SENATORS’ STATEMENTS — Holocaust Survivors

Honourable senators, today it is a privilege to welcome to this chamber a remarkable group of guests from Montreal: survivors who bear living witness to the Holocaust and who carry its truth forward. Hearing their stories, in their own words, is something that will always be seared into my memory.

Some remember with painful clarity what they endured. Some were born in labour camps across Europe. One was worn in Auschwitz. Others described looking down the barrel of a gun, waiting to be shot by a Nazi patrol in Germany.

Others, too young to remember, know the Holocaust through the life it left them, with parents stolen from them too soon, left crippled or left unable to speak of the horrors they endured.

One common thread that runs through all their stories is that they are survivors of the most unthinkable evils committed during the systemic persecution and genocide of 6 million Jews by the Nazi regime, an evil that was allowed to go unchecked for far too long because far too many chose to look away.

Everything these remarkable people went on to accomplish in their lives is a testament to the strength of the human spirit. Many came to Canada seeking refuge and gave back far more than they received. In Montreal, they helped establish businesses, synagogues, hospitals and schools, and they raised families. They became pillars of the city where I grew up. Montreal is a better place because of them.

Colleagues, with each year, there are fewer survivors with us. The window of time in which we can hear their stories in their own words is closing. That is why this visit today matters so much.

Their testimony is not simply history; it is a warning. I also think of what this moment must feel like for them, having witnessed the worst of humanity. I can’t imagine they ever thought they would see October 7, the deadliest single-day massacre of Jews since the Holocaust, and I doubt they imagined they would again have to face anti-Semitism in the very neighbourhoods that once sheltered them here in Canada.

The fear many of them feel today is real. It is a fear they should never have had to feel again — not in Canada.

Let us honour them, not only with our gratitude and respect but with our resolve. We owe it to them to listen to their stories and meaningfully commit to confronting hatred with action and not just words. “Never again” is a promise, and keeping it is our responsibility.

I want to thank Tanya Toledano, city councillor for Dollard-des-Ormeaux, and all the volunteers with them today for making this visit to this chamber possible. I want to thank Her Honour for being gracious enough to receive them. I also want to thank Senator Moreau, who also participated today, as well as Senators Simons, Patterson, Quinn, K. Wells, Adler, Francis and MP Baber. Thank you, all.

To our guests, thank you for having the courage to share your stories with us and for all that you have contributed to this great country. We hear you, we honour you and we will keep your stories alive.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.