Canada

The Temple of Athena Parthenos on the Acropolis of Athens is the symbol of the Golden Age of Greece and of the ideal of democracy. It is an integral part of the identity of the modern Greek nation and a monument of world-wide significance. Several of its sculptures were removed by Lord Elgin in 1801 without the consent of the Greek people and are now housed in the British Museum in London.
In 1982 Greece petitioned the British Government for the return of these sculptures. Since then, this petition has received a great deal of public support around the world, which led to the creation of a British, a US, and an Australian Committee for the Restitution of the Marbles.
The recently formed Canadian Committee seeks to raise public awareness and provide support to the cause of the return of the Parthenon Marbles to Greece. The Committee was established as a result of the Canadian concern for the protection of world cultural heritage. Our aim is to assist in the return of the Marbles to Athens in time for the 2004 Olympic Games.

Structure of the Committee
In order to accommodate the large number of Canadians who have expressed an interest in supporting actively the Restitution of the Parthenon Marbles, the Committee is being structured as follows:

The Board
The Board of the Committee will consist of the founding members of the Committee (see list at the end). The Board executives are: The Honourable Senator Shirley Maheu (Chair); The Honourable Steven Ashton, Minister of Highways and Government Services, Government of Manitoba (Secretary); and Prof. Michael B. Cosmopoulos, Department of Classics and Director, Centre for Hellenic Civilization, University of Manitoba (Coordinator).

Honorary Members
Distinguished Canadians from the spheres of politics, letters, arts, and science.

Members at Large
Any Canadian citizen supporting the cause and objectives of the Committee.

Campaign to collect 100,000 signatures
In response to intense support by the Canadian public for the return of the Marbles, the Committee is launching a drive to collect 100,000 signatures of Canadians supporting this cause. This campaign will be launched on May 7 and will be followed by events across Canada.

Committee website
The website of the Committee is now up and running. Please visit us at www.parthenoncanada.org

Committee Members
Mrs. Eleni Bakopanos, Member of Parliament for Ahuntsic and Assistant Deputy Chairman of Committees of the Whole of the House of Commons
Professor Jacques Bouchard, Études Néo-Helléniques, Université de Montréal and McGill University
Mr. John Cannis, Member of Parliament for Scarborough-Centre and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Industry Canada
Professor André Gerolymatos, Chair of Hellenic Studies, Simon Fraser University
Professor George Karlis, Department of Leisure Studies, University of Ottawa
Mr. Jim Karygiannis, Member of Parliament for Scarborough--Agincourt
Professor Ross Kilpatrick, Department of Classics, Queen's University
Dr. Ted McWhinney, Président de l'Institut de Droit International
Professor Nikos Metallinos, Department of Communication Studies, Concordia University
Professor Jacques Y. Perreault, Centre d' Études Classiques, Université de Montréal
Professor Thomas M. Robinson, Department of Philosophy, University of Toronto
Professor Hector Williams, Department of Classical, Religious, and Near Eastern Studies, University of British Columbia

For More information please contact the Coordinator of the Committee:
Professor Michael B. Cosmopoulos, Director,
Centre for Hellenic Civilization
University of Manitoba
Winnipeg, MB. R3T 2M8, Fax (204) 474-7684