Canada’s membership of the IHRA is an affirmation at the highest political level of its commitment to Holocaust education, remembrance and research.
Canada’s membership of the IHRA is an affirmation at the highest political level of its commitment to Holocaust education, remembrance and research.
Joined the IHRA
International Holocaust Remembrance Day
Raoul Wallenberg Day
Deborah Lyons (Special Envoy) – Head of Delegation
Jeffrey Marder (Global Affairs Canada) – Deputy Head of Delegation
Kevin Lunianga (Deputy Director Human Rights) – Deputy Head of Delegation
Tracy Speigel (Department of Canadian Heritage) – Deputy Head of Delegation
Daphne Guerrero (Department of Global Affairs)– Deputy Head of Delegation
Belle Jarniewski (Jewish Heritage Centre of Western Canada) – Education Working Group
Dafina Savic (Romanipe) – Museums and Memorials Working Group
Jody Spiegel (Azrieli Foundation) – Education Working Group
David Matas (B’nai B’rith Canada) – Academic Working Group
Yaffa Tegegne – Museums and Memorials Working Group
Michael Levitt (Friends of the Simon Wiesenthal Centre) – Education Working Group
Carson Phillips (The Azrieli Foundation) – Academic Working Group
Audrey Licop (Montreal Holocaust Museum) – Academic Working Group
Noah Lew (Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights)
Gina Csanyi-Robah (Canadian Romani Alliance) – Education Working Group
Tony Aquino (Department of Canadian Heritage)
Amichai Wise (Department of Canadian Heritage)
Hannah Marazzi (Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre) – Museum and Memorials Working Group
Canada’s membership of the IHRA is an affirmation at the highest political level of its commitment to Holocaust education, remembrance and research. Canada’s IHRA Chairmanship in 2013 helped raise awareness of the Holocaust through initiatives such as a ‘National Award for Excellence in Holocaust Education’, participation in an international poster design competition, development of a comprehensive research guide to holdings related to the Holocaust in its National Library and Archives, and government funding to help preserve and disseminate Holocaust survivor testimony.
All IHRA Member Countries are asked to complete a basic questionnaire with key facts about the state of Holocaust education, remembrance, and research in their country. The answers to the questionnaire, and to the Country Report, if available, are provided by the national delegations, who are also responsible for keeping the information up to date.
| Name of the Statement | Body Who Issued the Statement | Date Statement was Made | Link |
| Joint Statement on International Holocaust Remembrance Day | The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and the Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion | January 27, 2022 | Statement on International Holocaust Remembrance Day – Canada.ca |
| Statement by the Prime Minister on International Holocaust Remembrance Day | Prime Minister’s Office | January 27, 2022 | Statement by the Prime Minister on International Holocaust Remembrance Day | Prime Minister of Canada (pm.gc.ca) |
| Statement by the Prime Minister on International Holocaust Remembrance Day | Prime Minister’s Office | January 27, 2021 | Statement by the Prime Minister on International Holocaust Remembrance Day | Prime Minister of Canada (pm.gc.ca) |
| Statement by the Prime Minister on International Holocaust Remembrance Day | Prime Minister’s Office | January 27, 2020 | Statement by the Prime Minister on International Holocaust Remembrance Day | Prime Minister of Canada (pm.gc.ca) |
| Statement by the Prime Minister on International Holocaust Remembrance Day | Prime Minister’s Office | January 27, 2019 | Statement by the Prime Minister on International Holocaust Remembrance Day | Prime Minister of Canada (pm.gc.ca) |
| Statement by the Prime Minister on International Holocaust Remembrance Day | Prime Minister’s Office | January 27, 2018 | Statement by the Prime Minister on Remembrance Day | Prime Minister of Canada (pm.gc.ca) |
| Statement by the Prime Minister on International Holocaust Remembrance Day | Prime Minister’s Office | January 27, 2017 | Statement by the Prime Minister of Canada on International Holocaust Remembrance Day | Prime Minister of Canada (pm.gc.ca) |
| Statement by the Prime Minister on International Holocaust Remembrance Day | Prime Minister’s Office | January 27, 2016 | Statement by the Prime Minister of Canada on Holocaust Remembrance Day | Prime Minister of Canada (pm.gc.ca) |
