Ottawa, ON – The Hon. Pierre Poilievre, Leader of the Conservative Party of Canada and the Official Opposition, released the following statement on International Holocaust Remembrance Day:
“Over eighty years ago, Allied forces liberated the largest and most horrifying Nazi death camp, Auschwitz-Birkenau. At least 1.3 million people had been corralled onto trains taking them to the camp, with 1.1 million killed, most of whom were Jews.
“As the Allies pressed forward, the terrifying extent of the Holocaust – a monstrous genocide of the Jewish people – became clear. Two-thirds of Europe’s Jewish population, 6 million human beings, had been killed in Nazi death camps, concentration camps or in massacres and forced marches.
“Today, we remember the millions of lives taken in this barbaric crime and honour the survivors who endured starvation and torture, who bravely shared their stories so the world could fully understand the depravity of the Shoah.
“As some continue to deny and distort what occurred, and the scourge of antisemitism again rears its ugly head, it has never been more important to carry the survivors’ stories forward and to never forget their memory.
“Three years after the worst attack against Jews since the Holocaust, the war is finally over. Last October, the last living hostage came home, and the last body was finally returned on Monday. But the scourge of antisemitism is not over.
“On this anniversary, we commit to stomping out its evil wherever it rears its ugly head, ensuring our country is a place where Jews can live without fear, and Canada is unwavering in the sacred oath – Never Again.”