TORONTO, May 5, 2024
/CNW/ - Today, as we prepare to mark Yom HaShoah, also known
as Holocaust Remembrance Day, we remember the six million Jews
murdered during the Holocaust. As one of the darkest chapters in
human history, the unimaginable inhumanity, loss, and grief faced
during the Holocaust and from its memories, will never go away.
This year, Yom HaShoah comes as Jewish communities are still
reeling from Hamas' brutal October 7
terrorist attacks against Israel –
the deadliest day for the Jewish people since the Holocaust – and
the subsequent disturbing rise in antisemitism in Canada and around the world. Canada unequivocally condemns Hamas' attacks,
anyone who glorifies their indefensible actions, and the
unacceptable acts of antisemitic violence that have targeted
Canada's Jewish community.
On this day, we must remember, but we must also learn, educate
others, and renew our eternal obligation to stop this from ever
happening again.
The Prime Minister, Justin
Trudeau, today highlighted a $90.5
million package of measures from Budget 2024 to combat
antisemitism, preserve Holocaust remembrance, educate against
Holocaust denial and distortion, and protect gathering spaces for
Jewish people.
This includes:
Creating a new, permanent national Holocaust
remembrance program. Budget 2024 includes an investment of
$5 million that will support
initiatives to preserve the memory of the Holocaust for future
generations, and help more Canadians learn about the atrocities
committed and the prevalence of antisemitism that led to them.
Supporting the construction of the new Montréal Holocaust
Museum. The Government of Canada will invest $5
million to help build this museum, which aims to educate a
new generation of visitors, including students, about the horrors
and injustice of the Holocaust. This builds on a previous
investment of $20 million to support
this project and is part of a suite of generational investments to
support the redevelopment and renewal of Canada's major Holocaust education centres.
This includes investments of $2.5
million for the Toronto Holocaust Museum and $25 million to support the construction of a new
Jewish Community Centre of Greater
Vancouver, which will include an expanded home for the
Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre.
Strengthening our support to Canada's Special Envoy on Preserving Holocaust
Remembrance and Combatting Antisemitism. Budget 2024 will
provide $7.3 million to support
Special Envoy Deborah Lyons' work to help build a more inclusive
society and ensure that current and future generations of Jewish
people can be and feel safe at home and abroad. This builds on
previous funding in Budget 2022 of $5.6
million over five years, starting in 2022-23.
Keeping communities safe against hate-motivated crime.
Budget 2024 announces $41.2 million
to improve the collection and availability of hate crime data in
Canada, support police colleges to
increase training on handling hate crimes, develop and deliver
specialized training to Crown prosecutors, and raise awareness in
the judiciary about the unique dynamics of hate crime. By ensuring
we have the right data and that police, prosecutors, and judges are
trained to prevent and enforce hate crimes, we can improve our
ability to comprehensively combat this hate.
Protecting synagogues and cultural spaces. As part of
Canada's Action Plan on Combatting
Hate, Budget 2024 will provide $32
million through the Security Infrastructure Program to
increase security at gathering spaces, such as synagogues, day
schools, and community centres. This will protect communities at
risk of hate-motivated crime, including Jewish communities. We will
also be cutting red tape and evolving the Security Infrastructure
Program to make it easier and more efficient for organizations to
access security support when they need it.
Launching a review to renew and enhance Canada's National Holocaust Monument.
Using existing resources, the federal government will work with
Holocaust scholars, educational experts, and the local community to
increase the Monument's visibility and engagement in Ottawa, Ontario, and with Canadians across the
country.
To Jewish Canadians – we stand with you. Our solidarity is
steadfast. And our commitment to your safety is ironclad. Whether
it's at a synagogue or a Jewish business or school; whether it's
wearing the Star of David or a Kippah – Jewish Canadians deserve to
feel safe, supported, and welcomed. They deserve to live openly and
proudly Jewish lives, without intimidation or fear.
We will do whatever it takes to raise awareness of the
Holocaust, fight antisemitism, and combat hate in all its forms –
and those are just some of the things that we're doing to build a
more fair and inclusive country for everyone in Budget 2024. As we
mark Yom HaShoah, Canada reaffirms
its commitment to stand with Jewish communities so this dark
chapter in history is never repeated.
