Canada Reports Rise in Hate Crimes; Carney Announces $75M for Faith-Based Security, Antisemitism Advisory Council

Prime Minister Mark Carney told an audience at Holy Blossom Temple in Toronto on June 1 that Canada is failing its Jewish citizens and that antisemitism has reached levels unseen since the end of World War II. Carney said over two-thirds of all religion-motivated hate crimes recorded in Canada last year were directed at Jewish Canadians, who represent 1 percent of the population.

He listed specific incidents including gunfire at Jewish schools, firebombs thrown at synagogues, attacks on community centers, targeting of Jewish-owned businesses, and the exclusion of Jewish students from shared university spaces.

“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 said. ” Carney said his government has passed legislation over the past year aimed at combating antisemitism and other forms of hatred.

He announced $75 million in new funding to supply faith-based institutions with security infrastructure and additional personnel. “It pains me that we had to commit $75 million to this, any dollar to this,” Carney said. His office said a new Ministerial Advisory Council on Rights, Equality and Inclusion will study the scale and drivers of antisemitism and recommend further investments in education, prevention and community safety.

“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 said.

Noah Shack, chief executive of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, had said before the speech that Ottawa must do more to strengthen community security.