| Statement by the Prime Minister of Canada on Yom HaShoah | Prime Minister’s Office | April 27, 2022 | Statement by the Prime Minister on Yom HaShoah | Prime Minister of Canada (pm.gc.ca) |
| Statement by the Prime Minister of Canada on Yom HaShoah | Prime Minister’s Office | April 7, 2021 | Statement by the Prime Minister on Yom HaShoah | Prime Minister of Canada (pm.gc.ca) |
| Statement by the Prime Minister of Canada on Yom HaShoah | Prime Minister’s Office | April 21, 2020 | Statement by the Prime Minister on Yom HaShoah | Prime Minister of Canada (pm.gc.ca) |
| Statement by the Prime Minister of Canada on Yom HaShoah | Prime Minister’s Office | May 1, 2019 | Statement by the Prime Minister on Yom HaShoah | Prime Minister of Canada (pm.gc.ca) |
| Statement by the Prime Minister of Canada on Yom HaShoah | Prime Minister’s Office | April 11, 2018 | Statement by the Prime Minister on Yom HaShoah | Prime Minister of Canada (pm.gc.ca) |
| Statement by the Prime Minister of Canada on Yom HaShoah | Prime Minister’s Office | April 23, 2017 | Statement by the Prime Minister of Canada on Yom HaShoah | Prime Minister of Canada (pm.gc.ca) |
| Statement by the Prime Minister of Canada on Yom HaShoah | Prime Minister’s Office |
May 4, 2016 |
Statement by the Prime Minister of Canada on Yom HaShoah | Prime Minister of Canada (pm.gc.ca) |
| Prime Minister announces reappointment of Special Envoy on Preserving Holocaust Remembrance and Combatting Antisemitism | Prime Minister’s Office | November 29, 2021 | Prime Minister announces reappointment of Special Envoy on Preserving Holocaust Remembrance and Combatting Antisemitism | Prime Minister of Canada (pm.gc.ca) |
| Prime Minister announces Special Envoy on Preserving Holocaust Remembrance and Combatting Antisemitism | Prime Minister’s Office | November 25, 2020 | Prime Minister announces Special Envoy on Preserving Holocaust Remembrance and Combatting Antisemitism | Prime Minister of Canada (pm.gc.ca) |
| Statement on Romani Genocide Remembrance Day | Minister of Foreign Affairs | August 2, 2022 | Statement on Romani Genocide Remembrance Day |
| Statement on Romani Genocide Remembrance Day | Minister of Foreign Affairs
Minister of Diversity and Inclusion and Youth |
August 2, 2021 | Statement on Romani Genocide Remembrance Day |
In Canada, police-reported hate crime data indicates that following three consecutive years of decline, hate crimes targeting a religion peaked in 2021, with the number of police-reported hate crimes targeting a given religion rising from 530 in 2020 to 884 in 2021, representing a 67% increase. This finding marked the highest number of hate crimes targeting a religion since comparable data have been recorded. Police-reported hate crimes targeting the Jewish (+47%), Muslim (+71%) and Catholic (+260%) religions were up in 2021 compared with the previous year.
When religious affiliation among Canadians was controlled for through the census, the rate of police-reported hate crimes targeting the Jewish population (145 incidents per 100,000 population) was highest, followed by the Muslim population (8 incidents per 100,000 population) and the Catholic population (1 incident per 100,000 population). Anti-Roma discrimination is underreported in Canada.
The Government of Canada is committed to combatting antisemitism, discrimination and hatred of all kinds. This commitment includes Canada’s Anti-Racism Strategy (2019-2022) which was designed to lay a foundation to tackle systemic racism through immediate actions. Updates to the strategy are underway, as is the first ever National Action Plan on Combatting Hate.
Holocaust remembrance and commemorative events typically involve Holocaust survivors, their descendants, political representatives, and civil society broadly. Holocaust commemorations are carried out by the three major Holocaust museums (Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver) and in other communities, ranging in scale, location, and target audience, but are facilitated in every major Canadian city. These events are often planned and initiated by local federations, Holocaust education centres, and civil society leaders who then invite municipal, provincial, and federal officials to come and make a statement. Commemorative programs are carried out in observance of Yom HaShoah, International Holocaust Remembrance Day, and in some communities Kristallnacht and Raoul Wallenberg Day.