Quotes
"We stand with Jewish Canadians – today on Yom HaShoah, and
everyday. We must stand together, remind ourselves of the
consequences of hate, educate others, and renew our efforts to root
out antisemitism. Jewish Canadians deserve to live openly and
proudly Jewish lives, without intimidation or fear."
— The Rt. Hon. Justin Trudeau,
Prime Minister of Canada
"Simply saying 'never again' is not enough. In this year's
budget, we are making investments and taking concrete action to
confront antisemitism, hatred, and intolerance in all its forms –
while reaffirming our commitment to stand with Jewish
Canadians."
— The Hon. Chrystia Freeland,
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance of Canada
"Antisemitism has no place in Canada. The investments in Budget 2024 will
help educate current and future generations of Canadians, ensuring
we never forget the horrors of the Holocaust and always stand up
against antisemitism, and all forms of hatred."
— The Hon. Kamal Khera,
Minister of Diversity, Inclusion and Persons with Disabilities
"It is painful – but essential – that we never forget the
stories, families, and legacy of those lost in the Holocaust. Its
history must be told through our museums, monuments, and community
spaces, teaching us to continually reflect so that these things
never happen again. Yet tragically, hate, fear, persecution, and
antisemitism live on. They must be fought every single day.
Generations of Jewish Canadians and Jewish people around the world
today remember – through concrete actions and in the spirit of
solidarity, we are with you."
— The Hon. Pascale St-Onge,
Minister of Canadian Heritage
"Yom HaShoah is a reminder that it is everyone's responsibility
to ensure that the promise of 'never again' is kept. There is much
work that must be done to ensure that Canadian Jewish communities
are not only safe, but able to flourish and thrive. Younger
generations from every community across Canada need to learn about the dangers of
Holocaust denial, distortion, and inversion, and all Canadians must
recommit to combatting the antisemitism we are witnessing every day
here and around the world."
— Deborah Lyons, Canada's
Special Envoy on Preserving Holocaust Remembrance and Combatting
Antisemitism
Quick
Facts
- In total, Budget 2024 proposes $273.6
million over six years, starting in 2024-25, with
$29.3 million ongoing, for
Canada's Action Plan on Combatting
Hate to support community outreach and law enforcement reform,
tackle the rise in hate crimes, enhance community security, counter
radicalization, and increase support for victims of discrimination
and violence.
- Since 2018-19, Canada has
invested over $260 million for
Canada's Anti-Racism Strategy,
Canada's Action Plan on Combatting
Hate, and the Canada Race Relations Foundation to fight racism and
hate and ensure that our society continues to be strengthened by
Canada's remarkable
diversity.
- Earlier this year, the Government introduced the Online
Harms Act, which will combat the significant increase in online
hatred directed at vulnerable populations, including the Jewish
community. It also creates new and strengthens existing Criminal
Code provisions to ensure those who commit hate crimes are held
accountable.
- The position of Special Envoy on Preserving Holocaust
Remembrance and Combatting Antisemitism was created in 2020 as part
of the federal government's commitment to reinforce national and
international efforts to preserve the memory of the Holocaust and
the stories of survivors. The Special Envoy works to combat
antisemitism, hatred, and racism and to promote and defend
democracy, pluralism, inclusion, and human rights.
- Canada's commitment to human
rights and combatting antisemitism at home and abroad is anchored
in our membership and work with the International Holocaust
Remembrance Alliance (IHRA). As the only international institution
mandated to focus on issues related to the Holocaust, the IHRA
promotes awareness about the far-reaching negative impacts of
antisemitism around the world and seeks ways to end it. In
June 2022, Canada announced that it will double its
annual contribution to the IHRA.
- In 2019, the Government of Canada adopted the IHRA's definition of
antisemitism. A companion handbook to the IHRA's definition is
being developed and will be published this year.
- In 2022, the federal government amended Canada's Criminal Code to make it a
crime to willfully promote antisemitism by condoning, denying, or
downplaying the Holocaust.
- The Government of Canada's
Budget 2024 was tabled in the House of Commons by the Deputy Prime
Minister and Minister of Finance on April
16, 2024.
Associated Links
- Fairness for Every Generation
- Budget 2024: Fairness for Every Generation
- Communities at Risk: Expanded Security Infrastructure Program
(SIP)
This document is also available at https://pm.gc.ca
SOURCE Prime Minister's Office