to urge the government to right a wrong.
We apologize for any misunderstanding or harm our appeal may have caused. Our intention has been and always will be to help, to be supportive, and we encourage others to submit their own letters to the government to encourage a full apology to New Denver survivors.
Sincerely,
The Council of Doukhobors in Canada
RELATED: Doukhobor kids taken from homes in 1950s deserve compensation: report
Original letter to the Attorney General
Dear Attorney General Sharma:
We are writing to you as members of the Council of Doukhobors in Canada (CDC), an official coordinating group in which each of the members represents a segment of the overall Doukhobor Community in Western Canada.
We are calling for accountability from the BC government for its historic role in the forced confinement of Sons of Freedom Doukhobor children in the New Denver institute from 1953-1959. The impact of this injustice has had, and continues to have, significant consequences for the survivors, their families, the Sons of Freedom community and the wider Doukhobor communities. It also represents one of the more recent miscarriages of justice perpetrated on the Doukhobor people by various Canadian authorities over the 124 years of Doukhobor life in this country.
It is now 70 years since the devastating New Denver policy was first enacted by the BC Government. Numerous appeals and entreaties by the survivors, their families and communities, including many humanitarian voices from the general Canadian public, have all been ignored over the decades. Even the comprehensive and emphatic Public Report No. 38 issued by the BC Ombudsperson, Dulcie McCallum in 1999, was not successful in having its recommendations fulfilled, despite a great wave of public support.
The most recent Special Report No. 53, issued on July 18, 2023, by current Ombudsperson, Jay Chalke, titled “Time to right the wrong: Monitoring government’s implementations related to the confinement of Doukhobor children”, provides an excellent opportunity for you and the BC Government to finally fulfill your historic obligations in regard to this long-festering issue. The full extent of all of the recommendations in the Ombudspersons’ Reports should be fulfilled, which at a minimum must include a formal apology and appropriate financial compensation.
We trust that you will fulfill all of the recommendations of the Ombudsperson’s report. As a result the process of healing and reconciliation can finally occur with all of the far-reaching benefits for the future of our families and communities.
Thank you for your attention to our communication.
Sincerely,
Council of Doukhobors in Canada
Members and Signatories: JJ Verigin, Executive Director, Union of Spiritual Communities of Christ (USCC), Walter Perepelkin, Director, Krestova Doukhobor Community Society, Krestova, BC (New Denver survivor), Ahna Berikoff, PhD, Lisa Poznikoff, Natasha Jmieff, Garry Tarasoff, Sara Kinakin, Alex Kalesnikoff, Mae Popoff, Jeanette Stringer, Helen & Peter Ogloff, Peter & Katie Slastookin