British Columbia Squamish Nation Activist Pledges Solidarity with the People of Artsakh

On March 16, Armenian National Committee of Canada Western Region (ANCC-WR) representatives met with Shadae Johnson, British Columbia Squamish Nation activist and Cultural Attaché in Vancouver. ANCC Representatives Vahe Andonian, Meghrig Sulahian-Chapanian and Sevan Agopian briefed Mrs. Johnson on Armenian history, encompassing the 1915 Armenian Genocide and Azerbaijani atrocities against Armenians in Sumgayit and in Artsakh. Mrs. Johnson expressed shock at the ongoing atrocities against Armenians, particularly the forced deportation of 150,000 indigenous Armenians from their ancestral lands and homes. Empathizing deeply, she remarked, ‘I feel your pain. What’s happening to your nation in Artsakh is not much different from what happened to us.’ Mrs. Johnson pledged solidarity with ANCC and the people of Artsakh, promising to raise awareness nationwide about their plight among her community in Canada.

Shadae Rose Johnson is Vancouver Art Gallery’s Community Relations Coordinator of Indigenous Programs. The Squamish Nation is a First Nations government of the Squamish people. The Squamish Nation government includes an elected council and an administrative body based primarily in West Vancouver, North Vancouver, and Squamish, BC. Archaeological evidence shows the squamish indigenous people have lived in British Columbia for more than a thousand years.