January 27, 2021 - Ottawa, Ontario - Global Affairs Canada
The Honourable Marc Garneau, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today issued the following statement:
“Today, we honour the more than 6 million Jews who were brutally murdered by the Nazi regime and its collaborators. We honour the countless Romani; members of the LGBTQ2I community; persons with disabilities; and political dissidents who were persecuted and killed, as well as all those who stood against the Nazi atrocities.
“The Shoah was a period of monstrous injustice and human suffering that mercifully came to an end with the end of the Second World War. But we know that the scourge of antisemitism is still with us today.
“Last November, the Prime Minister named Irwin Cotler as Canada’s special envoy on preserving Holocaust remembrance and combatting antisemitism. Mr. Cotler’s mandate underscores the fact that remembering past horrors is a critically important part of resisting atrocities today and in the future. In this role, Mr. Cotler leads Canada’s delegation to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) and will work with IHRA partner countries to strengthen and promote Holocaust education, remembrance and research in Canada and around the world.
“Today, Canada is announcing $2 million in funding to support a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization initiative to prevent genocide. Delivered in conjunction with the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, this initiative addresses the rise of antisemitism and other forms of hate and discrimination through education and intercultural dialogue.
“Canada is committed to the promotion and protection of human rights at home and abroad. On this important day, we remember and stand with the victims of the Holocaust and with all who strive for justice, human rights and dignity.”
Syrine Khoury
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs
[email protected]
Media Relations Office
Global Affairs Canada
343-203-7700
[email protected]
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