On June 24th, 2009, Canada became the 27th member of the Task Force for International Cooperation on Holocaust Education, Remembrance, and Research (ITF) at the organization’s plenary session in Oslo, Norway. Initiated in 1998, the ITF is a coalition of governments, as well as governmental and non-governmental organizations, whose purpose is to build support behind the need for Holocaust education, remembrance, and research both nationally and internationally. Members must be committed to the implementation of national policies and programs in support of Holocaust education, remembrance and research expressed in the 2000 Stockholm Declaration (http://www.holocausttaskforce.org).
"Membership in this important body provides Canada with an opportunity to work internationally to combat racism and anti-Semitism," said Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney upon Canada’s acceptance into the ITF. "This Government believes it is critically important to be engaged in efforts to teach future generations the lessons of the Holocaust and help prevent future acts of genocide" (http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/department/media/releases/2009/2009-06-24a.asp).
Achieving ITF membership represents the culmination of more than two years of work and relationship-building with stakeholders at the international, federal, provincial/territorial, institutional and NGO levels. As an ITF member, Canada has the opportunity to demonstrate its leadership in the areas of human rights education and combating racism, including anti-Semitism. To be eligible for membership, Canada was asked to complete a comprehensive study on the state of Holocaust education, remembrance and research in Canada, and to undertake a major project in partnership with ITF member nations. This project took the form of a conference, in partnership with the United States and France, on Holocaust issues in the Canadian context. The conference, held in Toronto on June 1-2, 2009, was entitled The St. Louis Era: Looking Back, Moving Forward. Funded through Citizenship and Immigration Canada’s Community Historical Recognition Program (CHRP) and organized by the League for Human Rights of B’nai Brith (B’nai Brith Canada), it brought together nearly 200 survivors, international experts, government officials, academics, educators and others in a discussion of the many complex themes that flow from Canada’s restrictive immigration policy during World War II. It underlined a time in Canadian history when this country excluded refugees seeking sanctuary from Nazi persecution, as in the case of the M.S. St. Louis – a ship carrying Jewish refugees from pre-World War II Germany that was refused entry to Canada. The discriminatory policies and practices of that era were examined, specifically in terms of how best to educate future generations about the Holocaust and its linkages to Canada, as well as the challenges of combating anti-Semitism and racial hatred in society today. For more information, and to download conference audio recordings, please visit http://www.stlouis2009conference.ca.
At the conference, Minister Kenney also announced funding toward the creation of the National Task Force on Holocaust Research, Remembrance and Education. B’nai Brith Canada received funding for a three-year project to sensitize Canadians to the dangers of institutionalized anti-Semitism, prejudice and racism. As a contribution to Canada’s on-going involvement in national and international Holocaust studies and education, B’nai Brith Canada will also produce cutting-edge research to better understand the M.S. St. Louis incident and the historical context in which it occurred, as well as educational materials for educators and high school students. (http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/department/media/releases/2009/2009-06-01.asp)
The Government of Canada also participated in the Holocaust Era Assets Conference from June 26-30, 2009 in Prague, Czech Republic. The conference was a follow-up to the 1998 Washington Conference on Holocaust-Era Assets, which addressed issues relating to art restitution and archives. This conference also sought to encourage action in the additional areas of immovable property restitution, Judaica and Jewish cultural property restitution and the social welfare needs of Holocaust survivors and other victims of Nazi persecution. At the conclusion of the Prague Conference, Canada and 45 other participating nations adopted by consensus the Terezin Declaration on Holocaust-Era Assets and Related Issues.
Application
2000 – Canada sends a delegation to the Stockholm International Forum on the Holocaust, but does not formally join the International Task Force
2007 – The Honourable Jason Kenney, Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism, is given a mandate to seek membership in the International Task Force in a letter sent to him by The Right Honourable Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada.
Minister Kenney serves as Head of Delegation and expresses a keen interest in remaining as Head of Delegation through the application process. This differs from many other delegations, who have their resident ambassador in the host country serve as head.
Canada enters the “Liaison” phase of the application process, partnering with France and the United States of America on an international level, and domestically involving the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Council of Ministers for Education, Canada (CMEC) stakeholders such as Yad Vashem, Canadian Jewish Congress, and B’nai Brith Canada, and the four Holocaust Centres (Vancouver, Winnipeg, Toronto, and Montreal). At this time, Canada also identifies other relevant stakeholders, including national museums such as the War Museum, and the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, and university-based programs at schools such as St. Thomas, McMaster, Toronto, Ryerson, and Concordia.
2009 – To meet the requirements for full membership, two preliminary stages must be completed – the observer stage, and the liaison stage. In order to obtain its full membership, Canada has completes three tasks:
- Membership baseline study (February, 2009)
- Liaison project (June 1-2, 2009)
- Membership application for review at the International Task Force plenary in Oslo (June 22-25, 2009)
Membership Baseline Study
This study provides an outline of the status of current Holocaust initiatives in education, remembrance and research in Canada. It is expected that this study will need an update to provide more details as Canada expands the parameters of its involvement in these areas through the National Task Force on Holocaust Education, Remembrance and Research.
The full text of the Baseline Study will be made available on this site shortly.
Liaison Project
For its liaison project, the Canadian government partnered with the League for Human Rights of B’nai Brith Canada to host a conference entitled The St. Louis Era: Looking Back, Moving Forward. This conference invited the participation of its liaison partners, France and the United States, who sent members of their delegations to the ITF to present papers, facilitate sessions, and be generally available for questions about the international body.
The conference takes as its lynchpin the doomed voyage of the MS St. Louis, the 70th anniversary of which was marked between May 13th and June 6th of 2009. Discussions of Holocaust education in Canada, issues of immigration and integration, and academic research on topics of relevance to the nascent National Task Force on Holocaust Education, Remembrance and Research play a central role, and participation is encouraged from government, academics, representatives of NGOs, Holocaust centre staff, educators, survivors, and interested members of the public.
Proceedings of this successful conference are available online at www.stlouis2009conference.ca
Full membership
Canada’s formal application for full membership took place at the June plenary meeting of the International Task Force in Oslo. The presentation of the Canadian delegation included print materials, multimedia presentations, and a speech from the Honourable Jason Kenney, Head of Delegation.
Canada was accepted as a full member and looks forward to continuing to support the work of the International Task Force.
Members of the Canadian delegation are:
The Honourable Jason Kenney, Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism, Government of Canada; Head of Delegation
Ambassador Jillian Stirk, Canadian Ambassador to Norway, Department of Foreign Affairs, Government of Canada; Deputy Head of Delegation
Professor Frank Bialystok, Chair, Candian Jewish Congress – Ontario Region; Centre for Jewish Studies, University of Toronto; Education Working Group
Mary Farrell, Director, Policy Partnerships and Engagement, Citizenship and Immigration Canada, Government of Canada
Professor Alain Goldschläger, Director, Holocaust Literature Research Institute, University of Western Ontario; Ontario Chair, League for Human Rights of B’nai Brith Canada; Academic Working Group
Alice Herscovitch, Executive Director, Montreal Holocaust Memorial Centre; Education Working Group
Frieda Miller, Executive Director, Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre; Memorials and Museums Working Group
Julia Smith, Senior Policy Advisor, Multiculturalism Branch, Citizenship and Immigration Canada, Government of Canada
Dr. Kori Street, Chair, Bissett School of Business, Mount Royal College; Communications Working Group
For more information about Canada's role in the ITF, please visit http://www.cic.gc.ca/multi/holocaust-eng.asp.
For more information about the ITF, please visit www.holocausttaskforce.org. |