The latest annual audit of antisemitic incidents in Canada has recorded the highest number since tracking began in 1982, with 6,800 incidents reported in 2025. This represents a 9.3% increase from the previous year and a staggering 145.6% rise compared to 2022, before the Hamas terror attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023.
Key Findings of the Audit
B'nai Brith Canada's League for Human Rights released the audit on Monday, April 27, 2026, documenting an average of 18.6 incidents per day. The majority of incidents—92%—occurred online, continuing a trend of increasing digital antisemitism. In previous years, online incidents accounted for about 85% in 2023 and 2024, and 74% from 2019 to 2022.
While online harassment surged, incidents of violence and harassment saw a slight decline. The report attributes the overall increase partly to the war on Iran but emphasizes that antisemitism has become so pervasive that it cannot be solely linked to any single conflict.
Regional Variations
Ontario, the Prairies, Atlantic Canada, and British Columbia experienced significant increases in documented incidents. In contrast, Quebec and Alberta saw a decline in total numbers.
Calls for Government Action
Richard Robertson, B'nai Brith Canada's Director of Research and Advocacy, stated at a press conference in Ottawa: “Antisemitic conspiracy theories were disseminated with such frequency in 2025 that it is easier to summarize the totality of the accusations made against Jewish Canadians by simply stating that they were made the scapegoats for all the world’s problems.” He added, “Antisemitism has become so ubiquitous in our society that the word Jew is now commonly used as a slur to disparage and malign non-Jews. In contemporary Canada, Jewishness itself has become derogatory.”
Robertson stressed the need for governmental response regardless of the origins of incidents, saying, “We need to protect Canadians from the dangers that are rapidly increasing and emerging from digital spaces. Whether they are being fuelled by foreign-based entities or by foreign corporations, that shouldn’t matter. Canada must regulate its online realm and must protect Canadians from the dangers presently existing within it.”
Recommendations for All Levels of Government
The audit calls for a federal Royal Commission on antisemitism and lists specific recommendations:
- Federal: Establish a national antisemitism emergency task force, treat violent antisemitic attacks as domestic terrorism, and deploy additional national security resources to protect Jewish institutions.
- Provincial and Territorial: Fund immediate security protection for Jewish institutions and establish a special prosecution unit for hate crimes.
- Municipal: Ban events that incite hate and intimidation, enforce zero tolerance for intimidation in public spaces, and prioritize protection for Jewish neighborhoods and institutions.
The report underscores the urgency of addressing antisemitism in Canada, both online and offline, to ensure the safety and well-being of Jewish communities.
