Question Period Note: Antisemitism

• Our 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. We are taking action to address antisemitism both in Canada and internationally.

• In July 2021, our government convened a National Summit on Antisemitism. The recommendations made by Summit participants and other partners will help inform the new Canada’s Action Plan on Combating Hate, as part of a renewal of Canada’s Anti-Racism Strategy.

• As well, in November 2022, our government reappointed Professor Irwin Cotler to a second term as Canada’s Special Envoy on Preserving Holocaust Remembrance and Combatting Antisemitism and we look forward to continuing to support his efforts on this important issue.

• In response to concerns raised by the Jewish community and a number of other communities across Canada regarding their vulnerability to hate-motivated crime, Budget 2023 proposes to provide $49.5 million over five years, starting in 2023-24, to Public Safety Canada to enhance and expand the Communities at Risk: Security Infrastructure Program and allow it to be more responsive to the evolving security needs of communities.

• 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 the most recent Statistics Canada release entitled Police Reported Crime in Canada, 2021, the number of police reported hate crimes increased 27% in the second year of the pandemic; this follows a 36% increase in 2020. (hate crime counts include both confirmed and suspected hate crime incidents).
• Following three years of decline, police-reported hate crimes motivated by religion peaked in 2021; this included an increase of 47% targeting the Jewish community.
• The rate of police-reported hate crimes targeting the Jewish community was highest at 145 incidents per 100,000 population.
• Police-reported hate crimes increased in all provinces and territories in 2021, with the exception of Yukon
• The majority of police-reported hate crimes (56%) were non-violent offences, primarily mischief.
• The rise in violent hate crime was the result of more incidents of several violations, including uttering threats (+30%; +98 incidents), common (level 1) assault (+23%; +81 incidents), criminal harassment (+51%; +61 incidents), and major (levels 2 and 3) assault (+35%; +58 incidents).
• Between 2018 and 2021, 179 hate crimes against Jewish people were reported to the police, the majority of which were perpetrated by strangers.
• In the majority of cases, there was no injury; the median age of the Jewish hate crimes victims was 43 years with the majority of victims being male.
• 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, our government has committed close to $100 million through Canada’s Anti-Racism Strategy, including $70 million to support community organizations across Canada addressing issues of anti-racism and multiculturalism. As part of 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; and
o to continue supporting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) and to promoting the IHRA working definition of antisemitism.
• The 2022 budget allocated $5.1 million in funding over five years beginning in 2022-23, including $1.2 million ongoing, to support the work of the Special Envoy for Holocaust Remembrance and Combating Antisemitism.
• Budget 2023 proposes to provide $49.5 million over five years, starting in 2023-24, to Public Safety Canada to enhance and expand the Communities at Risk: Security Infrastructure Program and allow it to be more responsive to the evolving security needs of communities.

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