Covid-19 did not prevent commemorative events from taking place with numerous online events and workshops being offered in addition to those produced by the three major Holocaust museums – Montreal, Toronto and Montreal – who collaborated on national on-line commemorations, strengthening the culture of remembrance in Canada. Other communities such as the Calgary Jewish Federation saw the pandemic as an important time to procure innovative intergenerational photographs and testimonial contributions via their project Here to Tell.
Events commemorating the Holocaust are far more common than events commemorating the genocide of the Roma, and no Government-led ceremonies dedicated solely to the Romani Genocide are held, however commemorative events are organized by Roma civil society organizations and Holocaust education Centers or Museums. Events dedicated to the genocide of the Roma have been established in cities with Roma civil society organizations such as Toronto and Montreal.
November marks Holocaust education month or week – depending on location in Canada – a uniquely Canadian offering that allows for students and community members of all ages to listen in an intentional way to the testimony of survivor and participate in unique education workshops on the importance of memory, commemoration, and remembrance.
Please note that the programs listed below contain at least one course offering or more on the Holocaust or the genocide of the Roma.
lease note that due to space constraints the list below is a curation rather than a comprehensive offering of research:
Yes, in 2018, the Azrieli Foundation in partnership with the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany (Claims Conference) commissioned Schoen Consulting to conduct a comprehensive national study of Holocaust knowledge and awareness in Canada.
https://azrielifoundation.org/canadian-holocaust-knowledge-and-awareness-study/
In 2019, the Association d’études canadiennes, Connaissances sur l’Holocauste : les Québécois sont de loin les moins informés.
https://acs-metropolis.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/CvzECNLDixrsm6pnbm…
In 2022, the Association d’études canadiennes, Évaluation des connaissances sur la Seconde Guerre mondiale et l’Holocauste au Québec et dans le reste du Canada. https://acs-metropolis.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/ACS220614FR-Connai…
Please note that it is not possible to provide a comprehensive selection, but the below materials have been curated to provide a flavour of what is being developed and drawn upon in Canada:
In 2020, the Azrieli Foundation conducted a survey on how teachers teach the Holocaust. This survey revealed that a large proportion of teacher are not very confident about the material they utilize to teach about the Holocaust. Additionally, the biggest challenges facing educators are balancing how best to pique the attention and interest of students while delivering age-appropriate content. The full results can be accessed here: https://memoirs.azrielifoundation.org/uploads/TeachersSurvey-REVISED.pdf
In 2021, the organization Liberation 75 “used a pre/post-treatment survey to assess what 3,593 teens across Canada and the United States know and think about the Holocaust and antisemitism.” This report reveals that no Canadian province or territory requires Holocaust education to be a part of their secondary school curriculum with students instead encountering this material for the first time within popular culture. Key statistics include 42% of students interviewed stating that they have “unequivocally witnessed an antisemitic event” with 32.9% stating that they “don’t know what to think about the Holocaust, think the number of Jews who died has been exaggerated, or question whether the Holocaust even happened.” The full results can be accessed here: SURVEY OF NORTH AMERICAN TEENS ON THE HOLOCAUST AND ANTISEMITISM | Liberation75
| Currently listed in International Directory of Holocaust Organizations
database (Y/N) |
Currently listed in European Holocaust Research Infrastructure (EHRI) database
(Y/N) |
Monument/Museum/Archives | Location |
| N | N | Azrieli Holocaust Collection, Concordia University Library | Montréal, Quebec |
| N | N | Beaconsfield Holocaust Memorial (located in Eternal Gardens Cemetery) | Beaconsfield, Quebec |
| N | Y | Canadian Jewish Archives | Montréal, Quebec |
| N | N | Canadian Museum for Human Rights | Winnipeg, Manitoba |
| N | N | Centre for Holocaust Education and Scholarship (CHES) | Ottawa, Ontario |
| N | N | Edmonton Holocaust Memorial (located on the grounds of the Alberta Legislature) | Edmonton, Alberta |
