History of Canada and the Holocaust

While Canada did not directly experience the Holocaust, it was impacted in many ways by the tragedy. Canada's restrictive immigration policies at the time largely closed the door on Jews who were desperately seeking safety and refuge from persecution at the hands of the Nazis.  This included more than 900 Jewish passengers of the M.S. St. Louis, who were refused entry into Canada, and were forced to return to Europe. Subsequently, when the Nazis invaded Belgium, France, and the Netherlands in 1940, more than 250 of the passengers who were denied entry were murdered in the Holocaust. Additionally, many Canadians lost relatives, loved ones and friends in Nazi death camps.

As a result of Canada's wartime policies, nearly 2,300 men were interned as "enemy aliens" in camps across the country between 1940 and 1943. These were mostly Jewish refugees from Austria and Germany.

The Canadian experience of the Holocaust was also one of resilience and hope. In April 1945, Canadian forces liberated the Westerbork Transit Camp in the Netherlands, including 900 Dutch Jews who were still interned there.

As a nation, Canada has also been profoundly shaped by approximately 40,000 Holocaust survivors, who resettled across the country after the war. Today, Canadians remember the Holocaust, commemorate its victims, and renew the commitment to fight against racism, discrimination and antisemitism.