International Holocaust Remembrance Day

Statement from NDP Heritage Critic MP Niki Ashton

Today is International Holocaust Remembrance Day, and the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Aushwitz-Birkenau, a day to honour the 6 million Jewish victims of the Holocaust, and the millions of other victims of the Nazi death machine.

The Holocaust didn’t start with gas chambers and concentration camps, it began with the dehumanization of an entire people, with an infrastructure put in place to facilitate that.

Reconciliation requires justice, which is why it’s disappointing that the government is still protecting the names of Nazis and collaborators identified in the Deschenes report that were knowingly let into Canada. Groups representing survivors and their descendants, including Jewish, Polish, and Ukrainian groups have been clear that these names should be released. The NDP stands with them to echo this call.

On this day, of all days, let us recommit to speaking out against the machinations of hate and fascism and say loudly and clearly, never again.