WE NEED ACTION TO CONFRONT THREATS
In his national address, Prime Minister Carney recognized that antisemitism today is specific, severe, and demands a targeted response.
Yet that message was immediately undermined by the announcement of a Ministerial Advisory Council to “combat racism and hate in all their forms.”
There are serious concerns about the formation and composition of this council.
We know the drivers of this hatred, and the evidence is overwhelming.
And we will say what was absent from the Prime Minister’s speech: antisemitism in Canada is being driven in significant part by anti-Israel and antizionist hatred.
What we need now are urgent actions to address the threats targeting our community.
Join us in sending a message to the Prime Minister: it’s time for urgent measures to safeguard our community.
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CIJA and Jewish Federations have issued an open letter to the Prime Minister calling for immediate action: name the problem clearly, enforce existing laws, confront terrorism and radicalization, and end government-funded hate.
Name the problem clearly. Antisemitism in Canada is being driven in significant part by anti-Israel and antizionist hatred. Too often, extremists hide behind the language of “criticizing Israel,” using it as cover for conduct that would never be tolerated against any other community. Canada’s foreign policy impacts domestic safety. Disproportionate condemnation of Israel confers social license to antizionist extremists in Canada who are targeting Jewish Canadians. Jewish Canadians have a strong connection to Israel, their ancestral and spiritual homeland. Demonizing or targeting them because of that connection is unacceptable. The government must be unequivocal: nothing justifies discrimination, intimidation, hate, or violence against Jewish Canadians.
Focus on enforcement. Canada needs a consistent national approach to law enforcement, prosecution, sentencing, and removal. The federal government should urgently convene provincial and territorial attorneys general, along with law enforcement agencies, to establish clear principles, guidelines, and action plans so that those who break the law are held accountable.
Confront terrorism and radicalization. Canada must ensure that terrorist organizations, their proxies, and their adherents cannot operate here. This requires action against the promotion, recruitment, and financing of terrorism, as well as the radicalization that fuels violence. The government should also advance further bail reform that reflects new hate-crime laws and direct CSIS and the RCMP to treat antizionism as a serious driver of extremism, as they already do for Islamist extremism.
End government-funded hate. The federal government must review programs across all departments and agencies to ensure public funds do not support organizations or initiatives that promote hatred against the Jewish community. This must include addressing the weaponization of national institutions, including the Canada Revenue Agency and the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.