| Y | N | Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Centre for Holocaust Studies | Toronto, Ontario |
| N | Y | Jewish Heritage Centre of Western Canada (encompasses The Freeman Family Foundation Holocaust Education Centre) | Winnipeg, Manitoba |
| Y | N | Liberation 75 | Toronto, Ontario |
| N | Y | Library and Archives Canada (Research Guide to Holocaust-related holdings) | Online guide to Library and Archives Canada holdings about the Holocaust |
| Y | N | Madeleine and Monty Levy Virtual Museum of the Holocaust and the Resistance | Website that draws on holdings of McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario |
| Y | Y | Montréal Holocaust Museum | Montréal, Quebec |
| N | N | National Holocaust Monument | Ottawa, Ontario |
| Y | Y | Neuberger Holocaust Education Centre and Museum | Toronto, Ontario |
| Y | N | The Azrieli Foundation Holocaust Survivor Memoirs Program | Toronto, Ontario |
| Y | N | The Canadian Society for Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial | Earl Bales Park, North York (Toronto), Ontario |
| N | Y | The Jewish Museum and Archives of British Columbia | Vancouver, British Columbia |
| Y | Y | Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre | Vancouver, British Columbia |
| N | N | Victoria Holocaust Memorial (located in The Jewish Cemetery of Victoria) | Victoria, British Columbia |
| N | N | Wheel of Conscience (monument located at The Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21) | Halifax, Nova Scotia |
| N | N | Winnipeg Holocaust Memorial (located on the grounds of the Manitoba Legislature) | Winnipeg, Manitoba |
While there have not been federally led efforts to guide the implementation of the International Memorial Museums Charter, the three major Holocaust museums in Canada (Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver) are aligned with the general principles of the charter, and with best practices and recommendations of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance.
To keep alive the memory of those murdered during the Holocaust and combat both historical distortions and Holocaust denial, Budget 2022 provides $20 million in 2022-23 to the Department of Canadian Heritage to support the construction of the new Holocaust Museum in Montréal; and an investment of $2.5 million for the Sarah and Chaim Neuberger Holocaust Education Centre, which has been approved through the Canada Cultural Spaces Fund and Museum Assistance Program.
| COMMUNITY SUPPORT FOR MULTICULTURALISM AND ANTIRCISM PROGRAM (CSMARI) 2021 | |||
| Organization | Title | Funding Amount | Description |
| FRIENDS OF SIMON WIESENTHAL CENTER FOR HOLOCAUST STUDIES | Facing Forward Together: Youth Perspectives on Diversity and Inclusion in Canada
|
$120, 158 |
|
| THE FOUNDATION FOR GENOCIDE EDUCATION
|
Genocide and Anti-Racism Presentation Program | $50,000
|
|
| FRIENDS OF SIMON WIESENTHAL CENTER FOR HOLOCAUST STUDIES | Speaker’s Idol 2022
|
$27,000 | Speaker’s Idol was a virtual event, held on May 4, 2022, bringing together the general public and students from diverse communities in Canada to discuss human rights issues, from both historical and contemporary contexts, as a means of increasing intercultural understanding and awareness within Canada’s growing multicultural population.
|
| FRIENDS OF SIMON WIESENTHAL CENTER FOR HOLOCAUST STUDIES | Freedom Day 2021 | $13,000 | Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies hosted their Freedom Day 2021 event virtually through Zoom on September 20, 2021. The event brought together the general public and students from diverse communities in Canada to celebrate democratic rights and freedoms.
|
| HISTORICAL FILM STUDIOS CORP | Search Out The Land: The Story of the Jewish Community in Canada | $96,313 | Search Out The Land: The Story of the Jewish Community in Canada
Description: The project explores racism, discrimination and anti-Semitism through the screening of the educational documentary, “Search Out the Land: the Story of the Jewish community of Canada”. The film outlines the history of the Jewish community in Canada and the significant contributions made by this community to Canadian society and culture.
|
| FRIENDS OF SIMON WIESENTHAL CENTER FOR HOLOCAUST STUDIES | Antiracism Education Project
|
$200,000
|
The Anti-Racism Project consists of a series of cross country seminars and workshops that will address the issue of genocide, and the rising tide of racism and discrimination, using the “Tour for Humanity” module and other workshop programs currently employed in Ontario schools. The project will be implemented from July 1, 2017 to March 31, 2019 and may reach over 46,000 people.
