Prime Minister Mark Carney visited a Toronto synagogue on June 1 to present new measures to tackle anti-Semitism.
The visit comes amid a sharp rise in anti-Semitic incidents in Canada in recent years, prompting calls from Jewish groups for stronger action from the federal government.
Carney said his government has formed a new body, Ministerial Advisory Council on Rights, Equality, and Inclusion, that is tasked with researching what is behind the rise of anti-Semitism in Canada and come up with “whole-of-government approach” suggestions so that the issue can be tackled effectively. The new council is chaired by Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture Marc Miller.
Among the members of the council are former senator Marc Gold, who served as the government representative in the Senate and was formerly chair of the Jewish Federations of Canada, former Liberal transport minister Omar Alghabra, Martine Roy, co-founder of Pride at Work Canada, and former Olympic skater Catriona Le May Doan.
While visiting the Toronto synagogue, Carney said that “anti-Semitism has surged to levels not previously seen in the postwar period.”
He noted that more than two-thirds of all religion-motivated hate crimes in Canada target the Jewish community, which only accounts for 1 percent of the population.
This includes the introduction of Bill C-9, the Combatting Hate Act, which is currently before the Senate. The bill in part creates new offences for obstruction of places of worship, schools, and community centres.
Toronto has been the site of several high-profile anti-Semitic incidents, including shootings targeting synagogues and other acts of violence against the Jewish community.
Police recently charged two suspects for two shootings that occurred in early March against the Beth Avraham Yoseph and Shaarei Shomayim synagogues. Both suspects were 17 years old at the time of the alleged offences and their names haven’t been released.
Similar incidents of Jewish institutions being shot at or subject to arson attacks have occurred elsewhere in the country, including in Montreal, where there have been regular protests featuring anti-Semitic imagery.
Montreal police’s hate crimes unit has now opened an investigation.
As the controversy was unfolding, Carney had a call with Israeli President Isaac Herzog on May 25. Carney spoke to Herzog about the “devastating resurgence of antisemitism around the world” and what his government is doing about the matter, according to a readout from the Prime Minister’s Office.
A readout from Herzog said he expressed “deep alarm” to Carney about rising anti-Semitism in Canada and asked him to take action.
Ahead of Carney’s address in Toronto, Jewish advocacy group Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) asked the prime minister to take additional steps to help protect the community.
“Government and law enforcement must address the drivers of this crisis, including radicalization, promotion of terrorism, and terrorist entities operating here in Canada,” CIJA CEO Noah Shack said in a statement.
Shack said since the Hamas attacks inside Israel in October 2023, extremists have “weaponized” events in the Middle East to foment violence against Jewish Canadians.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said on June 1, ahead of Carney’s address, that he hopes the prime minister will offer a “big apology” to the Jewish community, arguing that the government’s policies on crime and immigration contributed to the rise in anti-Semitic incidents.
“We need to secure our borders against illegal immigration, against allowing terrorists into this country,” he said. “We need to deport visitors who are participating in these acts of terror and violence on our streets.”
