Montreal, January 25, 2011 - Senator Judith Seidman, on behalf of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney, today announced funding support under the Community Historical Recognition Program (CHRP) for Radio Shalom of Montréal, to produce a radio documentary commemorating the MS St. Louis and addressing the dangers of anti-Semitism.
"We must never forget these dark chapters in our immigration history," said Senator Seidman. "We must acknowledge the mistakes of our past so that we can draw lessons from them for the future."
CIC is providing $50,000 to Radio Shalom to produce The Voyage of the MS St. Louis, a Radio Diary. It is a series of 14, one-hour audio programs in both French and English produced by and for secondary school students to commemorate the events surrounding the St. Louis.
The MS St. Louis was a ship that carried over 900 Jewish passengers from Germany in 1939. They were unable to find refuge in North America and, after returning to Europe, many perished in the Holocaust. The project aims to increase students' knowledge of this incident and combat anti-Semitism, xenophobia and racism.
The CHRP funds community-based commemorative and educational projects that recognize the experiences of ethno-cultural communities affected by historical wartime measures and/or immigration restrictions applied in Canada's past. For more information about Canada' work to combat anti-Semitism and to learn about CHRP, visit: www.cic.gc.ca/english/multiculturalism/index.asp.
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For further information (media only), please contact:
Celyeste Power
Minister's Office
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
celyeste.power@cic.gc.ca
Media Relations
Communications Branch
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
613-952-1650
CIC-Media-Relations@cic.gc.ca
