Holocaust Memorial Day Statement - Delivered by Peter Tabuns, NDP Critic for Citizenship & Immigration, Monday, May 5, 2008

Today I rise to remember and honour those who faced unimaginable horror and persecution, less than a few decades ago.

Between 1933 and 1945, more than six million Jewish men, women and children were systematically murdered. Entire communities, villages, indeed entire generations of families were exterminated in the most brutal fashion, and this state-sponsored and -organized genocide also killed millions of others because of their race, their religion, their sexual orientation or the fact that they may have had a physical or mental handicap.

The toll this ruthless campaign took on human dignity, human rights and society as a whole is immeasurable. The atrocities of the Holocaust are often impossible for us to understand, yet even harder to forget. And that is why, we reiterate, we must never forget what happened.

We must not allow ourselves to forget that the early warning signs of the persecution of Jews existed in 1935, 1936, 1937. Much of the world did nothing to oppose the persecution. Tens of thousands of Jewish families tried to flee Nazi Germany and many countries closed their borders -- Canada included-- essentially closed its borders.

We must not forget that humanity is capable of repeating this kind of violence and repression because very often those who can make a difference stay silent, or, feel helpless.

History must serve as a reminder that we must always be on guard that this cannot happen again though sadly, it does – whether it be Rwanda, Cambodia, Armenia – or Darfur. We must always be on the side of justice always, especially today-- whether it be abroad, in bringing our troops home from Afghanistan-- or closer to home, in standing alongside First Nations communities in the fight for their rights, or to defend our diverse communities when they come under attack.

We must always stand up and speak out today and everyday against anti-Semitism, against Islamophobia, against hate, against racism, against discrimination and prejudice of any kind, in all its insidious forms. We must act decisively when the ugly realities of hate crimes and neo-Nazism resurface in present-day Ontario.

Today we stand with Jewish Canadians and all victims of genocide against hate-mongers and commit to taking decisive action to put a stop to racist actions, just as we finally did so many years ago. Many of the Holocaust survivors who were freed from concentration camps came to Canada, settled here in Ontario and have become important members of society who have made incredible contributions to our community.

Today, we say we again, we will never forget the horrors that human beings are capable of. More so we will also never, ever forget the resilience, the hope, the strength, the courage and the sheer capacity of human being’s, together, to triumph over some of the greatest cruelty our world has seen.

In Ontario, we have an immense capacity, and responsibility, to work together, to work diligently, and with sincerity, to create a province and a country where all cultures, all religions and the rights of all people are respected and honoured. Fulfilling this vision is a duty that requires the involvement of us all.

On this day, we commit ourselves to creating a better and safer world, and so that we never see these horrors of history repeat themselves again.