TORONTO (AP) — Prime Minister Mark Carney declared Monday that his nation is not protecting Jewish citizens, who face unprecedented levels of targeted hatred.
Speaking at Holy Blossom Temple in Toronto, Carney acknowledged that anti-Jewish sentiment has reached heights unseen since the end of World War II throughout Canada. He pointed to statistics showing that more than two-thirds of all hate crimes motivated by religion last year were aimed at Jewish Canadians, despite Jews representing just 1% of the nation’s population.
“The horror and shame are global. Our actions must be local. They start with clearly admitting that Canada’s civic compact is failing Jewish Canadians,” Carney stated during his address.
The prime minister detailed violent acts committed by antisemites across the country, including gunfire directed at Jewish schools, firebomb attacks on synagogues, assaults on community centers, targeting of Jewish-owned businesses, and forcing Jewish students away from shared campus areas at universities.
While acknowledging that antisemitism affects Europe, Australia and the United States, Carney emphasized that Canada’s antisemitism crisis is “specific, severe and demands a targeted response.”
Global antisemitic incidents have increased dramatically since the Israel-Hamas conflict started on Oct. 7, 2023.
Noah Shack, the CEO of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, stated before the speech that the Canadian government needs to strengthen efforts to protect community security and fight hatred.
Carney outlined his government’s recent legislative efforts to address antisemitism and other forms of hate over the past year. He announced $75 million (US $54 million) in funding to help faith-based institutions obtain security infrastructure and hire additional security staff.
“It pains me that we had to commit $75 million to this, any dollar to this,” Carney remarked.
The prime minister revealed plans for a new Ministerial Advisory Council on Rights, Equality and Inclusion that will study the causes, scope and factors behind antisemitism. According to his office, the council will assess the impact and guide future investments in education, prevention and community safety initiatives.
“I want to be clear about what these potential measures are, and what they are not. They are not curtailments of freedom of expression. They are not constraints on legitimate criticism of any government on any subject anywhere,” Carney explained.
“They are the basic standards we owe one another, in our shared public institutions, to ensure that no Canadian community is driven from those institutions by hatred.”
