How the Holocaust Was Significant to Canadians

Although Canada did not directly experience the Holocaust completely, there was still many consequences and impacts felt from the tragedy. For example, Canada’s restrictive immigration policies during World War 2 as well as the fact that some of the Nazi propaganda had spread to us caused us to be indirectly involved with the Holocaust with the M.S. St. Louis being turned away with around 900 Jewish people being on the boat and many of them later dying or being put into camps in the holocaust. Also, here in Canada due to the wartime policies in 1940 to 1943, many Jewish immigrants were forced into camps (around 2000 of them) and labelled as enemies or illegal aliens. 

We also helped liberate some of the survivors of the camps of the Holocaust, with around 900 Dutch Jews being freed from the Westerbork Transit Camp in the Netherlands in April 1945. After the war had ended, around 40000 Holocaust survivors settled down in Canada and that helped to shape our country to be how accepting it is today. Although we didn’t have our greatest moments during the wartime of the Holocaust, today we still honor, remember and continue the fight against Racism, Antisemitism, and general discrimination as best we can here in Canada. We also led the development of a Protocol on Combating Antisemitism which will help many other nations track their progress in the battle against discrimination and Antisemitism. In 2011, Canada had become the first country to sign the protocol.

In my opinion, the Holocaust was significant to Canadians because it showed us that even though our past was not the brightest, and we were not as accepting as we are today it helped grow us as a country and teach people that in a way we are all alike and to be accepting of one another regardless of race, gender, religion, nationality etc.