Statement by Minister Joly on International Holocaust Remembrance Day

OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Jan. 27, 2017) - January 27 marks the anniversary of the liberation of the largest Nazi concentration and death camp, Auschwitz-Birkenau. On this day each year, people around the world remember the millions of victims, most of whom were Jewish, who were murdered during the Shoah, and we honour those who survived unimaginable atrocities at the hands of the Nazi regime.

International Holocaust Remembrance Day serves as a reminder of the danger of prejudice, discrimination and hate.

This year, Canada's National Holocaust Monument will be completed, serving as a memorial to the loss of innocent lives, including six million Jewish men, women and children, and others who were victims because of mental or physical disabilities, race, religion and sexual orientation. This Monument will also pay tribute to the survivors who came to this country to rebuild their lives hoping for a better future. It is important that we keep their stories alive and educate ourselves about the Holocaust and the evil that fueled the attempt to exterminate the Jewish people, among countless others.

Let us use these lessons of the past to stand up against racism and intolerance, to refuse to be silent in the face of injustice and hate, and to uphold human rights and human dignity.

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