We were deeply saddened to learn that a dear friend of the NAJC and a former member of the National Redress Coalition – Alan Borovoy – has passed away at the age of 83. Alan served as General Council of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association from 1968 to 2009.
The support of Alan Borovoy, Irving Abella and other Canadians helped to broaden the campaign of Redress for Japanese Canadians into a legal and human rights issue for all Canadians.
Those of us who participated in the march to Parliament Hill on April 14th, 1988 will never forget the inspirational speech made by Alan inside the West Block of Parliament Hill that day:
“We know that we cannot adequately guarantee tomorrow, but we do want to do whatever we can do. That’s why you have our support. Because it’s the only way we know how to say to ourselves, to say to you, to say to each other, to say to posterity, Never again, never again. This will bloody well never happen again!” (pg. 255, “Japanese Canadian Redress: The Toronto Story”, 2000)
Alan, your service in defending Canadian civil liberties and your contribution to the Japanese Canadian Redress movement will not be forgotten by us.
