How was Canada involved in the Holocaust?

Answer 1

Canada's attitude was to be indifferent. Canada even sent back a ship full of Jewish refugees that were trying to escape from Europe. As a Canadian I am not very proud of that moment in our history.

Answer 2

Canada's attitude was to be indifferent. Canada even sent back a ship full of Jewish refugees that were trying to escape from Europe. As a Canadian I am not very proud of that moment in our history.

Thanks,

Gabriel Jones

Answer 3

"They were a part of the Allies which jointly defeated the Nazis ending the Holocaust." This is a very simplistic and not very accurate understanding of Canada's, and indeed most of the western world's, reaction to the treatment of Jews by Nazi Germany. European Jews lived under varying amounts of discrimination - from civil equality in France and Germany, to restrictions on movement and even occupation in Poland and Russia. Canada placed Jews on the "undesirable" list of potential immigrants, along with other non-caucasion ethnic groups, and would only allow entry to those willing to take on tasks such as railway building. Canada continued it's racist policies through to the eve of war, when at 1938's Evian Conference (held to discuss the problem of Jewish refugees fleeing Nazi Germany) it refused further Jewish Immigration. (This is interesting, considering the argument that Jews were somehow covertly controlling governments through their "International Conspiracy".) The story of the SS St. Laurent is an interesting example not only of Canada's lack of compassion, but that of most other Western nations towards the plight of the Jewish people of Germany. The reasoning behind the refusal of Jewish emigres wasn't solely racist - the depression had residents concerned about losing their jobs to lower-cost labour, resources were not readily available for a large influx of new Canadians, and US isolationist policies to the problems of Europe were finding a foothold on this side of the border. However, race was undoubtedly the primary issue. Canadian involvement in WW2 was precipitated by German aggression against it's neighbouring states and England's promise to defend them, not by any moral or ethical principle concerning the Jewish people. In fact, Canada had one of the worst records of any of the refugee receiving countries, admitting only 5,000 Jews during the war itself. It was only after the discovery of actual death camps, the crematoriums and gas chambers and the stories of the survivors did Canada open it's doors, albeit reluctantly, towards Jewish immigration.