The Manitoba government is committed to ensuring the tragedy of the Holocaust will never be forgotten through a new partnership with the Jewish Heritage Centre of Western Canada, Premier Wab Kinew and Education and Early Childhood Learning Minister Tracy Schmidt announced on Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day.
"We are one Manitoba that cannot be divided by hatred," said Kinew. "Now more than ever, we must honour the diversity and inclusivity in our province and commit to learning the lessons of history so that they cannot be repeated. Learning lessons from the past protects some of the intrinsic values of our province - diversity, inclusion and human rights. The best way to uphold that basic understanding is to help foster these values in our young people."
Beginning in fall 2025, the grades 6, 9 and 11 social studies curriculum will be updated. Holocaust education will be mandatory in all schools across the province, said Schmidt.
In the 2024-25 school year, the province hired dedicated staff and partnered with the Jewish Heritage Centre of Western Canada to develop new mandatory curriculum guidance on Holocaust education including implementation tools, supports and resources.
New resources being developed include supports to prepare educators to teach about the Holocaust, an overview of Holocaust topics of study and curricular connections, and access to other external available resources so educators are prepared to effectively teach the topic, noted the minister.
"Combatting hatred and fostering understanding and unity is an underlying essential component of kindergarten to Grade 12 education," said Schmidt. "These new resources will support educators in teaching these critically important, profound topics, helping to develop Manitoba students' understanding of human rights, unity and history so they are ready to uphold these values in our province."
"Recent surveys have demonstrated that most Canadian students know very little about the Holocaust," said Belle Jarniewski, executive director, Jewish Heritage Centre of Western Canada. "With increased hate-fueled violence and incidents of antisemitism, Holocaust education is a key tool for countering prejudice and cultivating inclusion. We at the Jewish Heritage Centre of Western Canada are tremendously grateful for the opportunity to partner with the Manitoba government in strengthening Holocaust education in Manitoba through the creation of a mandated curriculum. We know that Holocaust education encourages critical thinking and reflection on how individuals could or should act in society and provides important lessons from the past to learn for the present and the future."
For more information on Manitoba's kindergarten to Grade 12 curriculum, visit: www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/framework/index.html.
