Prime Minister Stephen Harper honours victims of the Holocaust

Prime Minister Stephen Harper today attended the annual Canadian Holocaust Remembrance Day ceremony, Yom Hashoah, on Parliament Hill. The Canadian Holocaust Remembrance Day was first observed in 2004 to commemorate one of the greatest tragedies in human history.

“Let us plainly state the awful, incontrovertible truth that brings us here today: millions, including six million Jewish men, women, and children were murdered by the Nazis during the Holocaust,” said the Prime Minister.

While honouring those who lost their lives during the Holocaust, Prime Minister Harper spoke of how the hatred that gave rise to that unprecedented atrocity lives on. 

“It’s not good enough for politicians to stand before you and say they remember and mourn what happened over six decades ago. They must stand up to those who advocate the destruction of Israel and its people today. And they must be unequivocal in their condemnation of anti-Semitic despots, terrorists and fanatics. That is the only real way to honour the memory of those who were consumed by the Holocaust. And the only way to ensure it never happens again,” said the Prime Minister.
 
Today’s ceremony and moment of silence on Parliament Hill were organized by the Canadian Society for Yad Vashem. The commemoration concluded with a march to the Ottawa Congress Centre.