Statement on International Holocaust Remembrance Day

January 27, 2023 – Ottawa, Ontario – Global Affairs Canada

The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and the Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion, today issued the following statement:

“Today, 78 years after the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp, we remember the millions of people who were viciously murdered in the Holocaust. We think of those who survived and who live with terrible burdens of memory and loss. We honour them by remembering and recounting this horrific chapter in our history, ensuring that it will never happen again.

“More than six million Jewish men, women and children were persecuted and killed by the Nazi regime between 1933 and 1945; hundreds of thousands of Romani and Sinti and many others also met the same fate. It is up to each of us to learn about these terrible crimes against humanity, to challenge Holocaust denial and distortion, and to dispel the myths that fuel antisemitism and hatred.

“Canada condemns the alarming rise in antisemitism at home and abroad. Last year, at the Malmö International Forum on Holocaust Remembrance and Combating Antisemitism, Canada pledged to resist this insidious form of hatred and to protect at-risk communities. We pledged to continue to promote Holocaust awareness, remembrance and research by continuing to support the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance and promoting its working definition of antisemitism. While we have made some significant progress, much more work remains to be done.

“We all have a role to play. We urge Canadians to take the time to read or listen to stories from survivors, and learn about this horrific moment in history. We urge you to reflect and never forget the utter inhumanity of the Holocaust and how it came to pass. It is by learning that we will resist hatred and prevent future crimes against humanity.”