Canada’s Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, issued a statement on Yom HaShoah, also known as Holocaust Remembrance Day, expressing solidarity with Jewish communities in Canada and around the world as they mourn the six million Jews who were systematically murdered during the Holocaust. He also emphasized the importance of honoring the courage and resilience of Holocaust survivors and combatting antisemitism in all its forms.
In his statement, Prime Minister Trudeau acknowledged that survivors of the Shoah, many of whom chose Canada as their new home, have played a vital role in building the diverse and inclusive country that Canada is today. He highlighted the collective responsibility to ensure that the atrocities of the Holocaust are never forgotten and never repeated, including through Holocaust education, remembrance, and research.
However, Prime Minister Trudeau also noted with concern the disturbing rise in acts of antisemitism, including online hate and disinformation, targeting Jewish communities in Canada and around the world. He declared this unacceptable and reiterated the Government of Canada’s commitment to countering all forms of antisemitism, intolerance, and hatred.
The Holocaust can too often feel like an event of the past. But the antisemitism that led to it is, unacceptably, still very present. At the National Holocaust Memorial, we marked Yom HaShoah and recommitted to condemning and combatting this hate whenever and wherever we see it. pic.twitter.com/iWYguELDeZ
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) April 18, 2023Prime Minister Trudeau outlined various measures taken by the Canadian government to combat antisemitism, including providing new funding for Holocaust education and the creation of new Holocaust museums in Montréal and Toronto, as well as amending Canada’s Criminal Code to make it a crime to promote antisemitism by condoning, denying, or downplaying the Holocaust. He also mentioned the upcoming introduction of a new National Action Plan on Combatting Hate, which includes an enhanced and expanded Communities at Risk: Security Infrastructure Program to ensure the safety and respect of all Canadians.
Furthermore, Prime Minister Trudeau emphasized Canada’s efforts on the international stage to combat antisemitism, including pledging to promote Holocaust remembrance and combat antisemitism at the Malmö International Forum in 2021. He mentioned Canada’s increased annual contribution to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance and its promotion of the Alliance’s working definition of antisemitism as a tool to combat antisemitic attitudes and behaviors worldwide.
Prime Minister Trudeau called on all Canadians to pay tribute to the victims and survivors of the Holocaust, listen to and learn from their stories, and join in vowing “never again.” He encouraged Canadians to participate in Yom HaShoah ceremonies held in schools, synagogues, and community centers across the country. He concluded by expressing his commitment to building a better, fairer, and more inclusive country together with all Canadians.
