Holocaust Education Should Be Mandatory in Grade 6 Across Canada
To mark Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, Liberation75 announced it is urgently calling for Holocaust and antisemitism education to be mandatory learning for students in Grade 6 in every province and territory.
With antisemitism at an all-time high, it is more important now than ever to educate all Canadians – especially children – about the history of the Holocaust and the importance of fighting antisemitism, hate, and discrimination. A study conducted by Liberation75 at the beginning of 2024 found that almost 40 percent of the over 9,000 Ontario Grade 6 students surveyed have unequivocally seen or heard something that they thought was antisemitic, and almost 50 percent think that when antisemitism occurs in Ontario , it’s a big problem that needs urgent attention.
Antisemitism is reaching a crisis level in Canada with schools reporting the greatest number of incidents occurring in Grades 6 to 8.
“The stories of the Holocaust teach kids about what happens when hate goes unchecked and they don’t stand up for each other. It teaches them to be good citizens. But kids can only learn from the past if they are taught it,” says Marilyn Sinclair , founder of Holocaust education organization Liberation75. “Ontario implemented Holocaust education in Grade 6 last year and it has been a tremendous success. This tells us that we need mandatory Holocaust and antisemitism education in Grade 6 in every province and territory.”
A new campaign by Liberation75 – Young
Again/Never Again – uses A.I. technology to bring Holocaust survivors back to their younger selves to tell the powerful stories of what they lived through. The video and ad campaign calls on Ministers of Education to make Holocaust education mandatory in all schools starting in Grade 6 and will be used as a learning tool for teachers. The Holocaust survivors featured in Young Again/Never Again hope that students will learn from the mistakes of the past and protect freedom and democracy for all Canadians.In September 2023 , Ontario was the first in Canada to add Holocaust and antisemitism education to the Grade 6 curriculum and will add it to the Grade 10 curriculum in 2025. Additionally, Holocaust education will become mandatory in Grade 7 in New Brunswick in 2024, and in Grade 10 in British Columbia , Yukon , and Saskatchewan , starting in 2025. In Nova Scotia , it is already part of the Grade 8 curriculum. Alberta and Manitoba have committed to mandatory Holocaust education but are still determining the details. Quebec , Newfoundland , Prince Edward Island , Northwest Territories , and Nunavut have yet to make a commitment or announcement.