Mr. Speaker, yesterday the world honoured the 63rd anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz by marking the annual day of commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust.
Sadly, six decades after the world declared “Never again”, genocide, ethnic cleansing and racism still exist and, indeed, are born anew. Therefore, Canada must lead the world in combating bigotry in all its forms.
It is for this reason that the Canadian government will not participate in the Durban review conference. We have no intention of lending Canada's good name or its resources to a conference which promotes hatred or anti-Semitism. It is for the same reason that the Canadian government is taking steps to become a full member of the Task Force for International Cooperation on Holocaust Education, Remembrance and Research.
“Never again” must mean never again failing to take an active role in condemning anti-Semitism or any of the other forms of bigotry that continue to pollute our world.