Evidence of meeting #61 for Subcommittee on International Human Rights in the 41st Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was itf.
A video is available from Parliament.
1:35 p.m.
Conservative
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Voices
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Conservative
The Chair Conservative Scott Reid
We'll go to Mr. Schellenberger. Then we'll go to Monsieur Jacob. Then we'll go back to Ms. Grewal. We'll straighten things out that way. My apologies to everybody.
Mr. Schellenberger.
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Voices
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Perth—Wellington, CPC
They were very good questions, sir, so I have no problem with that.
Welcome, Mr. Silva. We spent quite a few years together on the heritage committee, so it's great to see you again. I understand you're doing a very good job.
I have a number of questions. First, do you believe anti-Semitism continues to exist in Canada? If so, to what extent is anti-Semitism a problem in Canada? In your opinion, has anti-Semitism decreased or increased in Canada over the past decades? In your view, has Canada implemented sufficient measures to address anti-Semitism thus far?
1:40 p.m.
Incoming Chair, Task Force for International Cooperation on Holocaust Education, Remembrance and Research
Thank you for the questions, Mr. Schellenberger.
Anti-Semitism is a problem, unfortunately. It's a global phenomenon. It's prevalent in all societies. It's an incredible problem of hate. I want to give you some statistics so you can see how things are moving, at least in Canada.
In 2010, B'nai Brith Canada reported the number of anti-Semitic incidents increased by 11% in Canada, including 479 cases in greater Toronto.
Statistics Canada data show that in 2010 the most common type of religiously motivated hate crimes targeted the Jewish faith, a finding that is consistent with previous years. In 2010, the 204 incidents of hate crimes against the Jewish faith represent nearly six in 10, or 55% of religiously motivated incidents.
We know hate crimes are also one of the most under-reported of all crimes.
To answer your question, both from the report from B'nai Brith and from Statistics Canada, unfortunately the pernicious evil of hatred toward the Jews, anti-Semitism as we call it, is still very prevalent in our society.
A series of things have been initiated. In the previous Parliament, under the leadership of me, Scott Reid and Professor Irwin Cotler, parliamentarians from all over the world came to conferences here in Ottawa. This was an important act from this Parliament to show its commitment in the fight against anti-Semitism both nationally and internationally, as was our domestic inquiry panel we had with the report.
A very important document came out of that, the Ottawa Protocol, which has recommendations for the government. It was signed for the Government of Canada by ministers Jason Kenney and John Baird in 2011, making it an official Government of Canada document.
I am hoping that document, the Ottawa Protocol, which was based on the work that was started by Professor Cotler with the London Declaration, will be something other countries would be signatories to. That would be part of my mandate during Canada's chairmanship, to promote the Ottawa Protocol and the work that was done collaboratively by members from all parties to promote this very important protocol.
We also have to work with the schools. That means working with the provinces on how things are being taught, what format is being used, and how it's being addressed.
I would say our worry is how to combat hate on the Internet. The attacks on the Jewish people via the Internet are ferocious. It is very troublesome to see how they are continually being targeted nationally and internationally. A lot of attention and education, and also legislation is needed to figure out how we can deal with this evil.
I'm not sure if you have another statement, Mr. Boyd.
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Director, Multiculturalism Policy, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
Certainly through our multiculturalism program we have supported some initiatives to get tools into schools. One of the notable initiatives of Mr. Tony Comper, co-founder of Fighting Antisemitism Together, was the development of a tool kit for teachers which I think has been distributed to schools and 800,000 students. That's a significant effort.
We've also supported other types of initiatives undertaken by the international organization, Facing History and Ourselves, based in London, Boston, and Toronto, which has done innovative work around Holocaust education in schools.
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Perth—Wellington, CPC
Have you ever been denied putting any of your particular programs into any schools?
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Director, Multiculturalism Policy, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
I think the challenge always with a decentralized system of education is that you can develop guidelines and tools. It's ensuring that those are actually used in the classroom. The question came up earlier about what some of the obstacles are. I think the obstacle remains getting the individual teachers engaged in a way that they feel comfortable teaching an extremely complex and difficult issue. Not only is the Holocaust itself a complex and difficult issue to teach, anti-Semitism is a difficult and sometimes separate topic that requires teaching.
The United Kingdom, for example—one of our ITF good partners—recently undertook probably the largest educational research project in this area in the world, through the Institute of Education at the University of London. They spoke with thousands of teachers across the United Kingdom and asked them about their attitudes toward Holocaust education and about some of the obstacles they faced. It's a very illuminating study which the U.K. published on this issue.
Not surprisingly, I think the results would be similar in Canada. Teachers consistently say that the biggest obstacle to Holocaust education is time. You don't have necessarily a lot of time in the curriculum to devote to a large and difficult subject. Sometimes, if you talk to Holocaust educators, as we do—experts with the ITF—they will tell you that in some respects it's just as dangerous to have too little time to devote to the Holocaust as it is to devote no time at all.
This is something that we're seized with. Certainly experts who gather and form, frankly, the backbone of the ITF are seized with how to create meaningful guidelines, not just in Holocaust education but in linking Holocaust education to other genocides. That is what is often relevant for students in the classroom, how we can link the Holocaust with Rwanda, with Darfur, with Cambodia. A lot of innovative work has come out of those meetings of experts which the ITF has facilitated to provide tools for teachers that allow them to reach students in meaningful ways, given constraints around time and complexity.
1:45 p.m.
NDP
Pierre Jacob NDP Brome—Missisquoi, QC
Thank you Chair.
