Speaking notes for the Honourable Jason Kenney, P.C., M.P. Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism at a Conference of Ministers of Education Center for Dialogue and Prayer During the 65^th Anniversary of the Liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau

Oswiecim, Poland, January 27, 2010

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Thank you for that kind introduction.  Ladies and gentlemen, on behalf of Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the Government of Canada, I am honoured to be here, both to participate in discussions at your conference and to commemorate a solemn anniversary.

Like many Canadians, I was appalled by the theft of the sign from the gateway to Auschwitz this past fall.  Such theft was indeed a desecration to the memory of all who died at the Nazi German extermination camp, and an attack on the remembrance of the Holocaust.  I am very grateful that it was recovered and reinstalled.

Auschwitz is haunted by the indomitable spirit of the doomed.  Austrian neurologist Viktor Frankl was imprisoned here briefly in 1944.  His groundbreaking book, Man’s Search for Meaning, captured the experience of being stripped to naked existence. 

“First to the rescue comes a cold, detached curiosity concerning one’s fate.  Swiftly, too, come strategies to preserve the remnants of one’s life, though the chances of survival are slight.  Hunger, humiliation, fear and deep anger at injustice are rendered tolerable by closely guarded images of loved ones, by religion, by a grim sense of humor, and even by glimpses of the healing beauties of nature—a tree or a sunset.”

Gatherings such as this conference remind us that, in addition to the millions of lives that were lost, the Holocaust and other Nazi crimes against humanity caused considerable social and cultural damage in Europe and around the world.

We are all here to review current practices regarding research and to encourage further work in the areas of education, social programs and cultural initiatives related to the Holocaust.

Personally, I have long been inspired by stories of ordinary citizens who have acted courageously to combat hate and prejudice. 

Miep Gies is one notable example, whose recent death made headlines around the world.  She sheltered Anne Frank and her family from the Nazis, and preserved the famous diary we’ve all come to recognize as an expression of faith in the face of incomprehensible evil.  Her long life was a resonant affirmation of Anne’s belief in humanity.

In Canada, the Canadian Society for Yad Vashem has recognized between 40 and 50 “righteous gentiles” for their acts of heroism.

People like Martin Vitiuk of Lvov, Ukraine, who hid three Jewish men from the Nazi occupiers between June 1943 and March 1944, was himself murdered in 1946.  His grandson Vladimir Muryne immigrated to Canada in 1998, and received his grandfather’s posthumous honour.

People like Anje Van Tongeren, originally from Holland, now living in Canada, who decided to speak about her experience when she realized “there comes a time when silence becomes betrayal.”  From a young age, she risked her life to help Jews escape the Nazis by joining the Dutch underground, along with her mother, and forging documents for them.  She and her mother were turned in by her father, and landed in Nazi prison camps.  

People like Hendrik and Theresa Veenstra, who took in Philip Plas, a four-year-old Jewish child in Nazi-occupied Holland, and raised him as their own.  When the Nazis burst in, Theresa would tuck him in bed with one of their own children and tell them the children were sick. 

People like Lucas Koops, whose neighbours were pro-Nazi, who was active in the Resistance, finding safe places for Jews and getting false documents and ration cards for them. His parents and brother also hid Jews.

His daughter, Ann De Jonge-Koops, from Hamilton, Ontario, said he used to stick his neck out and take chances while his wife, Aleida, would pick up the pieces.

Their deeds have been continued by other righteous gentiles who work to protect and promote human rights in Canada and around the world.  I believe passionately that we should continue to commemorate such acts of heroism and to learn about the effects of crimes against humanity.

In Canada we take a zero-tolerance approach to anti-Semitic expressions at all levels.  Our government wants to teach future generations the lessons of the Holocaust and prevent all acts of genocide.

This is grounded in Canada’s long-standing history of promoting human rights and of combating hate and discrimination. It is also grounded in our concern about the continued presence of anti-Semitism in our country.

For example, a 2002 survey by our country’s official statistics agency, Statistics Canada, indicated that 23 percent of Jewish Canadians had experienced discrimination in the previous five years.

As well, a 2007 report in Canada noted that 15 percent of hate crimes reported to police had targeted Jewish people. This accounted for two-thirds of hate crimes targeting religious groups in my country.

In combating anti-Semitism, Canada is not content to be an observer on the world stage. Rather, we wish to lead, which I believe we did in early 2008 when I announced that Canada would be the first nation to refuse to participate in the Durban Review Conference in Geneva.

Our refusal to participate grew out of concern that the conference would feed a growing form of anti-Semitism—one that challenges the very existence of Israel.

This brand of anti-Semitism, while less obvious than past forms, threatens more than just Israel. It threatens all peace-loving people, including those in Canada.

