Minister Marcelino's Statement on Holocaust Memorial Day

Ministerial Statement on Holocaust Memorial Day

Mr. Speaker, today, Monday, April 12, 2010, we join people from all over the world to observe Yom Hashoah or Holocaust Memorial Day. This day is dedicated to the memory of the six million Jewish people and the millions of other victims who were murdered in Nazi death camps during World War II.

On May 1, 2000, Manitoba's Legislative Assembly unanimously passed Bill 19, the Holocaust Memorial act. We recognized then, as we recognize now, that such a dark period in our history can never be forgotten. Though the events and locations of the Holocaust seem distant, the names that appear on the monument here on the legislative grounds remind us of the Canadian victims who perished. We must also be cognizant that there are thousands of relatives of Holocaust survivors who bear the loss of their family every single day.

Holocaust Memorial Day is not only a day of remembrance, it is also a day which allows us to look at the world in which we live and recognize that many people are still being persecuted because of their ethnicity or religion.

Eli Wiesel, a survivor of Auschwitz said: Wherever men and women are persecuted because of their race, religion or political views, that place must, at that moment, become the centre of the universe.

As Manitobans, we have shared a responsibility to stand up against these grave injustices around the world and ensure that such a tragic event is never repeated.

Mr. Speaker, I ask that all members observe a moment of silence in memory of those whom we lost during the Holocaust, and for those who continue to suffer in our world today.

Thank you.

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