Mr. Boyd and Mr. Silva, thank you for coming to testify about your experience before the subcommittee this afternoon.
My first question is addressed to both of you. How do ITF's activities contribute to the fight for human rights both in Canada and elsewhere in the world?
Finally, you have raised sensitive subjects for schools, and mentioned obstacles, including lack of time. Are there other major obstacles for raising public awareness of xenophobia, genocides, racism, the Holocaust, of course, or any other action that promotes hatred?
1:45 p.m.
Incoming Chair, Task Force for International Cooperation on Holocaust Education, Remembrance and Research
Thank you for your question, Mr. Jacob.
First of all, as president, my work consists in playing a major role in advancing ITF's work around the themes I mentioned, which are Holocaust education, research and commemoration. In addition, I have an advocacy role to play with other governments and NGOs, and working with them to advance the three different educational themes I mentioned previously.
In terms of education, the fact that our system is provincial creates certain limits. We must therefore enter into partnerships with the provincial government, but also work with various Canadian institutions on certain aspects of Holocaust education programs. Some of our partnerships were created long ago and are important. They can certainly help us implement several activities within our mandate.
The government has already invested a great deal of capital in teaching future generations about the lessons learned from the Holocaust and helping prevent acts of genocide in the future. In our work, we must always remember how important prevention is. The Holocaust is a very important subject, but it is also useful for educating generations and preventing acts of genocide, xenophobia, anti-Semitism across the world and in our country.
This is our organization's goal. We do everything we can to work with ONGs and various governmental partners, both provincial and national, in order to advance these three very important themes.
Our intergovernmental organization's main document also demonstrates our commitment towards Holocaust education and research as well as its remembrance. Each year, we must celebrate Holocaust Remembrance Day and provide researchers, and especially teachers in various areas of education, access to Holocaust-related archives.
Those are ITF's activities as indicated in our foundation document. This is the lens through which we do our work.
1:50 p.m.
NDP
Pierre Jacob NDP Brome—Missisquoi, QC
I still have a bit of time.
I would like to come back to the obstacles to raising public awareness. You mentioned sensitive subjects and lack of time. Are there other more specific obstacles that stand in the way of raising public awareness of the Holocaust, xenophobia, genocides, racism, etc.?
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Incoming Chair, Task Force for International Cooperation on Holocaust Education, Remembrance and Research
There certainly are other obstacles. There is always more to do in raising awareness, which is why education plays such an important role for our organization.
Unfortunately, it is a constant struggle. As I told the subcommittee, anti-Semitism, racism and xenophobia still exist, so we have the obligation to continue to fight them. The mandate of the organization will give me, during my 10 years as president, a greater opportunity to do this work not only at the national level, but also internationally.
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Conservative
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Conservative
Nina Grewal Conservative Fleetwood—Port Kells, BC
Thank you, Chair.
Mr. Silva, it's a pleasure indeed to see you here. We do appreciate your work. Thank you very much for it. Educating people about the Holocaust is very important, as it helps people to understand and remember the crimes that have been committed against humanity. That's a really very sad chapter. It may also be useful in understanding the ideological underpinnings of many other genocides, as you have mentioned, in Darfur, Cambodia, as well as in Rwanda.
What efforts have been made by Canada so far to promote Holocaust education and remembering in Canada, besides the education in schools? Are there any other ways to educate people? Why are we facing challenges in educating people about the Holocaust?
1:55 p.m.
Incoming Chair, Task Force for International Cooperation on Holocaust Education, Remembrance and Research
Thank you very much for your question.
In terms of the government support, as I mentioned, $2.5 million was invested for the Jewish community historical recognition project. There were several initiatives, including the work Canada is doing, of course, with the ITF on the issue of education and remembrance and research. Work is also being done with our NGO communities and our partners on this very important work. There's the important national monument on the Holocaust in the national capital which is under way. This was the subject of a private member's bill by my former colleague, and your colleague, Minister Tim Uppal.
In addition, speaking out on issues of both anti-Semitism and Holocaust denial is very important. There was a statement made by the Prime Minister some time back in which he said:
...to honour the victims and survivors of the Holocaust, it is not enough simply to remember. Truly remembering the Holocaust must also be an understanding and an undertaking. It is an understanding that the same threats exist today. It is an undertaking of a solemn responsibility to fight those threats. We see it in the manifestos of organizations which deny the right of Israel as a Jewish state to exist.
If you are talking about Holocaust denial, if you're talking about acts of ongoing genocidal states and state action that is incitement towards genocide, then we also have a responsibility to speak out. That was a statement the Prime Minister made in his address this year during Yom Hashoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, at the Canadian War Museum.
There is ongoing activity taking place. It is extremely important that we be vocal, that we speak out, that we work with partners in different sectors, both nationally and internationally, to fight against racism, xenophobia, anti-Semitism, and Holocaust denial.
Colin may have some additional projects to speak about.
1:55 p.m.
Director, Multiculturalism Policy, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
Perhaps as a final word, Mr. Chair, recognizing the central role of Holocaust survivors and that Holocaust survivors have played, particularly in the Canadian educational system, Canada became the home to some 40,000 Holocaust survivors after the war and we're a nation that has been profoundly shaped by that immigration.
We are, sadly, moving toward a post-survivor environment, so we are working with Holocaust centres in Vancouver, Montreal, and Toronto to look at ways to preserve and enhance the testimony of Holocaust survivors using the latest technological techniques to ensure that those stories, which are powerful and which reach students in a way that textbooks do not, can be preserved and used moving forward for future generations.