The Canadian government announced on Dec. 20 that it has created a National Forum on Combating Antisemitism, which will be held in Ottawa in February 2025, in response to “a troubling rise in antisemitic incidents, threats and hate crimes.”
“The government of Canada recognizes the urgent need for national leadership to ensure Jewish Canadians feel safe in their synagogues, schools and communities,” Ottawa added, noting that the forum, despite its name, will have a mandate that is broader than just fighting Jew-hatred.
“Federal and provincial officials have been working with law enforcement and key stakeholders to combat antisemitism and hate. The Forum will identify opportunities for immediate and longer-term action and strengthen ongoing initiatives,” the government said. “This forum reflects the government of Canada’s commitment to protecting everyone in Canada, and addressing hate in all its forms.”
Richard Marceau, vice president of external affairs and general counsel at the Center for Israel and Jewish Affairs, an agency of the Jewish Federations of Canada, stated that “hate crimes against Jewish Canadians have skyrocketed.”
“In the past few days alone, a synagogue in Montreal was targeted for arson and a Jewish girls school in Toronto was struck by gunfire,” he stated. “These are just the latest examples of an escalating threat we’re seeing across Canada. The safety of our community is under attack—and so too are the values and way of life that define us as Canadians.”
“In a matter of months, Canada has become a country in which masked thugs take over our streets to burn Canadian flags, salute Hitler, celebrate terrorists and call for violence,” he added.
Marceau hopes that leaders and authorities will use the forum as an opportunity to address an urgent need for change within the country, adding that the “forum’s ultimate value will be determined only by the concrete results” it produces.
“Our community is frightened—but we’re also determined,” Marceau stated. “We urge governments and authorities at all three levels to share that determination by taking real action against what has become a ticking time bomb in our country.”
He noted that the police need access to more resources and specialized training to handle hate crimes. Laws also need to be properly enforced, and charges must be laid so that perpetrators are fully prosecuted.
“The glorification of terrorism must finally be made a criminal offense in this country,” Marceau stated. “Through the forum, we will push for these and other concrete measures.”
Deborah Lyons, Canada’s special envoy on preserving Holocaust remembrance and combating antisemitism, wrote that the forum “has been needed for months,” but “we welcome the federal leadership in bringing the provinces and territories together, given their direct responsibility for law enforcement.”
“We need to see more attention [and] action at the local level,” Lyons stated. “Jews are the number one targets of reported hate crimes in Canada despite making up just over 1% of the population. Antisemitism shouldn’t be a partisan issue.”
