Garry Breitkreuz, MP

OP-ED COLUMN

Week of January 26, 2015

Remembering the Victims of the Holocaust

By Garry Breitkreuz, M.P.
Yorkton-Melville

Seventy years ago, on January 27, 1945, Allied troops liberated the largest of the Nazi death camps, Auschwitz-Birkenau, witnessing firsthand the horrors of the Nazi regime’s brutal inhumanity. The anniversary of this occasion has been adopted around the world as the International Day of Commemoration to honour the victims of the Holocaust.

This year marks the 70th anniversary of that liberation. In that time, Canada and others in the global community have taken great strides to stamp out anti-Semitism, prejudice and hatred. However, the only way to make certain the terrible events of the Holocaust never happen again is to ensure they are never forgotten.

In 2005, the United Nations General Assembly designated January 27—the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau—as International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

This global day commemorating the millions of men, women, and children, who suffered, died and lost loved ones is crucial to that goal, and this 70th Anniversary year brings new recognition and ways for each of us to remember and resolve “Never again”.

Hand in hand with events of remembrance comes the need to remain proactive in our communities year-round. Our Government is supporting new innovative learning tools to help educators promote Holocaust remembrance and education.

For example, we supported the International Holocaust Remembrance Day Virtual Classroom. This innovative live webcast (still accessible on YouTube), in collaboration with the National Film Board of Canada, allowed educators of students from Grades 9 – 12 to interact with Holocaust experts remotely. In their own classrooms students received vital Holocaust-related lessons on human rights, racism, genocide, democratic values and citizenship.

We are also working globally to help stamp out anti-Semitism and bigotry. In 2009, Canada joined the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA). In 2011, we were the first country to sign the Ottawa Protocol on Combating Anti-Semitism, an international action plan to help nations measure their progress in the fight against anti-Semitism.

Our Government’s continued support for the State of Israel—the only democracy in the Middle East – is important and central to the goal of fighting anti-Semitism. We will continue to stand in solidarity with Israel, as we remain committed to promoting Canadian values of freedom, democracy and rule of law at home and abroad.

“The unique horror of the Holocaust was a dark stain in history,” commented Chris Alexander, Canada’s Citizenship and Immigration Minister, adding “we must never succumb to indifference through the passage of time. Our government is committed to combating anti-Semitism in all its forms, wherever it exists, and educating future generations about the evil and destructive effects of prejudice and hatred.”

Canada has been profoundly shaped by approximately 40,000 Holocaust survivors, who resettled across the country after World War II. Their stories have moved our nation. We must ensure one of the most heinous chapters in human history is never forgotten, and its mistakes never repeated. Together, we can do it.