PRAGUE, June 12, 2007 On behalf of the Government of Canada, the Honourable Jason Kenney, Secretary of State (Multiculturalism and Canadian Identity), today announced that Canada has taken the first step towards full membership in the Task Force for International Cooperation on Holocaust Education, Remembrance, and Research.
Secretary of State Kenney presented Canada's formal candidacy today at a plenary session of the Task Force in Prague, Czech Republic. Becoming a member of the Task Force is a multi-step process, progressing from Observer country, to Liaison country until ultimately qualifying for full membership. Today, the Task Force has accepted Canada as an Observer country.
"The Holocaust challenged in very fundamental ways the foundations of civilization," said Secretary of State Kenney. "With humanity still scarred by genocide, ethnic cleansing, racism and anti-Semitism, it is critical that we learn from this terrible era in our collective history and teach our children its lessons."
The Task Force for International Cooperation on Holocaust Education, Remembrance, and Research was created in 1998 with the goal of promoting national and international policies and programs in support of furthering understanding of the Holocaust. Members are dedicated to promoting the Stockholm Declaration through appropriate forms of Holocaust remembrance, encouraging the widest possible access to public and private archives about the Holocaust and furthering education about it. In the last six years, the Task Force has provided funding for more than 134 Holocaust-related projects around the globe including training programs, books, publications and educational material.
Information :
Alykhan Velshi
Senior Special Assistant
Office of the Secretary of State (Multiculturalism & Canadian Identity)
819 934-1122
