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Prime Minister Mark Carney says Holocaust Remembrance Day is a moment to remember the consequences of ignorance and hatred.
Speaking on Tuesday in front of the National Holocaust Memorial in Ottawa to mark the day, Carney said Canada was complicit in the murder of millions of Jewish people during the Second World War due to its silence.
He said the history must be remembered to ensure it is never repeated.
“The liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau exposed the scale of Nazi crimes to the world and became symbols of the horrors of the Holocaust, the guilt of the enablers and the resilience of the survivors,” Carney said.
“Today, we acknowledge that looking away is not a passive act, but an act of betrayal.”
Prime Minister Mark Carney delivered a speech at the National Holocaust Monument in Ottawa for International Holocaust Remembrance Day on Tuesday. ‘Canada too has our history of turning away; we must remember that history to ensure that we never repeat it,’ Carney said.
Holocaust Remembrance Day was created by the United Nations in 2005 to remember the millions of lives lost under the Nazi regime.
Carney said Canadians have a responsibility to reflect and act on the lessons of that period and support the survivors and their families who continue to live with the fallout.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, speaking after Carney, said antisemitism is on the rise in Canada and around the world, and is spreading through educational institutions.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre spoke on Tuesday at the International Holocaust Remembrance Day event at the Holocaust Memorial in Ottawa. ‘We must stand up for the right of Jews to live safely, peacefully and openly,’ Poilievre said.
“We must stand up for the right of Jews to live safely, peacefully and openly with the Star of David on their chest, with a mezuzah on the door, with a kippah on their heads, proudly proclaiming their Judaism and celebrating who they are as both Canadians and Jews,” Poilievre said.
“When we do that, and when every single Jew feels safe and accepted in this country, then and only then will we have lived up to our oath — never again.”
