Ottawa, ON – The Hon. Pierre Poilievre, Leader of the Conservative Party of Canada and the Official Opposition, released the following statement on Jewish Heritage Month:
“Every May, Canadians join hands with their Jewish neighbours to celebrate Jewish Heritage Month. Jewish Canadians will commemorate the Shoah and celebrate the establishment of a Jewish state in their ancestral homeland. These two occasions, more than being significant to the Jewish community, are symbolic of the Jewish people’s story of resilience.
“Jews have been here since the earliest days of Canada. Early immigrants, Ashkenazi, Sephardi, Mizrachi, and many Holocaust survivors and their descendants all made Canada their home, a place where they are able to live and practice freely.
“Some of Canada’s greatest minds have been Jewish immigrants or their descendants. Leonard Cohen, one of the greatest Canadian musicians of all time; “Honest Ed” Mirvish, who founded a landmark discount store and worked hard to revitalize the arts and theatre scene in Toronto; Barbara Frum, one of Canada’s most well-known and well-respected journalists, just to name a few.
“Today, we are blessed to have one of the world’s largest Jewish diaspora communities, numbering almost 400,000 Canadians of Jewish descent. Together, they have built synagogues and community centers that are the cornerstones of Jewish life in Canada and businesses and charitable organizations that stand as pillars of our communities.
“Unfortunately, since October 7th, we have seen many of these Jewish spaces targeted with violence and vandalism. Now more than ever, it is our duty to stand up to this hatred and drive out antisemitism wherever we encounter it.
“Today and every day, Conservatives stand with the Jewish people. This Jewish Heritage Month, we honour the incredible strength that has sustained the Jewish community through past hardships and vow to ensure that Canada remains a place where Jews are free to live, worship and pray in peace and security.”