Remembering the Past and Building a Future Free from Hate: Holocaust Remembrance Day 2026 

On the 81st anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, the Canadian Race Relations Foundation (CRRF) marks International Holocaust Remembrance Day by reaffirming our commitment to confronting antisemitism and strengthening the rights and safety of Jewish people in Canada. 

Today, we remember the six million Jewish lives taken in the Holocaust, as well as the survivors, and all who resisted persecution. Their stories remind us how fragile democracy can be and how important it is to remember the past so we do not repeat it. They also remind us that even in the darkest moments, hope and action can endure. 

These reminders carry weight today, as antisemitism continues to persist in Canada. 

From 2020 to 2024, the number of police-reported hate crimes against Jewish people increased by 178%. Frequent acts of vandalism at synagogues, Jewish schools and community centres across the country remind us that the fight against antisemitism is far from over.  

Through the National Hate Crimes Task Force and the Combatting Hate Hub, the CRRF works to address antisemitism and other forms of hate by training law enforcement and Crown prosecutors, working with governments at all levels across the country, building partnerships with communities and supporting dialogue, research and public education. We bring together police, legal experts, and academics to identify gaps in investigations, provide support to victims, collect data, and enhance training. This work has led to new national tools that help create a more consistent and victim-centred approach to responding to hate crimes.  We also continue to support Jewish community organizations across Canada to strengthen connection and dialogue and counter hate, including, most recently, Breaking Challah // Building Bridges events in Halifax through our National Anti-Racism Fund. 

We stand with Jewish people in Canada, with Holocaust survivors, and with all marginalized communities. In remembering the Holocaust and continuing to take concrete action to combat antisemitism in this country, we choose hope, strengthened by sustained, substantive collaboration, for a Canada shaped by greater safety, mutual support, and collective well‑being.