Ontario to mandate lessons on Holodomor Ukrainian famine in Grade 10 history course

TORONTO — Grade 10 students in Ontario will get mandatory education on the Holodomor famine in Ukraine and its impact on the community in Canada as part of their Canadian history course.

Ontario Education Minister Stephen Lecce says the rise of extremism, including communism and Marxism, are direct threats to democracy, social cohesion and Canadian values.

The curriculum addition will take effect in September 2025 and the government says it will outline how the Holodomor “was a result of totalitarian policies of the communist Soviet Union leading to a man-made famine in Ukraine that killed millions of Ukrainians between 1932 to 1933.”

Lecce says teaching students about that part of history will ensure they learn about the adverse consequences of extreme political ideologies.

He says the famine was an act of genocide and Canadians have a duty to remember it.

Ontario is also giving $400,000 to the Canada-Ukraine Foundation to support a Holodomor national awareness tour and a recreational vehicle that is outfitted with interactive, hands-on lessons about the Holodomor.