Statement by Liberal Party of Canada Leader Justin Trudeau on Black Ribbon Day

August 23, 2015

OTTAWA – The Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada, Justin Trudeau, today issued the following statement on the occasion of Black Ribbon Day:

“Today, as we commemorate one of history’s darkest chapters, we honour the memories of the victims of Communism and Nazism across Europe.

“August 23rd marks the sad anniversary of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. Signed in 1939, the infamous agreement allowed for the illegal territorial and political rearrangement of Eastern and Central Europe between Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia. In the years that followed, millions of people were violently displaced from their homes and suffered untold atrocities at the hands of the Nazi and Soviet regimes.

“We remember this sinister period of history to ensure that the world never again stands idly by in the face of such unspeakable tyranny. May this occasion also serve as an opportunity to reiterate our commitments to the principles of justice and the protection of human rights for all people around the world.

“On behalf of the Liberal Party of Canada, I stand with Canadians across the country in solemn remembrance of the victims of Nazism and Communism on this Black Ribbon Day.”