This diary entry from former Prime Minister Mackenzie King illustrates the government's attitude towards Jewish immigration during the German-Austria Jewish immigration crisis.
This entry occurs around the time of the Evian Conference where President Roosevelt convened several countries to address the Jewish refugee problem in Europe.
In the summer of 1938 (July 6-15, 1938) delegates from thirty-two countries met in Évian-les-Bains (Evian), France to discuss the emerging refugee crisis occuring because of the influx of Jewish people escaping Nazism.
This conference occurred at a time when many countries, including Canada, had strict immigration quotes, which ultimately went unchanged despite the urgent need for safe refuge for Jews from the Nazis rule in Germany and Austria.
The Holocaust Memorial Day Act was assented on July 11, 2003 and is referred to as the Yom ha-Shoah or the Day of the Holocaust and was celebrated for the first time in 2004.
The exact day is determined every year based on the Jewish lunar calendar and is an "opportune day to reflect on and educate about the enduring lessons of the Holocaust and to reaffirm a commitment to uphold human rights".
Bill C-442, an Act to Establish a National Holocaust Memorial became law on May 25, 2011, signed by the Governor General and it took just over six years until the project was completed.
On September 27, 2017, the National Holocaust Monument was unveiled in Ottawa, Ontario called Landscape of Loss, Memory and Survival, which was created to commemorate the millions of Jewish men, women, and children murdered in the Holocaust along with the other millions of other victims of Nazi Germany and to acknowledge the contributions Jewish survivors have made to Canada over the years.
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 Citiz
In July 2021, the Government of Canada hosted the National Summit on Antisemitism, which brought together legislators, policymakers, program administrators, and members of Canada's Jewish community to better understand the ongoing antisemitism in Canada.
This is Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's address at the National Summit where he condemned the hate crimes occurring against Canadian Jewish communities, set the intentions of the summit, and discussed the current
In 2020, Canada appointed an inaugural Special Envoy on Preserving Holocaust Remembrance and Combatting Antisemitism.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau named the Honourable Irwin Cotler as Canada's Special Envoy on Preserving Holocaust Remembrance and Combatting Antisemitism.
In 2009, Canada became a member of the International Holocaust Rememberance Alliance (IHRA) and became the chair in 2013.
During its Chairmanship, Canada introduced several things including the 'National Award for Excellence in Holocaust Education', a research guide utilizing materials from the National Library and Archives, and they supported Canadian Holocaust survivor testimonies through funding.