Statement from Ontario PC Leader Patrick Brown on International Holocaust Remembrance Day

“Today, we mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day, which commemorates the victims of the Shoah, on the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the German Nazi concentration and extermination camp (1940-1945).
Six million Jews perished in the Holocaust. At the death camp in Auschwitz-Birkenau alone, more than a million individuals, mostly Jews, were murdered in gas chambers. Others who were killed included members of the Polish resistance and members of minority groups. The evil actions of the Nazis in carrying out their horrific campaign to annihilate millions is a terrible reminder to the darkness that fell upon humanity.

Even in those dark times, there were occasions of light, including by Raoul Wallenberg and many courageous individuals around the world who worked bravely to save others.
It is our solemn duty to remember the victims and those who resisted, honour those who fought the Nazis, and not forget this moment in history. We can do this by renewing our recognition of the dignity and value of every human being. Let us have the courage to protect the persecuted, the strength to defend the vulnerable, and the resolve to ensure this does not happen again.
On this day, I join with all who are marking this occasion in our province, in the State of Israel, and around the world to never forget.”