“On this day in 1945, the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau exposed the scale of Nazi crimes to the world and became a symbol of the horrors of the Holocaust, the resilience of its survivors, and the guilt of its enablers.

The Nazi regime systemically and senselessly murdered six million Jewish people and killed millions of others, including hundreds of thousands of Roma and Sinti peoples, political opponents, LGBTQI+ people, prisoners of war, and people with disabilities.

Today, we remember the consequences of ignorance, hatred, and complicity – and acknowledge that looking away is not a passive act, but an active betrayal.

We must call on those lessons again today. The Jewish community has faced a devastating resurgence of antisemitism in Canada and around the world. Synagogues and schools have been attacked, people harassed for their faith, and efforts made to diminish or deny the horror of October 7^th.

It is our duty as Canadians to build a country where Jewish people can live their lives safely, openly, and freely. Our government has acted by introducing the Combatting Hate Act, which will make it a criminal offence to intentionally and wilfully obstruct access to places of worship, schools, and religious or cultural community centres. These laws are necessary, though they are far from enough.

The responsibility to confront antisemitism belongs to all of us, and that responsibility begins with remembrance.

Canada will remember.”