Mr. Speaker, I rise today in the House to pay homage to the Holocaust survivors across Canada.
A week ago we marked the 60th anniversary of Auschwitz-Birkenau's liberation, where more than two million Jews perished.
Last week's commemoration at the UN was a historic first and Canada helped make it a reality. I would like to thank the Minister of Foreign Affairs for representing Canada at this important event.
I also want to highlight the Raoul Wallenberg Day, powerfully marked in Winnipeg on January 17. Named after a Swedish diplomat who rescued 100,000 Jews from extermination, it shows us the difference that a single person can make, even in a world gone mad.
If Auschwitz was a testament to the evils that mankind can conceive, Raoul Wallenberg's example is the selfless counterstroke to that hatred.
It is important that we follow in Wallenberg's footsteps and ensure that the words “Never Again” shape our present, not merely observe our past.