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Unveiling of Canada's Holocaust Memorial Monument (2011)
  • Despite Holocaust survivors and their descendants playing a large role contributing to Canadian society following the Second World War, Canada was the last Western country to erect a national Holocaust memorial monument.
  • In January 2011, The Wheel of Conscience was unveiled in Halifax, Nova Scotia by the Canadian Jewish Congress and the Department of Citizenship and Immigration Canada.
  • The memorial was created by Daniel Libeskind who is a son of Holocaust survivor and the memorial reflects the 900+ Jews onboard the MS St. Louis in 1939 who were refused entry into several countries, including Canada, and among those passengers, nearly 1/3 perished in concentration camps during the Holocaust.
  • The memorial stands at Pier 21, the Canadian Museum of Immigration, which is said to be the site where the MS St. Louis would have likely landed in Canada if it was allowed to do so.
  • The memorial includes the names of the passengers and the word 'hatred', 'xenophobia', 'racism', and 'antisemitism'.
  • This is the speech made by the Honourable Jason Kenney, Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism where he joined the Canadian Jewish Congress and Daniel Libeskind at the unveiling of monument in 2011.
Citation

Canada. Department of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. ARCHIVED: Speaking notes for the Honourable Jason Kenney, P.C., M.P. Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism at the unveiling, at Pier 21, of the Wheel of Conscience, a monument to commemorate the MS St. Louis. [Halifax, Nova Scotia], January 20, 2011. https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/news/archives/speeches-2011/jason-kenney-minister-unveiling-pier-21-wheel-conscience-monument.html

Overlapping Topics
Culture, Religion & Ethnicity
Policy Sub-Topic
Policy Type
Ministerial Address