The Network of Azerbaijani Canadians (NAC, french: Réseau des Canadiens Azerbaïdjanais, az, Kanadalı Azərbaycanlılar Şəbəkəsi) is a fully community-funded and the largest grassroots Azerbaijani advocacy organization in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. Founded in 2020, the organization advocates on behalf of

Azerbaijani Canadians Azerbaijani Canadians ( az, Kanadalı azərbaycanlılar) are Canadians, Canadian citizens and permanent residents of ethnic Azerbaijani people, Azerbaijani background, or those who were born in Azerbaijan. Most Azerbaijani-Canadians have immigrate ...

in matters of public policy. The organization is based in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

; board members and organization members are spread across Canada including

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...

Calgary Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

and

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

. The Network of Azerbaijani Canadians is a registered non-profit and managed by its board of directors.

History

The Network of Azerbaijani Canadians was founded in September 2020. The organization's foundation was motivated by the desire of members of the Azerbaijani community in Canada to create a platform for representation and increase political awareness within Canada of the Second Karabakh War. The NAC sought to raise public awareness about displaced Azerbaijanis that took place during the Nagorno Karabakh conflict in the late 1980s and the early 1990s. The NAC also urged the Prime Minister of Canada –

Justin Trudeau Justin Pierre James Trudeau ( , ; born December 25, 1971) is a Canadian politician who is the 23rd and current prime minister of Canada. He has served as the prime minister of Canada since 2015 and as the leader of the Liberal Party since 2 ...

- and

Global Affairs Canada Global Affairs Canada (GAC; french: Affaires mondiales Canada; AMC)''Global Affairs Canada'' is the applied title under the Federal Identity Program; the legal title is Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development (). is the department ...

to condemn Armenia's actions following the 2020 Barda missile attacks.

Advocacy initiatives

The organization seeks to strengthen Canada–Azerbaijan relations. With regard to the recent conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia, the organization advocates the signing of a peace agreement between the two countries. Following the 2020 war, the NAC Executive team worked to activate the Azerbaijani Canadian community to become more politically involved. It encouraged the community to engage more actively in electoral district issues and MP campaigns during the

2021 Canadian federal election The 2021 Canadian federal election was held on September 20, 2021, to elect members of the House of Commons to the 44th Canadian Parliament. The writs of election were issued by Governor General Mary Simon on August 15, 2021, when Prime Minist ...

and organizing meetings with Canadian government officials. Some of the recent initiatives of NAC included calling for the de-mining of the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan and Canada's support to this end. NAC also seeks to draw attention to the 1992 Khojaly Massacre. NAC filed a petition (e-3780) to the Government of Canada in January 2022. In a response by the

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada The Minister of Foreign Affairs (french: Ministre des Affaires étrangères) is the minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who is responsible for overseeing the Government of Canada's international relations and is the lead minister resp ...

signed by MP Rob Oliphant, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister, the Government of Canada reaffirmed Canada's recognition of all UN Security Council resolutions on Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders. The members of NAC's Board of Directors have held meetings at high level with the members of

Cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filing ...

on numerous occasions to inform the Ministers on the matters and initiatives the Azerbaijani Canadians stand for. On November 8, 2021 and November 9, 2022, the colours of the

Flag of Azerbaijan The national flag of Azerbaijan ( az, Azərbaycan bayrağı), often referred to in Azerbaijani as ( en, Tricolour flag), is a horizontal tricolour that features three equally sized bars of bright blue, red, and green; a white crescent; and ...

were projected on Niagara Falls on the initiative of NAC. On November 10, 2022, the organization brought together the leaders of Jewish and Azerbaijani communities in Canada joined by the distinguished members of Canada's parliament to celebrate Azerbaijan's Jewish heritage.{{Cite web , last=Lazerte , first=Stephanie , date=November 12, 2022 , title=In Canada, an Azerbaijani Jewish Heritage Event Underlines Hope for Interfaith Dialogue , url=https://caspianpost.com/en/post/news/world/in-canada-an-azerbaijani-jewish-heritage-event-underlines-hope-for-interfaith-dialogue , access-date=2022-11-13 , website=In Canada, an Azerbaijani Jewish Heritage Event Underlines Hope for Interfaith Dialogue , language=en

References

{{reflist Political advocacy groups in Canada Azerbaijan–Canada relations 2020 establishments in Canada Non-profit organizations based in Toronto 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war