Government of Canada Supports National Task Force on Holocaust Research, Remembrance and Education

TORONTO, ONTARIO, Jun 01 (MARKET WIRE) --
The Government of Canada will partner with B'nai Brith Canada to invest
in the newly formed National Task Force on Holocaust Research,
Remembrance and Education.

Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney
announced the three-year agreement this morning while speaking at a
conference entitled The St. Louis Era: Looking Back, Moving Forward.

"I am happy to announce today that the Government of Canada, through its
Community Historical Recognition Program (CHRP), will contribute $984,500
to assist in the development and operation of the National Task Force on
Holocaust Research, Remembrance and Education," Minister Kenney said.
"The League for Human Rights of B'nai Brith Canada is a leader in the
field of Holocaust education and is ideally suited to take on this
important task."

In the first year of the agreement, funding will be directed towards the
costs of the St. Louis conference itself and the initial launching of the
National Task Force on Holocaust Research, Remembrance and Education
(NTF). This centralized body, operating under the auspices of B'nai Brith
Canada, will bring together scholars, legal experts and educators with
Holocaust survivors and Jewish community stakeholders in an effort to
share and enhance the important Holocaust research and educational work
being done in Canada.

During the second and third years of the agreement, the NTF will conduct
a more extensive study of the M.S. St. Louis incident, which saw a ship
carrying Jewish passengers from Germany refused refuge in North America
on the eve of the Second World War. In addition, the NTF will develop and
publish educational resources, including a teacher's manual, a textbook
designed for secondary school students and a DVD documentary, and provide
training for educators who teach about the Holocaust.

"We applaud the Government of Canada for its vital recognition of the
need to further Holocaust education in this country and for putting our
nation on the world map in this field of study," said Frank Dimant, B'nai
Brith Canada's Executive Vice-President. "We are pleased to partner with
the Government in the launch of the National Task Force on Holocaust
Research, Remembrance and Education, which will ensure Canada's place as
a global centre for advancing Holocaust research and a base from which
scholars and community experts can network and interact with each other."

Support for the conference and the NTF advances the Government of
Canada's effort to achieve full membership in the Task Force for
International Cooperation on Holocaust Education, Remembrance and
Research (ITF). Canada's application for full membership will be
presented at the ITF's plenary session later this month in Oslo, Norway.

"By seeking full membership, Canada is committing to act and to support
the Task Force's efforts to engage all people, teach future generations
the lessons of the Holocaust and help prevent future acts of genocide,"
Minister Kenney explained, adding, "Canada will continue to ensure the
memory of the Holocaust is never lost."

The CHRP was announced in June 2006 as part of the Government of Canada's
comprehensive historical recognition programming. The CHRP funds
community-based commemorative and educational projects that recognize the
experiences of communities affected by historical wartime measures and/or
immigration restrictions applied in Canada and that promote the
contributions of these communities to building this country. Eligible
projects can include monuments, commemorative plaques, educational
materials and exhibits.

Contacts:
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
Alykhan Velshi
Minister's Office
Alykhan.Velshi@cic.gc.ca

Citizenship and Immigration Canada
Media Relations Unit
Communications Branch
613-952-1650
CIC-Media-Relations@cic.gc.ca

B'nai Brith Canada
Karen Lazar
National Director of Communications
416-633-6224 X 140 office
416-312-9173 cell
klazar@bnaibrith.ca

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