Speech at Darfur Rally

"Good Afternoon. I am Mark Weintraub, Chair of the National Darfur Committee of the Canadian Jewish Congress.

Friends.

We all know we should not be here today.

We all know that the tragedy of Darfur was condemned several years ago as a genocide in the making.
We all know that various United Nations bodies and committees and officials who are confronted with seemingly limitless tragedies, nonetheless declared Darfur as the worst humanitarian disaster confronting the world; the worst massive human rights.

So why are we here today; at least a year after a world concensus that the carnage in Darfur had to stop.

Why are we here today many months after former Prime Minsiter Martin declared protection of people in Darfur as a national priority.

Why are we here today after the previous government, with the active support of all our political parties pledged and actually delivered over 200 million in aid to the African Union to help with the peace?
We are here today because that 200 million, even though it was the largest single contribution of any nation, has been insufficient in stopping the murders, starvation rapes and homelessness. For a period of time we were cautiously optimistic that perhaps the the worst excesses would cease but any basis for optimism has now been crushed. The deaths appear to have doubled in the last year and the Sudanese regime seems intent on carrying the conflict over to Chad and over neighbouring regimes.

So why are we here? Why were the efforts of so many last year seemingly for naught?
The answer is clear. The money wasn’t enough, the will of the United Nations was not enough; the West has not demanded enough; the Chinese government, refuses to rein in a government from whom it buys huge amounts of oil, and the Russian government imposes no restraint on a regime which it supports militarily.

And the vast millions of people who are energized to take to the streets for any number of other causes and and issues have remained silent.
We are here today because we have all failed to do that which was necessary to give meaning to the post-Holocaust anti-genocidal cry for Never Again.
But at least we are here.

We are here in Vancouver, and in Toronto and in Washington D.C. and you will see media coverage especially of the Washington D.C. rally, because finally the American people have been aroused to take to the streets. If only the people in Russian and in China and in Europe could also be so provoked to take two hours of their day to call for a moratorium on the killing and the raping, we could stop this in a moment.

But at least we are rallying today, and the fact is that I ask the question why we are here today, because there were many advocates in Canada beginning several years ago which resulted in Canada taking a lead role in Darfur. And there continue to be many advocates. And even though it is depressing to have to be here after so much time has lapsed, you are here today; and that it is critical. Because while we have been too late for the 400,000 who have already perished, we are not to late for the next 400,000. And your presence and your voices can be heard in Ottawa. And just this last month, as we have all stepped up our advocacy, the voice is beginning to sound like a lion’s roar.

The Jewish community living in the shadow of our own genocide determined several years ago that we had to advocate long and hard for an end to the ethnic cleaning; the humans rights violations and indeed let us call it for what it is; the genocide in Darfur.

At the Victoria Legislature just this last Tuesday, we commemorated the Holocaust but we insisted that the Legislators wear green ribbons to bring awareness to Darfur. And indeed during the ceremonies and in the Legislature sitting Darfur was on the lips of all speakers. That in turn received coverage in our media. Let me read from one of the interviews.

And the green ribbon campaign which Canadian Jewish Congress took to the Ontario legislature and Parliament also precipitated an editorial in the Toronto Star this week demanding our government do more; and then an editorial in the Globe followed; and then there were statements in the various legislatures and Parliament not only about the horrors of the Holocaust; and the strength and resilience of the survivors but of the necessity to demand an end to the mass killings in Darfur. And so there will be a discussion in the House this week.

And so as well there is a buildup political activity through the efforts of so many such that I was pleased this morning to read the following in the Province.

Yes we should not be here today; our advocacy should have succeeded a year ago, but it did not not and so we are here again; and this time there is a greater anxiety in the world as the numbers increase and this time perhaps this time all of the efforts will succeed. And your presence here today are part of those efforts; and for that we thank you for taking time to be here; and we thank you for the petition you will sign and the letters you will write; we thank you for raising the issue in your mosques and your churches and your synagogues and we thank you for phoning your Members of parliament to demand that Canada continue to play a lead role and that this government clarify precisely what it intends to do with its Sudanese policy.

We must combine a knowledge of what we have done; what we can do with the fact that other nations must play their part as well; we have been too silent in demanding that Russia and China reign in their client state; The Russian people and the Chinese people know well horrific suffering; they have ancient moral teachings and we have no reason to believe that their leadership wants to see unecessary suffering; the oil can still flow to China without the devastation of milllions of people. The arms can still be sold but need not be used on millions of innocents.

I want to thank the organizers of today's rally and specifically our good friend Clement Aapak who has worked with Canadian Jewish congress staff on various projects over this year. Clement came with us to Victoria to mark Holocaust Remembrance day and has distinguished himself as a steady and constant and often frustrated voice to raise awareness for the people of Darfur. His colleagues and friends in his organization who have helped with this day are very dear to us and on behalf of all of us thank you.

Let me conclude in recognizing two other British Columbians who are not not here but who have worked tirelessly for the people of Darfur. Nouri Abdalla of the Darfur Association has been in Abuja for the peace talks. If he were here today he would be speaking but he sends his regards and is hopeful for a breakthrough in the peace talks and urges us all to keep advocating.

Senator Mobina Jaffer was the former Special Envoy to Sudan. She travelled on numerous occasions to Sudan and to the peace talks and was a highly respected voice in Africa for her work in bringing more women into the peace process and raising the Canadian profile as a moral force in the region.

We owe her a great debt gratitude for what she has done on our behalf for several years.

Thank you friends."