Minister Bendayan announces funding for Holocaust remembrance initiatives across the country

“Eighty years ago, humanity witnessed one the darkest chapters in history with the murder of more than 6 million Jews during the Holocaust. We have a responsibility to never forget and to ensure that the events of the Holocaust are never repeated. As we see a rise in antisemitism today, we must be reminded that it is our responsibility to stand up for all Jewish communities. That is why we introduced the new National Holocaust Remembrance Program, which will support initiatives to preserve the memory of the Holocaust and teach Canadians how they can play an active role in combatting antisemitism.”

—The Honourable Kamal Khera, Minister of Diversity, Inclusion and Persons with Disabilities

• On January 27, 2025, the Right Honourable Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada, announced the first projects funded through the National Holocaust Remembrance Program. The projects announced represent more than $2 million in funding to continue to combat antisemitism, preserve Holocaust remembrance, and educate against Holocaust denialism and distortion in Canada and around the world.

• Antisemitism continues to rise in Canada. The terrorist attack by Hamas on Israel on October 7, 2023, and the ensuing Israel–Hamas conflict exacerbated the increasing rates of hate incidents against Jewish communities across the country. Hate crimes targeting Jewish people rose 71 percent from 2022 to 2023, according to July 2024 Statistics Canada data, making Jewish Canadians the most targeted group in Canada for hate crimes.

• Canada has the fourth-largest Jewish community in the world, following Israel, the United States and France. In the 2021 census, 335,000 Canadians identified as Jewish. As of December 2024, Canada’s Holocaust survivor population is roughly 9,800, one of the largest in the world.

• The Government of Canada’s efforts to build a safer, more inclusive society include the work of the Special Envoy on Preserving Holocaust Remembrance and Combatting Antisemitism. The position of Special Envoy was created in 2020 as part of the federal government’s commitment to strengthening national and international efforts to preserve the memory of the Holocaust and honour the stories of survivors.

• In October 2024, the Government of Canada released the Canadian Handbook on the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism. Using Canadian examples, the handbook serves as a tool to identify and address antisemitism.

• In 2022, the federal government amended Canada’s Criminal Code to make it a crime to willfully promote antisemitism by condoning, denying or downplaying the Holocaust.

Related products

• Backgrounder: Government of Canada supports Holocaust remembrance initiatives across Canada

Associated links

• National Holocaust Remembrance Program
• Canadian Handbook on the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism

For more information (media only), please contact:

Waleed Saleem
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Diversity, Inclusion and Persons with Disabilities
waleed.saleem@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca

Media Relations
Canadian Heritage
media@pch.gc.ca