Canada’s fundamental insight is that unity does not require uniformity. We believe our differences are strengths to be nurtured, not risks to be managed. We believe that faith, language, heritage, and tradition are not concessions to citizenship – they are expressions of it. Today, that nature is being tested, as Canadian Jewish communities face a surge of antisemitism to levels not seen in the post-war period. Last ...
Canada’s fundamental insight is that unity does not require uniformity. We believe our differences are strengths to be nurtured, not risks to be managed. We believe that faith, language, heritage, and tradition are not concessions to citizenship – they are expressions of it. Today, that nature is being tested, as Canadian Jewish communities face a surge of antisemitism to levels not seen in the post-war period. Last year, over two-thirds of all religion-motivated hate crimes were directed at Jewish Canadians, who make up only 1% of the population. That same scourge is occurring around the world – it plagues Europe, Australia, and the United States. The shame is global. Our actions must be local. Canada’s new government has introduced six pieces of legislation over the last year to bolster public safety and combat antisemitism and other forms of hatred. Foremost of these, Bill C-9, the Combatting Hate Act, directly addresses the rise in antisemitism, hate-motivated violence, and the targeting of communities. It significantly strengthens the Criminal Code by creating new offences for intimidation and obstruction at places of worship, schools, community centres, and other institutions used by identifiable communities. Additionally, through the Canada Centre for Community Engagement and Prevention of Violence, we are advancing work to confront hate online and violent extremism in our communities. In the Spring Economic Update 2026, we committed an additional $75 million to the Canada Community Security Program (CCSP). The CCSP provides funding for communities at risk of hate-motivated incidents and crimes. It helps provide faith-based institutions with vital security infrastructure, training to respond to hate-motivated incidents, and additional security personnel where needed. Our government will always protect the inalienable right of the Jewish people to live openly in freedom, safety, and dignity. Protection is fundamental, but not sufficient. The Jewish community must be able to flourish in every aspect of Canadian society. To that end, the Prime Minister, Mark Carney, today announced the launch and membership of Canada’s new Ministerial Advisory Council on Rights, Equality, and Inclusion to be chaired by the Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture. The Council has a clear mission: to combat racism and hate in all their forms, and to guide the Government of Canada as we build a fairer, more just, and more inclusive country. Today, the Prime Minister directed the Council to begin by addressing antisemitism from four different directions: Reassess the nature, scale, and drivers of antisemitism in Canada – across public institutions, workplaces, campuses, and online spaces. Develop a whole-of-government approach to antisemitism to ensure federal policies, workplaces, public safety programs, and community initiatives are aligned in protecting Jewish Canadians and confronting hate. Improve research and the collection of data on hate incidents and build stronger data-sharing systems so all orders of government, schools, and police services are working from the same facts. Measure the impact of our efforts so that investments in education, prevention, training, and community safety are delivering real results and helping build a safer Canada for everyone. The Council includes: Marc Gold, P.C. Martine Roy Catriona Le May Doan Omar Alghabra, P.C. Gary LaPlante Dr. Aftab Erfan Avnish Nanda Our government is building a country in which Jewish Canadians can be visibly, fully, and joyfully Jewish in public life – in school, at work, on the street, in their synagogue, in the academy and the arts, and in every place that is theirs because Canada is theirs. This is what we are building today – a fairer, more just, more inclusive Canada for all. “The protection of citizens is the most fundamental responsibility of government. As antisemitism surges in Canada, we are taking decisive action to ensure no Canadian community is driven from our shared public institutions by hatred. We are building a country where Jewish Canadians can be visibly, fully, and joyfully Jewish in public life.” The Rt. Hon. Mark Carney, Prime Minister of Canada “As we face a horrifying rise in hate in our communities, no one should feel unsafe because of who they are, how they worship, or where they gather. The Ministerial Advisory Council on Rights, Equality, and Inclusion will play a critical role in bringing communities together around our shared values and in confronting hatred and racism in our communities, so that Jewish Canadians – and all Canadians – can live in our country without fear, in safety and dignity.” The Hon. Marc Miller, Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture and Minister responsible for Official Languages In October 2025, the Government of Canada announced more than $36 million for the Canada Centre for Community Engagement and Prevention of Violence. This is helping projects that counter violent extremism, including early prevention in schools and communities and work to understand and respond to extremist movements online and offline. In March 2026, the House of Commons passed Bill C-9, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (hate propaganda, hate crime and access to religious or cultural places) . This bill would make it a criminal offence to intentionally obstruct access to places of worship, schools, and community centres. The Government of Canada reaffirms the importance of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism, which Canada adopted in 2019 as part of its Anti-Racism Strategy. In 2024, the government published the Canadian Handbook on the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism to help Canadians understand and apply the definition. This definition allows for the legitimate criticism of the actions of any government while naming hatred of Jewish people for what it is.
Speech Brief