Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Canada Minister Jason Kenney returned from an official visit to Europe on Thursday, during which he announced Canada’s full membership in the Task Force for International Cooperation on Holocaust Education, Remembrance and Research (ITF).

“Membership in this important body providesCanada with an opportunity to work internationally to combat racism and anti-Semitism,” said Minister Kenney.

The ITF is an international organization comprising 27 member countries and their political leaders, governmental organizations and non-governmental organizations. Its goal is to lend the support of political and social leaders to Holocaust education, remembrance and research, on a national as well as international level.

“We are making a statement to the international community about how important it is to ensure that we learn from the Holocaust and work to prevent future acts of genocide,” said Kenney.

During his trip, Kenney was the keynote speaker at a luncheon focused on combating radicalism and homegrown terrorism hosted by United Kingdom-based think-tank, Policy Exchange.

Kenney also represented Prime Minister Stephen Harper at the Official Commemoration of the 20th Anniversary of the Demolition of the Iron Curtain in Budapest, Hungary, and attended the Holocaust Era Assets conference in Prague, Czech Republic.

Kenney’s last stop on his visit was to the Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial National Historic Site of Canada in France, where he represented the federal government at a ceremony marking the 93rd anniversary ofNewfoundland ’s role in the Battle of the Somme in World War I.

“On behalf of the Minister of Veterans Affairs, I am proud to honour the Dominion of Newfoundland’s brave and significant contribution to this battle,” Kenney said. “This memorial illustrates Newfoundland’s historic role in the First World War.”