Since 2022, the number of police-reported hate crimes targeting Jews has increased by 75 percent in Canada, while antisemitic incidents tracked by B'nai Brith have surged by 145 percent. In response, politicians have offered empty words and legislative proposals lacking substance. This must change.
Carney's Expected Announcement
According to Conservative party sources, Prime Minister Mark Carney is expected to announce on Monday how his government will tackle antisemitism. This should include a strong denunciation of anti-Jewish hate, a firm commitment to uphold the law, and concrete plans to reform immigration and address rot in the education system.
Beyond Empty Rhetoric
Canadians do not need to hear that attacks against Jews are "not who we are as Canadians," as former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau often said, or that they are "fundamental violations of the Canadian way of life," as Carney has stated. It is now clear that such attacks reflect who many Canadians have become, and decisive action is required.
Root Causes of Antisemitism
Carney must recognize that there are no quick fixes. Antisemitism has been festering for years, particularly on university campuses. In 2002, a riot at Concordia University over a planned talk by Benjamin Netanyahu saw anti-Israel students forcibly enter the building and shut down the event. Such violent activism was once confined to universities, but graduates have since entered the workforce as professors, bureaucrats, and politicians, co-opting institutions with a far-left worldview of oppressors versus the oppressed.
This shift has caused Canada to backslide from a country striving for colour-blindness to one that encourages racial tension. Unsurprisingly, Jews, who have faced persecution throughout history, are most impacted. Additionally, Islamist terror groups have adopted the language of Western progressives, uniting against the world's only Jewish state and the liberal values it represents.
As the National Post's Jesse Kline notes, even mainstream Muslim organizations openly admire the Muslim Brotherhood, a jihadist group, and invite known antisemites to conferences. Meanwhile, Canada has seen an influx of newcomers from countries that do not necessarily share Canadian values.
During the 2017 Conservative leadership race, Kellie Leitch was branded a racist for proposing that new immigrants be screened for anti-Canadian values. Her proposal now appears prophetic.
