Mr. Speaker, as members on all sides will know, today is International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Today we remember one of the darkest chapters in human history and honour the remaining survivors.
It was on this fateful day 75 years ago that Allied forces liberated the largest Nazi death camp, Auschwitz-Birkenau. Unspeakable evil took place there and elsewhere. As the president of the Knesset said, “The gates of hell were opened” wide for all to see. By the end of the war six million Jewish people had been murdered.
With the recent increase in violence against Jewish people in North America and around the world, today is a stark reminder that we must always combat anti-Semitism, racism and bigotry in all of its forms. We here in this chamber and all Canadians must stand up to those who spread hate.
Also, we cannot ignore the risk posed by indifference. Evil wins when good people do nothing. Together we must stand in solidarity against anti-Semitism and bigotry in any form, in any place around the world.
Today, we renew our solemn pledge that never again will this be allowed to happen. Never again.