About Preserving Holocaust remembrance and combatting antisemitism

The Government of Canada is committed to reinforcing and strengthening Canada’s efforts to advance Holocaust education, remembrance and research, and to combat antisemitism. These are key elements of the promotion and protection of human rights at home and abroad. Canada’s Special Envoy on Preserving Holocaust Remembrance and Combatting Antisemitism plays a critical role in advancing efforts to combat antisemitism here in Canada and internationally and to preserve Holocaust remembrance. This includes leading the Government of Canada’s delegation to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA).

The Holocaust, or “Shoah” in Hebrew, was the systematic, state-sponsored persecution and murder of six million European Jews by the Nazi German regime and its allies and collaborators. The Holocaust was an evolving process that took place throughout Europe between 1933 and 1945. It was an unprecedented genocide perpetrated by the Nazi regime with the aim of annihilating all Jewish people. During the Holocaust, more than 6 million Jews – or approximately two-thirds of Europe’s Jewish population – were murdered. The Nazis also targeted the Roma and Sinti populations, people with disabilities, political dissidents, and gay or bisexual men.

The history of the Holocaust highlights the mass atrocity and genocide that can happen when hatred and discrimination are normalized. This is why Canada is unwavering in its commitment to combat antisemitism, hatred, and racism here and around the world. Holocaust remembrance, education and awareness are needed to help stop the rise of discrimination and authoritarianism worldwide. With the alarming surge of Holocaust denial and distortion both online and offline, it is essential to preserve the memory of the Holocaust and to educate younger generations. This duty is particularly important now as we are losing the last generation of Holocaust survivors – the primary witnesses of the atrocities of World War II.

Canada’s efforts to combat antisemitism and preserve the memory of the Holocaust are rooted in our commitment to:

• protect human rights
• defend democracy
• advance inclusive public policy
• promote respect for diversity at home and abroad

The Government of Canada is committed to stand against antisemitism and all forms of hatred and discrimination as we promote and protect human rights globally. One way we act on this commitment is through our bilateral relationships and multilateral engagement at the:

• United Nations
• Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
• Organization of American States
• International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance

We know that antisemitism is not a problem for Jewish communities to solve alone – it is a global challenge that all of us must take on.