Question Period Note: Antisemitism

Antisemitism

• The Government is deeply troubled by the rise of new and resurgent forms of antisemitism and other forms of hatred and discrimination directed at religious minorities worldwide and is committed to taking immediate steps, such as the
July 2021 National Summit on Antisemitism.

• In November 2020, the Government appointed Professor Irwin Cotler, as Canada’s first Special Envoy on Preserving Holocaust Remembrance and Combatting Antisemitism and as Canada’s head of delegation to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), to promote Holocaust education and combat antisemitism.

• Since 2019 the Government of Canada has committed close to $100M through Canada’s Anti-Racism Strategy, including $70M to support communities’ organizations across Canada addressing issues of anti-racism and multiculturalism.

• Canada has the fourth largest Jewish community in the world, with a population of over 390,000, comprising 1% of Canada’s population.
• According to police-reported hate crime data for 2019 released by Statistics Canada on March 29, 2021, the Jewish population continues to be the most targeted group for hate crimes motivated by religion. 296 incidents or 16% of police-reported hate crimes (1,946 in total) were against the Jewish population.
• The COVID-19 pandemic has become a vehicle for Antisemitism and anti-Zionist propaganda that accuses Jews and the State of Israel of either causing the virus or standing to benefit from it. According to B’nai Brith Canada’s 2020 Annual Audit of Antisemitic Incidents released on April 26, 2021, there was an increase of 18.3% of recorded antisemitic incidents in comparison to 2019, a total of 2,610. 44% of recorded violent incidents were COVID-19 related.
• Since 2019 the Government of Canada has committed close to $100M through Canada’s Anti-Racism Strategy, including $70M to support communities’ organizations across Canada addressing issues of anti-racism and multiculturalism. As part of the Canada’s Anti-Racism Strategy, Canada adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism as a non-legally binding tool.
• In 2020, the Prime Minister announced Professor Irwin Cotler as the Special Envoy on preserving holocaust remembrance and combatting antisemitism. In this role, Professor Cotler has been supported by dedicated resources and worked with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Minister of Diversity, Inclusion, and Youth and other implicated ministers to inform Government of Canada policy and programming. This has reinforced the commitment of the Government to strengthen Canada’s efforts to advance Holocaust education, remembrance and research, and combat antisemitism in the promotion and protection of human rights in Canada and abroad.
• On July 21, 2021, the PM, Professor Cotler and the Minister of Diversity, Inclusion & Youth convened a National Summit on Antisemitism. Following the summit, the Government committed to further engaging the Jewish Communities on issues of anti-racism and multiculturalism.
• Internationally, Canada works through the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance IHRA, an intergovernmental body, currently 34 member countries, 1 liaison country, and 7 observer countries, whose purpose is to place political and social leaders’ support behind the need for Holocaust education, remembrance and research both nationally and internationally. Canada has been a member of IHRA since 2009, and chaired IHRA from February 2013 to March 2014.
• Canada’s delegation to IHRA is led by Professor Cotler. At the Malmö Forum on Holocaust Remembrance and Combating Antisemitism, on October 13, 2021, the Prime Minister made the following commitments:
o To combat antisemitism, Holocaust denial and distortion, hate crimes and all other forms of racism and to protect at-risk communities, including to make the Special Envoy position permanent, supported by resources;
o To promote awareness about the Holocaust and antisemitism in Canada;
o To continue supporting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) and to promoting the IHRA working definition of antisemitism.

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