Yad Vashem Urges Canadian Government to Reconsider Withholding List of 900 Alleged Former Nazis and Collaborators who Fled Post-War Europe to Canada

Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center in Jerusalem, urges the Canadian government to reconsider its decision and release the names of 900 alleged former Nazis and collaborators who fled post-war Europe to Canada after World War II. The names and other relevant archival information of alleged perpetrators appear in the second part of the 1986 Commission of Inquiry on War Criminals in Canada, led by retired Superior Court of Quebec Judge Jules Deschênes. Historical information such as this must be made accessible to the public and a decision to withhold undermines the principles of historical transparency and accountability that are essential in addressing the dark chapters of the Holocaust.

Documentation and research pertaining to the crimes of the Holocaust must remain accessible to ensure that the memory of the millions of victims is honored and that the atrocities committed are never forgotten.

Confronting the past can be uncomfortable, but it is a necessary step toward purging the fundamental root causes of these crimes and help create a better and brighter future.