Apology and funding for Jewish internees
Petitioners ask the Prime Minister to apologize in the House for Canada’s WWII internment of Jewish refugees and to fund education and commemoration initiatives. The government responds it will consider the apology and notes existing programs.
Why we would sign this petition
- An official apology would acknowledge and validate internees’ suffering, supporting healing and historical accountability.
- Funded education and commemoration would preserve memory, teach students about wartime injustices, and help counter modern antisemitism.
- Targeted funding could support plaques, school outreach, university courses, nonprofit refugee services, graves upkeep and exhibits the petition requests.
Why we wouldn’t sign this petition
- Implementing and funding the proposed programs would require public resources and may compete with other budget priorities.
- The government already notes existing remembrance and anti‑racism programs; new initiatives might duplicate or overlap current efforts.
- An apology may be seen as symbolic without reparations or measurable outcomes; some may prefer alternative policy responses.
The summary and both sets of reasons are AI-generated from the petition and given equal weight. Claims are the petitioners’ own; consult the official record for the full text.
Official petition
Petition to the House of Commons in Parliament assembled Jewish refugees were unjustly interned in Canada during World War II; Subjected to harsh conditions that violated the Geneva Convention, and sentenced to solitary confinement arbitrarily; Due to antisemitic immigration policies, many were incarcerated for three additional years; More than a third of interned Jewish refugees were Holocaust survivors of Nazi prisons where many had been tortured. Many were re-traumatized by barbed wire, guard towers with machine guns and fixed bayonets, resulting in psychological trauma; and Jewish refugees made major contributions in law, science, business, the arts and medicine. As well as two Nobel Prizes, Jewish refugees were awarded nine Orders of Canada. We, the undersigned, Children, descendants and friends of internees, and supporters of justice and human rights, call upon the Government of Canada to 1. Implore the Prime Minister of Canada to apologize in the House of Commons on behalf of the Government of Canada for the unjust internment of Jewish refugees; and 2. Fund programs to increase awareness of Canada’s treatment of interned Jewish refugees during World War II and to counter the antisemitism which engendered those policies and which is currently on the rise again. This education initiative should include: funding for historical plaques to commemorate the nine internment prisons, outreach programs in high schools, funding for university courses on civilian internment and the roots of antisemitism, funding for non-profits that provide services to refugees, funding to maintain the gravesites of two Jewish refugees who died in custody, a documentary video, funding for school field trips to the sites of internment prisons, and an exhibit of photos, artwork and crafts made by the internees. 1. Implore the Prime Minister of Canada to apologize in the House of Commons on behalf of the Government of Canada for the unjust internment of Jewish refugees; and 2. Fund programs to increase awareness of Canada’s treatment of interned Jewish refugees during World War II and to counter the antisemitism which engendered those policies and which is currently on the rise again. This education initiative should include: funding for historical plaques to commemorate the nine internment prisons, outreach programs in high schools, funding for university courses on civilian internment and the roots of antisemitism, funding for non-profits that provide services to refugees, funding to maintain the gravesites of two Jewish refugees who died in custody, a documentary video, funding for school field trips to the sites of internment prisons, and an exhibit of photos, artwork and crafts made by the internees.
Government response
Response by the Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture and Minister responsible for Official Languages Signed by The Honourable Marc Miller The Government would like to thank the petitioners for expressing their concerns regarding the Jewish refugees interned in Canada during the Second World War. In the context of remembrance and accountability, Canada has previously acknowledged related historical wrongs, including the 2018 apology delivered in the House of Commons by the Prime Minister at the time for the refusal to admit Jewish refugees who were aboard the MS St. Louis. That apology addressed the broader context of exclusionary immigration policies at the time, including antisemitism, which contributed to the wrongful internment of Jewish refugees and, for many, to their continued and unjustified incarceration. That said, the Government acknowledges the petition request for an apology for the unjust internment of Jewish refugees in particular, and notes that it will take the request into consideration alongside efforts to address contemporary forms of antisemitism. The Multiculturalism and Anti-Racism Program, along with the National Holocaust Remembrance Program, already support certain types of initiatives described in the petition. Through the Projects and Events components, the Multiculturalism and Anti-Racism Program funds initiatives that increase awareness of the historical experiences of racialized and religious communities, including Jewish communities in Canada; foster understanding of the impacts of discrimination; and promote intercultural dialogue and address and prevent racism and hate in Canada. Eligible activities include, but are not limited to: mentorships and internships; skills development initiatives; development of new learning materials, tools and training sessions; network and partnership development initiatives; leadership and volunteerism initiatives; knowledge sharing initiatives; meetings and workshops; and development of new programs, policies, and services responsive to diversity, or combatting racism and discrimination. The National Holocaust Remembrance Program further complements these efforts by supporting initiatives that specifically seek to preserve the memory of the Holocaust and help improve Canadians' understanding and awareness of the Holocaust and contemporary antisemitism.