The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, at present issued the next assertion on Worldwide Holocaust Remembrance Day:

“At this time, on Worldwide Holocaust Remembrance Day, I be part of Canadians in honouring the reminiscence of the greater than six million Jews who have been murdered through the Holocaust. We bear in mind the numerous Roma and Sinti, individuals with disabilities, 2SLGBTQI+ individuals, Black individuals, Slavic individuals, political opponents, and Jehovah’s Witnesses who have been additionally persecuted and killed by the Nazis and their collaborators. We additionally honour the survivors and the individuals who gave their very own lives to save lots of the lives of others through the Holocaust.

“Every January 27, on the anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Focus Camp in 1945, we come collectively to vow ‘by no means once more.’ That day, and within the weeks that adopted, the world noticed the true scale of the mass homicide, systemic hunger, and genocide that occurred. In 2023, the Holocaust appears more and more distant, so listening to and studying from survivors’ tales is now extra necessary than ever. With the disturbing rise of antisemitism in our communities, we should uphold our collective duty to talk up towards hatred and discrimination – wherever and each time it happens.

“Merely saying ‘by no means once more’ shouldn’t be sufficient. We should additionally take concrete motion to fight the discrimination, hateful rhetoric, and racism that Jewish individuals and others proceed to face. That’s why, final 12 months, the Authorities of Canada criminalized the willful promotion of antisemitism by denying, condoning, or downplaying the Holocaust. We supplied historic funding to strengthen Holocaust remembrance, together with by supporting the development of a brand new Holocaust museum in Montréal, the creation of the Toronto Holocaust Museum, and the Jewish Neighborhood Centre of Better Vancouver’s redevelopment undertaking, which can embrace a brand new dwelling for the Vancouver Holocaust Schooling Centre. Canada’s Particular Envoy on Preserving Holocaust Remembrance and Combatting Antisemitism, the Honourable Irwin Cotler, continues to advance our work on combatting antisemitism and all types of racial discrimination and on preserving the reminiscence of the Holocaust – each at dwelling and overseas.

“This 12 months’s United Nations theme for Worldwide Holocaust Remembrance Day – House and Belonging – invitations us to discover and mirror on how victims and survivors of the Holocaust have been pressured to regulate their concept of belonging. Many discovered a house in Canada and cast sturdy communities right here which have helped form Canada into the sturdy and various nation we all know at present.

“As we mirror on the atrocities of the Holocaust, we renew our dedication to honour the reminiscence of the Shoah, and to proceed to study from the horrors of the previous. At this time, we are saying ‘by no means once more,’ and we reaffirm our shared duty to do all the things we are able to to fight hatred, antisemitism, and discrimination in all its types.”