Despite its reputation as a welcoming multicultural haven, Canada is failing its Jewish community.Earlier this month, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, in a major address at the Holy Blossom Temple in Toronto, declared that Canada is facing a severe crisis of antisemitism and that the country’s “civil compact” is failing Canadian Jews. Carney took this opportunity to announce the creation of a new council on “rights, equality, and inclusion.” After Carney’s presentation, an arson attempt took place at a prominent Montreal synagogue, and the next day a window was smashed at a Toronto synagogue.“Across our country, antisemitism has surged to levels not seen in the post-war period,” Carney said in his speech. “Last year, over two-thirds of all religion-motivated hate crimes were directed at Jewish Canadians who make up only 1% of the population.” The Canadian prime minister went on to condemn recent attacks against Jewish schools, the firebombing of synagogues, the harassment of Jewish patients at hospitals, and the targeting of Jewish-owned businesses.
Some in the Canadian Jewish community have noted Carney’s relative silence on antisemitism issues before his premiership. Carney’s earliest prominent instance condemning the rise of antisemitism in Canada came in September via a closed meeting with Canadian Jewish community leaders, with this month’s speech representing his only high-profile public presentation on the topic.
