FSWC Curriculum Connections

By: Kim Quinn, FSWC Educator

B3.5 describe the responses of the Canadian government to human rights violations during the Holocaust.

With the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948, the United Nations and its allies agreed to the creation and promotion of a world in which all humans receive full safety, dignity, and freedom. Dedicated legal and human rights experts worked on the Declaration for several years; the foremost author and expert on the early draft and final product was Canadian John Peters Humphrey.

Canada’s role in the creation and signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights helped ensure the charter would see publication. The Declaration affirmed, for the first time in history, the recognition and condemnation of genocide. It firmly pronounced the rights of all humans to existence, self-expression, and the right to declare and celebrate identity and community. For victims of atrocities early in the 20^th century – the Armenian Genocide and Holodomor, to the Holocaust, and the Algerian war – the Declaration allowed them both space to recognize the grievous harm done to them, and affirmed that there would be those who would stand alongside them and other victims, to ensure this would never happen again.

If you wish further information on Canadian’s role in the creation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and other resources regarding Jewish history in Canada, the education team at FSWC is compiling an online database for educators, to provide source materials and information to support the new Ontario Social Studies curriculum. Please check future FSWC updates for more.

Resources:

Universal Declaration of Human Rights Document

Schabas, William A. “Canada and the Adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.”

The John Peters Humphrey Society of Canada.