Statement by the Prime Minister of Canada on Yom HaShoah
Ottawa, Ontario
Prime Minister Stephen Harper today issued the following statement on Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day:
“Yom HaShoah is a day to commemorate the nearly 6 million Jewish men, women and children who were slaughtered by the Nazis, and for the Jewish resistance during that period.
“On this day, which marks the 1945 liberation of the first Nazi concentration camp at Buchenwald, Germany, Canadians of all faiths stand united to remember the victims of the Holocaust and its survivors, and to renew our commitment to fight against intolerance, racism, discrimination and anti-Semitism.
“The heinous crimes of the Holocaust challenged the fundamental values that Canadians embrace: freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law, and we will continue to stand firmly against all those who challenge these principles.
“The lessons of the Holocaust must never be forgotten.”
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Minister Kenney issues statement on Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day
Ottawa – April 18, 2012 – The Honourable Jason Kenney, Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism, issued the following statement on Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day:
Yom HaShoah is a day of remembrance for the suffering and murder of millions of innocent Jewish men, women and children during the Second World War. For the Jewish community in Israel and around the world, today is a national memorial day, a day of commemoration, and a chance to reflect on the past and to pay tribute to the victims.
For all Canadians, days like this are an opportunity to learn about the Holocaust, to reflect on the pernicious effects of deep seeded hatred, and to remember the victims. The Holocaust is a crime that stands alone in human history for the scale of its horror and inhumanity. As such, it is crucial to ensure that this experience is never forgotten and that such atrocities never take place again.
In 2013, Canada will assume the role of Chair for the Task Force for International Cooperation on Holocaust Education, Remembrance and Research. I am proud of the leadership role that the Government of Canada is taking to ensure that future generations understand both the Holocaust and the roots of anti-Semitism and racism.
As Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism, I call on all Canadians to reject anti-Semitism, to educate oneself and others about the Holocaust, and to remember its victims.
Sincerely,
Hon. Jason Kenney, PC, MP
Calgary Southeast
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Statement from Official Opposition Leader Thomas Mulcair on Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day
Every year, we take a moment to remember and reflect on an inhuman genocide carried out by human beings.
The systematic planning and carrying out of the destruction of six million human lives is an unequalled tragedy in a century that saw far too many.
On Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, we are all called on to contemplate the truth of the genocide: the brutal murder of six million Jews simply because they were Jewish. Of six million women, men and children, in addition to the millions who were displaced and hunted just because they were Jewish.
Today, we remember, but we also must remember to act against intolerance, racism and hatred of any kind.
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Statement by Liberal Leader Bob Rae on Holocaust Remembrance Day
VAL-D’OR, QC- Liberal Leader Bob Rae made the following statement today on Holocaust Remembrance Day:
“Yom HasHoah is a day of deep reflection for Canada’s Jewish communities, and Jewish communities around the world. The atrocities of the Holocaust saw six million Jews systemically killed in what can only be described as one of our history’s darkest moments.
On Yom HasHoah, we reflect on the incomprehensible: the incomprehensible loss of life; the incomprehensible blind hatred; the incomprehensible magnitude of suffering. Our remembrance is an act of rejection of an evil that sought to extinguish an entire people’s history, an evil never to be forgotten.
On behalf of the Liberal Party of Canada and our Parliamentary Caucus, our thoughts and prayers are with all those observing Yom HasHoah.”