|
| ANTI-RACISM ACTION PROGRAM – 2021 | |||
| UNITED JEWISH APPEAL FEDERATION OF TORONTO | Online Hate Research and Education Program | $340,000
|
The project will aim to address online hate by identifying different forms of hate in a variety of internet sites and social media platforms, and by developing strategies to empower young people to respond to the dissemination of hate. |
| LA’AD CANADA FOUNDATION | CARE:Combatting Antisemitism through Research and Education | $154,200
|
The project will focus on inter-community outreach and cultural sensitivity training to public sector employees who are most likely to interact with the Jewish community. |
| THE CENTRE FOR ISRAEL AND JEWISH AFFAIRS
|
United Against Online Hate
|
$172,800 | The project will develop a national coalition to actively combat online hate. As part of this initiative, a two-day virtual Action Summit to Combat Online Hate – organized by the Canadian Coalition to Combat Online Hate – was held on April 14th & April 15th, 2021. The sold out event brought over 180 participants together to discuss topics including: regulating online hate; remedies outside of criminal law for targets of online hate; and public education campaigns to increase awareness of online hate. The Summit included keynote speeches from Katharina von Schnurbein, European Commission Coordinator on Combating Antisemitism, and the Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Canadian Heritage, and Martin Luther King III.
|
| CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY
|
Canada Task Force on Online Antisemitism | $140,000
|
The project aims to help large social media and tech companies develop new policies and technological solutions with the goal of to fight anti-Semitism, Holocaust denial and online distortion. The project will set up a task force comprised of six eminent Canadians who will help guide the project, build a strong network of experts and provide practical advice on combating online anti-Semitism. A group of international experts will participate in a virtual roundtable to discuss current trends of online antisemitism in order to better understand the Canadian context.
|
| RYERSON UNIVERSITY | Media Bias and Under-represented Groups | $250,000 | The project aims to address systemic barriers through its Diversity Assessment Tool (DAT). The project is designed to examine media bias against Black, Indigenous, Jewish, and Muslim communities, barriers to employment in the media sector, and the consequent underrepresentation of these communities in the media sector. |
| Total funding in last 4 years | $1,057,000 | ||
| Name of the Statement | Body Who Issued the Statement | Date Statement was Made | Link |
| Statement by the Prime Minister on Armenian Genocide Memorial Day | Prime Minister’s Office | April 24, 2022 | Statement by the Prime Minister on Armenian Genocide Memorial Day |
| Statement by the Prime Minister on Armenian Genocide Memorial Day | Prime Minister’s Office | April 24, 2021 | Statement by the Prime Minister on Armenian Genocide Memorial Day |
| Statement by the Prime Minister on Armenian Genocide Memorial Day | Prime Minister’s Office | April 24, 2020 | Statement by the Prime Minister on Armenian Genocide Memorial Day |
| Statement by the Prime Minister on Armenian Genocide Memorial Day | Prime Minister’s Office | April 24, 2019 | Statement by the Prime Minister in observation of Armenian Genocide Memorial Day |
| Statement by the Prime Minister on the 25th commemoration of the Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda | Prime Minister’s Office | April 7, 2019 | Statement by the Prime Minister on the 25th commemoration of the Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda |
| Statement by the Prime Minister of Canada on Holodomor Memorial Day | Prime Minister’s Office | November 23, 2021 | Statement by the Prime Minister of Canada on Holodomor Memorial Day |
| Statement by the Prime Minister of Canada on Holodomor Memorial Day | Prime Minister’s Office | November 23, 2020 | Statement by the Prime Minister of Canada on Holodomor Memorial Day |
| Statement by the Prime Minister of Canada on Holodomor Memorial Day | Prime Minister’s Office | November 23, 2019 | Statement by the Prime Minister of Canada on Holodomor Memorial Day |
| Statement by the Prime Minister of Canada on Holodomor Memorial Day | Prime Minister’s Office | November 23, 2018 | Statement by the Prime Minister of Canada on Holodomor Memorial Day |
| Statement by the Prime Minister of Canada on Holodomor Memorial Day | Prime Minister’s Office | November 23, 2017 | Statement by the Prime Minister of Canada on Holodomor Memorial Day |
The Remembering Hilda Dajč Award recognizes invaluable contributions to meaningful collective remembrance that encourage social responsibility and a better future.
These guidelines offer a single tool for identifying relevant documentation for Holocaust research, remembrance and education.
L’Alliance internationale pour la mémoire de l’Holocauste (IHRA) rassemble des gouvernements et des experts dans le but de renforcer et de promouvoir l’éducation, le travail de mémoire et la recherche sur l’Holocauste et de mettre en œuvre les engagements de la déclaration de Stockholm de 2000.