Beyond our rejection of Durban 2, we have taken other action on several fronts.  First, we took a hard look at our own history and realized that we needed to face up to a black mark: the historic tragedy of the M.S. St. Louis.

This ship sailed from Europe in 1939, was not allowed to land at its original destination in Cuba, and returned to Europe, where many of its passengers eventually perished in the Holocaust.

Although the ship never entered Canadian waters, Canada’s failure to offer refuge to its passengers—mainly Jewish refugees—is viewed as an example of our reluctance at that time to protect those seeking shelter from the persecution, and later the genocide, of the Nazi regime.

In June, at a conference focused on the St. Louis, I announced support of close to $1 million to develop and operate a three-year National Task Force on Holocaust Research, Remembrance and Education.

Through the help of B’nai Brith Canada, this task force will bring together scholars, legal experts, educators, Holocaust survivors and community representatives to build on the Holocaust research and educational work being done in Canada.   
       
Canada has demonstrated its commitment to examine these and other issues by seeking full membership on the Task Force for International Cooperation on Holocaust, Education, Remembrance and Research. We were granted this honoured status last June.

Shortly after receiving membership in the ITF, Canada participated in the Holocaust Era Assets Conference in Prague and joined other nations in adopting the Terezin Declaration and supporting the new Terezin Institute, dedicated to the legacy of the Shoah.

The Government of Canada is deeply committed to the resolution of Holocaust Era issues and Holocaust education and research.  I commend the efforts all nations have been making to recover art and objects of cultural, historical and religious value that were confiscated by the Nazis in World War Two.

I also applaud related efforts many people have made to seek restitution and compensation for those whose property was looted in the events of World War Two.

I am particularly pleased that the next conference of the Inter-parliamentary Coalition for Combating Anti-Semitism (ICCA) will take place in Canada this year.

As most of you likely know, the first conference of the ICCA was held in London last February and produced an action plan: the London Declaration on Combating Anti-Semitism.

I attended that conference and was impressed by the Declaration, which presents concrete measures for combating anti-Semitism. Eleven Canadian parliamentarians, including myself, signed the Declaration.  I look forward to the next conference in Canada.

Canada commemorates the Holocaust at different times of the year.  We supported the UN resolution to designate January 27 the International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust.

The governments of Canada and all provinces have marked Yom Ha’Shoah as the official day of remembrance in Canada.  Organizations across Canada also hold Holocaust Education Week to correspond with Kristallnacht.

Additionally, 10 years ago, the Government of Canada proclaimed January 17th as Raoul Wallenberg Day, which we marked recently to commemorate the Swedish diplomat and humanitarian who worked in Budapest, Hungary, during World War II to rescue Jews from the Holocaust.

Between July and December of 1944 he issued “protective passports,” which identified the bearers as Swedish subjects and prevented their deportation, housed several thousand Jews, and saved the lives of more than 100,000 Hungarian Jews.

He was captured by Soviet forces in Hungary in January, 1945, and was not seen again.  In paying tribute, we renew our commitment to fight against the evils of racism, discrimination, and anti-Semitism.

Today we are following the lead of John Mann, whose Parliamentary Inquiry in the United Kingdom brought together people from all different parties to delve into the threat posed by anti-Semitism in Britain.

I’m pleased to tell you that, thanks to John’s leadership, we have recently launched our own Canadian Parliamentary Coalition to Combat Anti-Semitism.

This Coalition’s mandate is to conduct an inquiry on anti-Semitism in Canada and to host the 2010 Inter-Parliamentary Conference for Combating anti-Semitism.

Our government is also addressing anti-Semitism through our domestic multiculturalism programs that promote intercultural understanding.

For example, we fund an innovative mentorship program in Toronto to match 130 Somali Canadians between the ages of 18 and 25 with Jewish-Canadian mentors and professionals, who will help the youth to pursue their respective careers.

Another initiative of our government to support Canada’s Jewish community is the Communities-at-Risk Security Fund to provide grants for dozens of synagogues, Jewish schools and other community groups that may face hatred or violence.

This aims to combat radicalization of youth by focusing on social cohesion and building bridges between communities.

Finally, our government has also announced that we refuse to fund, participate with, or give any credence or recognition to organizations that apologize for terrorism or act to promote hatred, particularly anti-Semitism.

Ladies and gentlemen, teaching the lessons of the Holocaust is a necessary way to promote respect for universal human rights. For Canada, it is a way to preserve and promote the fundamental Canadian values of freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law.

As Prime Minister Harper stated in 2007, “We must resist the error of viewing the Holocaust as a strictly historical event. 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.”

 The Government of Canada will maintain this view and will work with all governments and other groups to combat anti-Semitism.

We believe such actions demonstrate our support for the State of Israel and for peace and human rights around the world.

Thank you.