Skip to Content Subscribe Our Offers My Account Manage My Subscriptions FAQ Newsletters Canada Canadian True Crime Canadian Politics Health World Israel & Middle East Financial Post NP Comment Longreads Puzzmo Diversions Comics NP News Quiz New York Times Crossword Horoscopes Life Eating & Drinking Style Sponsored Play for Ontario Travel Travel Canada Travel USA Travel International Cruises Travel Essentials Culture Books Celebrity Movies Music Theatre Television Business Essentials Advice Lives Told Tails Told Shopping Buy Canadian Home Living Outdoor Living Kitchen & Dining Tech Style & Beauty Personal Care Entertainment & Hobbies Gift Guide Travel Guide Amazon Prime Day Deals Savings National Post Store More Sports Hockey Baseball Basketball Football Soccer Golf Tennis Driving Vehicle Research Reviews News Gear Guide Obituaries Place an Obituary Place an In Memoriam Classifieds Place an Ad Celebrations Working Business Ads Archives Healthing Epaper Manage Print Subscription Profile Settings My Subscriptions Saved Articles My Offers Newsletters Customer Service FAQ Newsletters Canada World Financial Post NP Comment Longreads Puzzmo Diversions Life Shopping Epaper Manage Print Subscription HomeNP CommentAvi Benlolo: Canada should be getting wiser on its 159th birthday. Instead, it got meanerAntisemitism is up, crime is up; people live in fear. We should be better than that by nowLast updated Jul 03, 2026 You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account.Immigrants hold Canadian flags and their certificates of citizenship during a Canadian citizenship ceremony at the Daniels Spectrum in Toronto on Oct. 16, 2012. Photo by Matthew Sherwood /PostmediaThis week we proudly celebrated Canada’s 159th birthday. We’ve come a long way as a country. We’ve built a nation that is the pride and envy of the world, a nation of peace, of shared values of freedom and democracy, and one that respects personal dignity as enshrined in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorThis year, I’ve written a lot about missing the Canada where we left our doors unlocked. Where our children sang Kumbaya in school gymnasiums and where good citizenship marked by kindness, compassion and civility reigned. They can still be heard in small towns across the land, but I miss the sound of hockey sticks hitting the pavement.Our country seems to have gotten less Canada. Less nice. Less tolerant or accepting of one another. We now need more laws to control the rising tide of hate and antisemitism. A man (whom I happen to know through the community) was beaten up walking to synagogue this week.The National Post newsletter that doesn’t hold back, giving readers the unvarnished truth on media, politics and culture.By signing up, you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.The next issue of Right? will soon be in your inbox.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try againInterestingly, on that very same day, some 66 non-Jewish business executives were compelled by the hateful Canada they see to take out ads in every major newspaper across the country to denounce antisemitism. But this article is not about antisemitism per se; it’s about the future of Canada and why we should all be concerned.Once, we freely sent our children on the Toronto subway. Today, we wonder if they might be attacked or pushed. We are failing to take care of our most vulnerable and that is reflected in the homelessness on our streets. It’s not hard to miss. People in suits walk past sleeping bags on the sidewalk, sometimes right beside the road. It makes me very sad and worried about our future.Crime has gotten out of hand in our beautiful country so much so that we even needed bail reform to try to stop the “revolving door” where repeat offenders, organized crime members and those committing random acts of violence are released back into the communities before trial.At dinner the other day, a friend of mine who lives in Etobicoke said he locks his house down and sleeps in fear every night with a bat in hand. There were a whopping 131 home invasions in Toronto in 2025. There is an erosion of trust in the justice system. Just yesterday, I was notified by a victim of an antisemitic assault that charges were dropped against the perpetrator.I fear this erosion is coming from a lack of moral clarity. We were once the nation that was known for keeping the peace around the world. We were the ones who advocated against the usage of landmines, and we prided our balanced approach to international affairs, working to unify rather than divide. We worked in tandem and partnership with our biggest trading partner, the United States. No matter the administration, we learned to get along — to play nicely.Now, what Canadians are seeing is a meaner Canada on our streets at home and through our conduct around the world. Shouldn’t we be getting wiser with age? It worries me that instead of working with our democratic partners, we are now cozying up to countries like China, Qatar and even Syria. I was alarmed to hear that Canada is considering reopening its embassy in Iran – ignoring the fact its terrorist regime just slaughtered thousands of citizens.Canada is losing its grip on reality and on the very ideals which dictated our national ethos and identity. It continues to increase funding and advocate for the United Nations Relief Works Agency (UNRWA) despite serious allegations and evidence by USAID’s inspector general who identified over a dozen current or former staff members associated with Hamas and other groups. Despite this, Canada reaffirmed support for UNRWA this week.Even the newly established Board of Peace, the American-led coalition on rebuilding Gaza, declared this week that “UNRWA has no place in the new Gaza. We are turning the page on the complex and perpetual aid of dependency and conflict. The people of Gaza deserve better.”Everyone I speak with around the world is asking, “What is going on in Canada?” No nation is stagnant and certainly, change is inevitable. But more than ever, I believe we must return to our founding values and morals.We were certainly imperfect, but we were always perfecting and finding a path to be strong, united and free. We sided with the “good guys” and we walked proudly around the world with the Canadian flag on our backpacks. We don’t need our “elbows up” to be true, strong and free. We just need to find ourselves.National PostAvi Abraham Benlolo is the chairman and CEO of the Abraham Global Peace Initiative. Join the Conversation This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.