Delargy tells Toronto Easter Rising event ‘diaspora can build pressure for unity’
Pádraig Delargy observed republicans in Canada can play a role in the campaign for a referendum on unity during an Easter Rising commemoration at the weekend.
The Foyle MLA was in Toronto where he addressed a Friends of Sinn Féin Canada event in the West Cork Irish Pub on Easter Sunday.
Mr. Delargy said Irish unity will not happen ‘by accident’.
In a keynote address he said the Good Friday Agreement provides a democratic pathway to reunification through referendums, north and south.
"That is where sovereignty lies - with the people. And while that decision belongs to the people of Ireland alone, Irish communities abroad - including here in Canada - remain part of our national story. Your engagement, your voice, and your solidarity matter.
"To achieve that unity we need the continued support of Irish communities around the world - the pressure on governments, on business, on civic society more broadly to build a positive and concerted momentum for change,” he said.
The MLA referred to the history of the diaspora in Canada.
“We can learn so much from the history of Irish emigration to Canada. A story which predates An Gorta Mór but one which often tells the story of Ireland’s difficulty,” he said.
Mr. Delargy continued: “We know too the vibrancy and the continuity of experience, of politics and of struggle that emigration brings particularly here in Toronto and across Canada.
"As increasing numbers of my generation move to Canada that too brings new opportunities. Opportunities to sustain and grow the role of republicanism in Canada demanding a referendum on the future of Ireland and carrying the flame for generations to come.”