Keghart
Staff, March 2016
With a successful year under its belt, the Armenian Canadian Conservative Association (ACCA) held its first general annual meeting in Toronto on March 10 
to celebrate its maiden year, elect a new board and plan its next 12 months.
“I am pleased to say that within the brief time of its existence the ACCA has made many inroads and achieved great success,” said the Chairman Vatche Demirdjian. “Our politician friends and various community organizations have highly praised the association’s unique and creative plans. We are confident that with your support we will be able to break new ground to further advance the cause of our association with the Conservative Party of Canada and the Armenian community,” he added.
Staff, March 2016
With a successful year under its belt, the Armenian Canadian Conservative Association (ACCA) held its first general annual meeting in Toronto on March 10 to celebrate its maiden year, elect a new board and plan its next 12 months.
“I am pleased to say that within the brief time of its existence the ACCA has made many inroads and achieved great success,” said the Chairman Vatche Demirdjian. “Our politician friends and various community organizations have highly praised the association’s unique and creative plans. We are confident that with your support we will be able to break new ground to further advance the cause of our association with the Conservative Party of Canada and the Armenian community,” he added.
Demirdjian said that a paramount goal of the association is to attract young people so that they may become active in politics and productive members of Canadian civil society.
In its mission statement the ACCA has deplored the local political situation before its founding when the Armenian political arena had been “monopolized by a handful of individuals.”
The core mission of the ACCA is to support family values and promote fiscal responsibility in addition to advancing Armenian interests. According to an ACCA new release, since its inception in Nov. 2014, it has increased its membership by nearly 35%.
In the past year the Toronto-based political association has attended at least three gatherings where the prime minister of Canada made major policy statements. During last October’s federal elections the ACCA assisted 17 Conservative Party candidates, including such political heavyweights as MPs Peter Kent, Harold Albrecht, and Brad Butt. And in the weeks leading to the federal elections, the ACCA organized two fundraisers which netted $35,000. Minister of National Defense Jason Kenny was a keynote speaker at one of the fundraisers.
In the past six months ACCA members have also helped Syrian-Armenian refugees settle in Toronto. Members have located accommodation for the newcomers and provided them with access to free furniture, employment advice and information about various federal and provincial services.
Looking forward, the association sees a busy 18 months as the Conservative Party of Canada prepares to elect a new leader. The association will also participate in the campaign to elect Official Opposition leader Patrick Brown as premier of Ontario.
The general annual meeting was attended by Cozette Giannini, adviser to the office of the opposition leader. She extended Mr. Brown’s greetings and well-wishes to the association. The meeting was also attended by former MP Joe Daniel, Majed el Shafie, founder and president of One Free World International, and other political dignitaries.
The speakers praised the association’s contributions and the value they have brought to enrich Toronto, the Armenian community’s political activities and the humanitarian contribution to the resettlement of Syrian-Armenian refugees.
Elected–by acclamation–to the board were Salpy Azadian, Razmig Hairabedian, Meghri Hajinian, Sevan Hajinian, Arbi Haroutunian, Patil Imasdounian, Vartan Kasbarian, Saro Khachadourian, and Mike Shahinian.
Outgoing vice-chair Sevan Hajinian acted as master of ceremonies of the meeting.
Following the meeting, a reception was held to celebrate a successful year and to welcome Armenians from Syria to Toronto.
Keghart
Keghart
Keghart
1 comment
Leeches of the Toronto Armenian Commuinty
Kudos to the Association members for their vision and courage to break the monopoly of handful of people who took the Toronto Armenian community hostage in the past decade and used its name to advance their own personal financial and political agenda and clout. Our community needs more of such independent voices so as to return to its glory days where cooperation and solidarity was the norm and the interest of our community was the priority. It is enlightened and patriotic organizations such as the Association which will put an end to the practice of maligning the name and the reputation of organizations and fine individuals who have dedicated their lives to serving our people.
I wish other community organizations will stand by the Association and cooperate with it to turf out these leeches and return the community to its rightful owners. It is futile to sit in closed rooms and complain about the "leaders" who have taken over through undemocratic means. It is time to stand up to the "mafia" of four or five families and take back our community.
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