The Honourable Andrew Scheer, Leader of Canada’s Conservatives and of the Official Opposition, issued the following statement on Yom HaShoah on April 20, 2020:
“Tonight at sunset, Canadians will join the Jewish community and Jews around the world in commemorating the innocent lives taken in one of darkest and most atrocious periods in world’s history, the Holocaust.
“Let us reflect on one of the greatest crimes in the history of mankind, the extermination of over six million Jews, along with many others, by the Nazi regime and its collaborators.
“Yom HaShoah is also an opportunity to celebrate the courage, bravery, and heroism of Holocaust survivors who persevered despite the unspeakable trauma they suffered. We are inspired by the stories of survivors who despite all odds resisted their oppressors by maintaining their dignity and faith. Today, we remember their unbreakable will and vigorous spirit.
“While Canadians can’t attend synagogue services and communal vigils due to the pandemic this year, we should all take time to pay tribute to the victims and reflect on the lessons of the Holocaust.
“Today and every day, we stand with Israel and our Canadian Jewish community to ensure that all acts of antisemitism, hatred, and discrimination are defeated and condemned.
“The stories of Holocaust survivors must continue to be told and heard as a testament to the fortitude of the Jewish people. We must never forget the evil that humanity is capable of when fundamental freedoms are denied.
“Never again.”