the Armenian Genocide
Canada’s Humanitarian Response to the Armenian Genocide
From Relief to Recognition
During the Armenian Genocide of 1915–1923, Canadians were among those who responded with compassion, urgency, and action.
Though Canada was still a dominion under the British Empire at the time and did not have formal diplomatic ties to the Ottoman Empire, Canadian citizens, churches, and humanitarian organizations played a critical role in the global relief movement for Armenian survivors. These efforts laid the groundwork for the enduring connection between Canada and the Armenian people.
Canadian Participation in the Near East Relief Movement
In the years following the initial massacres, Canadian missionaries and faith-based groups became active participants in the massive international humanitarian effort led by the American Committee for Relief in the Near East (ACRNE), later known as Near East Relief. Canadians helped raise funds, collect supplies, and spread awareness of the atrocities being committed against Armenians, Assyrians, and Greeks.
Canadian churches—particularly Presbyterian and Congregationalist communities—organized donation drives to provide food, clothing, and medical aid to Armenian refugees. These efforts were often carried out in collaboration with American and European allies, as well as with Armenian diaspora communities already present in North America.
The Canadian public responded with empathy. Newspapers across the country reported on the massacres, death marches, and suffering of Armenians in graphic detail. These stories moved ordinary Canadians to contribute to what would become one of the largest relief efforts in early 20th-century history.
Missionaries and Witnesses
Some Canadian missionaries and aid workers served on the ground in the Ottoman Empire and surrounding regions, witnessing the atrocities firsthand. In provinces like Harput (Kharpert), Urfa, and Aleppo—epicenters of the Genocide—missionaries provided firsthand accounts of mass killings, deportations, and starvation.
These individuals became eyewitnesses and recorders of history, helping ensure that the Armenian Genocide would not be lost to silence or denial. Their testimonies, letters, and reports were often sent back to churches and newspapers in Canada, where they galvanized further humanitarian support.
Rescuing the Orphans
Among the most heartbreaking outcomes of the Genocide was the massive number of orphaned Armenian children left in the deserts of Syria and Mesopotamia. Canadian aid, funneled through Near East Relief and other Christian organizations, helped rescue, feed, and shelter thousands of these children.
In some cases, Canadian families even adopted Armenian orphans, offering them a new life and preserving their identity in exile. These adoptions contributed to the foundation of Armenian-Canadian communities in the decades that followed.
The Georgetown Boys: Canada’s First Refugee Resettlement
One of the most remarkable and enduring examples of Canada’s humanitarian response came in the form of the Georgetown Boys program—widely regarded as Canada’s first international refugee resettlement initiative. In 1923, over 100 Armenian orphans were brought to Georgetown, Ontario, where they were housed on a farm school and given an education and vocational training.
These children, all Genocide survivors, were taken in by the Armenian Relief Association of Canada with support from churches and private citizens. While their experiences were not without hardship, the Georgetown Boys grew up to become part of the early foundation of the Armenian-Canadian community.
Their story is a rare instance of post-Genocide compassion translated into long-term resettlement—a living legacy of Canadian humanitarianism.
A Legacy of Compassion
Though Canada’s involvement during the Genocide was limited to the civil sphere due to its colonial status, the humanitarian legacy of Canadians during this dark chapter of history remains significant. The collective efforts of Canadian churches, newspapers, and citizens demonstrated early moral leadership and compassion in the face of genocide.
These efforts formed a moral precedent that would later influence Canada’s approach to international human rights, genocide prevention, and refugee support.
Official Recognition in 2004
On April 21, 2004, nearly 90 years after the Genocide began, the House of Commons of Canada officially recognized the Armenian Genocide. In doing so, Canada affirmed its commitment to truth, historical justice, and the dignity of survivors and their descendants.
This recognition marked a formal acknowledgment of the very crimes Canadian missionaries, aid workers, and citizens had witnessed and tried to alleviate in 1915. It was not just a political statement, but a tribute to the over 1.5 million Armenians who were murdered, and to those Canadians who stood on the right side of history when it mattered most.