Submission by the
German Candian Congress

German Canadian Congress

Deutschkanadischer Kongress
Congrès Allemand-Canadien

Submission
by the
German – Canadian Congress
on behalf of the
German–Canadian Community
concerning the operating rules and procedures for the
Canadian Museum for Human Rights

Waterloo, December 1^st , 2009

It is very important to the German Canadian Congress that the Museum for Human Rights will be inclusive and equitable in its treatment of the subject. It must recognize that human suffering is equal to all people. No suffering by one group of people can be more important than the suffering of others. Only by recognizing that all suffering is equal can we teach Canadians about human rights. Failing to be equitable and inclusive would teach racism.

• The museum’s name and mission statement must be generic, equitable and inclusive.
  
  
• The museum will not promote or suggest that any one case of human suffering is greater than others and will not provide it with permanent strategic positioning, disproportionate display space or any other devices to get more attention by visitors.
  
  
• The museum’s displays, funding and support for research and publication should be more heavily founded towards lesser known human rights abuses and genocides. It is especially important to give recognition to the historically marginalized groups so that they can be fully recognized, documented and shown to Canadians.
  
  
• The museum’s governance, its board of directors, officers and staff must reflect the demographic diversity of Canada’s people.
  
  
• The museum must operate independent of any corporations and institutions except the government of Canada.
  

Sixty years ago, the Second World War caused the greatest suffering of the 20^th century. 50 million people died in this horrible war.

A Human Rights Museum has an important role to play, to stimulate questions in search of greater understanding.

Is there a collective guilt for Germans for starting the war? Or is there a collective guilt for the East Europeans, for the ethnic cleansing of the Germans from their former homelands? The answer to both questions is no. Collective guilt is unhistorical, inhumane and unjust.