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The Canadian government announced a national antisemitism forum after the shooting of the Toronto Bais Chaya Mushka Elementary School and arson of the Montreal Beth Tikvah Synagogue.
By MICHAEL STARR DECEMBER 22, 2024 15:25 Updated: DECEMBER 22, 2024 15:27
Canadian national flag isolated on broken cracked wall background
(photo credit: SHUTTERSTOCK)
In the wake of the shooting of a Toronto Jewish school and the firebombing of a Montreal synagogue, the Canadian government announced Friday that it will hold a forum to combat rising levels of antisemitism in the country.
The National Forum on Combating Antisemitism, according to the Justice Department, to be held in Ottawa in February, is set to bring together federal, provincial, and municipal political, law enforcement, and prosecutorial leaders to discuss short and long-term actions to address antisemitism in the country.
"Canada has seen a troubling rise in antisemitic incidents, threats, and hate crimes. The Government of Canada recognizes the urgent need for national leadership to ensure Jewish Canadians feel safe in their synagogues, schools, and communities," the Justice Department said in a press release. "This Forum reflects the Government of Canada’s commitment to protecting everyone in Canada and addressing hate in all its forms."
Liberal Party Parliament Member Ya'ara Saks said on social media on Friday that she and her colleagues advocated for the forum because it was their duty to ensure every Canadian community felt safe.
"Tackling the scourge of antisemitism requires a whole of society approach," the York Centre MP said on X.
Conservative MP Melissa Lantsman issued scathing criticism in response to Saks, arguing that the Liberal-led government had been unresponsive for 14 months as hate crimes had skyrocketed.
Canadian Special Envoy for Preserving Holocaust Remembrance and Combating Antisemitism Deborah Lyons also said on Friday that the forum was a long time coming but that antisemitism should be a bipartisan issue and welcomed leaders from all parties to attend.
"Jews are the number one targets of reported hate crimes in Canada despite making up just over 1% of the population," Lyons said on X. "Antisemitism shouldn’t be a partisan issue."
The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA), which in November had called for the convening of a forum for combating hate crime, terrorism, and antisemitism, called on leaders to seize the opportunity to drive urgent change.
Calling for urgent change
“Police need more resources and specialized training. Laws need to be enforced, charges need to be laid, and perpetrators must be fully prosecuted to end the domination of our streets by extremists. And the glorification of terrorism must finally be made a criminal offense in this country," CIJA Vice President Richard Marceau said in a press release. "Through the Forum, we will push for these and other concrete measures—but what we won’t accept are photo ops and platitudes."
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Marceau said that Canadian Jews were frightened, watching over the months as the rhetoric in protests had glorified terrorism and led to mass vandalism, and Jewish sites had repeatedly been subject to shootings, firebombings, and graffiti.
“In the past few days alone, a synagogue in Montreal was targeted for arson and a Jewish girls school in Toronto was struck by gunfire," Marceau said Friday. "These are just the latest examples of an escalating threat we're seeing across Canada. The safety of our community is under attack—and so too are the values and way of life that define us as Canadians.”
The Bais Chaya Mushka Elementary School was damaged in a drive-by shooting on Friday, according to the Toronto Police Service, but the school was closed at the time, and the gunfire caused no injuries to staff or students.
The United Jewish Appeal (UJA) Federation of Greater Toronto said that students had returned to the school on Friday after what had been the third shooting against the institution. The school had previously been attacked during Yom Kippur in October and for the first time in May.
The same night as the school shooting, a large community menorah was knocked down in North York, according to a Federation press release.
As Toronto law enforcement units increased their presence around Jewish sites and appealed for public assistance in identifying the culprits, Canadian opposition leaders attacked Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for the newest incident.
"After 9 years of New Democratic Party-Liberals, our people are living in fear, hate and violence are on the rise, and Trudeau does nothing," Conservative Party leader Pierre Polievre said Friday on X.
Lantsman said that Canada had become more dangerous for Jews under Trudeau's government, which she noted was "wounded," likely in reference to last Monday's resignation of Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland in the face of economic and diplomatic troubles.
"Another day brings another cowardly act of antisemitic hate, and it’s well overdue that the government do something or anything to protect Canadians," Lantsman said Friday. "He [Trudeau] should address the country rather than obsess over his own political drama."
Trudeau's response
Trudeau said Friday that the shooting had sickened him.
"This is a hateful, antisemitic attack on Toronto’s Jewish community," Trudeau said on social media.
Trudeau had faced similar criticism from Poilievre after incendiary devices were thrown at the Montreal Beth Tikvah Synagogue and Dollard-des-Ormeaux West Island Federation Combined Jewish Appeal (CJA) Federation building on Wednesday.
Poilievre called on the Liberal government to "finally show a backbone" and "protect our people" after both buildings suffered fire damage.
CIJA also criticized Montreal Mayor Valerie Plante for the "abject failure" of a " wait-and-see strategy" against anti-Jewish behavior.
"This is the seventh time that a Jewish institution has been directly targeted in Montreal and the second time that these two institutions were targeted in the last 14 months," CIJA said on X.
CJA Federation said in a Wednesday statement that Plante had to crack down immediately and that the Montreal Jewish community was outraged and the silent moderate Quebec majority was disgusted by the extremism and violence.
Plante assured on social media that the Montreal Police was investigating and would find the culprits, adding that it was "intolerable that Montreal citizens live in insecurity because of their religion."
The two incidents garnered international attention, with Israeli President Isaac Herzog speaking to Trudeau to express concern about the "intolerable wave of antisemitic attacks." Herzog said on social media that he stressed that words would not be enough and that decisive action and legislation was needed.
US Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism Deborah Lipstadt said on Friday that Montreal and Toronto joined Melbourne and Cape Town as cities that had seen Jewish communities attacked.
Canada no longer safe for Jews?
Diaspora Minister Amichai Chikli and Liberal MP Anthony Housefather clashed on social media on Saturday after the Israeli leader claimed that Canada was no longer safe for Jews. Housefather asserted that while antisemitism had risen, Chikli's remarks were "false and exaggerated," and Canada remained "one of the best places in the world for Jews to live."
The announcement of the forum came after the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights (JUST) issued a report last Tuesday with a series of recommendations for tackling antisemitism. Included in the report Heightened Antisemitism in Canada and How to Confront it was the recommendation to legislate increased protection for community buildings and houses of worship against protests.
The Toronto City Council directed the city manager on Tuesday to draft by the first quarter of 2025 a bylaw to address the impact of demonstrations at public spaces. CIJA Ontario VP Michelle Stock welcomed the endeavor in a Thursday statement but said that the bylaw had to have punitive measures and enforcement powers to address "demonstrations marked by antisemitic chants, hateful signs, and physically intimidating behavior" that had 'targeted synagogues, schools, and community centers" for over a year.
Toronto would be the latest to consider so-called "bubble bylaws," with the Oakville Town Council passing a motion last Monday to develop a bylaw that would prevent protests from impeding access to "vulnerable social infrastructure." Bnai Brith Canada said Tuesday that the bylaw was a victory for all religious communities and would protect places of worship. In June, the Vaughan Council passed the Protecting Vulnerable Social Infrastructure By-law.
Critics of the bubble bylaws argue that such legislation could infringe on freedoms of expression and assembly, criminalizing peaceful protests that were unrelated to the institutions themselves.
Oakville-Halton 4 Palestine started a letter campaign calling for Oakville not to pass the bubble bylaw, with almost 5000 letters sent by Sunday.
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