The Hon. Andrew Scheer, the Leader of Canada’s Conservatives, issues statement on Black Ribbon Day

AUGUST
23, 2019

FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE

OTTAWA, ON – Andrew Scheer, Leader of the Conservative Party of Canada and Leader of the Official Opposition, issued the following statement on Black Ribbon Day, the National Day of Remembrance for the Victims of Communism and Nazism in Europe:

“Today, communities across Canada and around the world will take part in ceremonies to mark Black Ribbon Day, a day of tribute to the millions of innocent victims of Communism and Nazism in Europe.

“Established in
2009 by a unanimous decision of the House of Commons, Black Ribbon Day
commemorates the signing of the infamous Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. Orchestrated
eighty years ago between the Soviet and National Socialist regimes, this secret
agreement divided Europe into spheres of influence and resulted in the suffering,
humiliation, and death of millions of innocent victims.

On September 1,
1939, Nazi Germany invaded Poland from the West, provoking the outbreak of
World War II, and then an equally brutal invasion by the Soviet Union in the
East followed two weeks later.

“Stalin’s secret
agreement with Hitler allowed the Nazis to perpetrate the Holocaust, while the
Soviets invaded several other independent sovereign nations and sent many
innocent men and women to forced-labour camps, also known as gulags.

“Following the
end of the war, the Nazi regime was destroyed, but the Soviet regime survived
and spread its terror across the eastern half of Europe for decades. It was not
finally stopped until the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.

“Many of those fleeing Soviet communist
persecution and oppression made Canada their home. Often arriving alone
and with little means, these remarkably strong-willed and hard-working
individuals made incredible contributions to our society.

“We
must strongly condemn any whitewashing of the atrocities committed by the Nazi
and Soviet regimes, and the spread of hate, propaganda, and disinformation.

“On behalf of the Conservative Party of Canada and Official Opposition, I
commend those organizing and participating in Black Ribbon Day observances
today. I join with you in remembering the victims of Soviet and Nazi terror in
Europe. It is our duty to educate future generations about the atrocities of
the past in order to ensure that these murderous ideologies never have a chance
to rise again.”

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For more information, please contact:

Julie Pham

(613) 947-9932

Julie.Pham@parl.gc.ca

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The Hon. Andrew Scheer, the Leader of Canada’s Conservatives, issues statement on Black Ribbon Day