The Canadian government convened a national forum on combating antisemitism in Ottawa on Thursday, according to Public Safety Canada, amid rising anti-Jewish incidents in the country.
Public Safety Minister David McGuinty and Justice Minister and Attorney-General Arif Virani met with provincial and municipal officials, law enforcement, prosecutors, and Jewish community leaders to discuss challenges and strategies for addressing antisemitism.
“Today’s Forum is about taking action to stem the rising tide of antisemitism in Canada,” Public Safety Associate Minister Rachel Bendayan said. “Everyone deserves to feel safe and secure in their own communities. That is why we are taking concrete steps, convening all levels of government, law-enforcement partners, and civil society to combat hate crimes more effectively. No one should have to live in fear because of who they are.” A statement of intent was signed at the end of the forum and endorsed by several provinces, cities, and police services. It acknowledged the threat that a 71% increase in antisemitic incidents in 2023 poses to Jewish Canadians. The leaders pledged to combat anti-Jewish crimes in a coordinated and focused fashion.Laws needed to be strengthened, and more federal funding must be allocated to police training, investigations, and response to disproportionately impacted communities, Toronto Police Service Chief Myron Demkiw told the forum.
“Today was an opportunity to learn from partners and offer feedback,” he wrote on X/Twitter. “The Toronto Police Service will continue to be a strong partner in the fight against antisemitism and all hate crimes.”
Conversations like these are important and necessary. Today was an opportunity to learn from partners and offer feedback. The Toronto Police Service will continue to be a strong partner in the fight against antisemitism and all hate crimes. Please report any suspected hate crime… https://t.co/JSCNMeRtd8
— Chief Myron Demkiw (@TPSMyronDemkiw) March 7, 2025
Public Safety Canada committed to investing C$26.8 million over four years to provincial and municipal police training. This would include training officers to ensure antisemitic incidents are identified and to cooperate with Statistics Canada to better record and report hate crimes, it said.
Federal government to work with Jewish community security initiatives
The federal government said it would work in partnership with Jewish community security initiatives.
Public Safety Canada said it would consult with provincial and territorial leadership on potential amendments to the criminal code to address issues regarding access to religious and cultural buildings, terrorism symbols, hate-crime investigation and prosecution, and extreme hate speech.Bnai Brith Canada said much of the federal government’s plans had components of its own proposals, adding that promises had to be acted upon.
“The time for platitudes has long passed,” it wrote on social media. “Combating antisemitism requires our leaders to practice what they preach. Today, Prime Minister [Justin] Trudeau described himself as a Zionist, and yet many of the groups responsible for perpetrating the October 7 attack remain unlisted as terrorists in this country. Though we welcome the commitments put forward today, it is imperative that the Canadian Government engages immediately in the heavy lifting that is needed to combat antisemitism, to hold those responsible for fomenting hate and division accountable, and to introduce concrete measures to protect Canadian values.” B’nai Brith Canada’s seven-point counterterrorism plan calls for the ban of al-Quds Day and terrorism-supporting rallies, the comprehensive listing of terrorist groups, strengthening immigration controls against extremists, amending the criminal code, and confronting antisemitism at schools and establish campus guidelines.It also called for Canada’s adoption of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance working definition of antisemitism.
The federal government, which accepted the IHRA definition, last Thursday committed itself to increasing awareness of the definition across all government levels but not on adoption of the definition. The Canadian government had announced the forum in December, following a shooting at a Toronto Jewish school and a firebombing at a Montreal synagogue.
