Ottawa, ON — The Hon. Pierre Poilievre, Leader of the Conservative Party of Canada and the Official Opposition, released the following statement on the beginning of Tisha B’Av: 

“This evening, Jewish Canadians and Jews around the world will begin their fast in quiet and mournful reflection. Every year, on the ninth day of the month of Av, Jews take time to remember the destruction of the Jewish Temples in Jerusalem, Solomon’s Temple by the Babylonians, as well as the destruction of the Second Temple by the Roman Empire.

“As they come together on Tisha B’Av, many Jews will read the book of Lamentations, allowing its words of sorrow to pierce their hearts, connecting them with the same grief felt by their ancestors centuries ago.

“Tisha B’Av is also a time to remember the tragedies that have befallen the Jewish people in more recent times. We remember the horrors of the Holocaust, the Farhud pogrom against Baghdad Jewry, and the ongoing efforts to undermine the State of Israel – the ancestral homeland of the Jewish people. Today, all Canadians are also reminded of the need to fight antisemitism, which continues to plague our country at an alarming and increasing rate.

“Today, I pray that Canadian Jews and all people of the Jewish nation are sustained by these ancient words of comfort as they mourn for what has been lost.”