Michael Starr: Canada has been overly soft on orgs. fostering extremist antisemitism

The Jerusalem Post Podcast with Tamar Uriel-Beeri and Zvika Klein.

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF DECEMBER 26, 2024 15:46

Michael Starr is superimposed on an image of a pro-Palestinian protest in Toronto, Canada, dated October 7, 2024. (photo credit: Arlyn McAdorey/Reuters, Elliot La-Mer/DEMAGIC)

The Canadian government has been overly soft on organizations fostering antisemitism and extremism in the country, Jerusalem Post Diaspora affairs correspondent Michael Starr told Tamar Uriel-Beeri and Zvika Klein on The Jerusalem Post Podcast.

"Canada is a safe place for Jews," Starr said, "but the quality of life for Jews, the security for Jews, the comfort of Jews, has degraded."

Starr, a Canadian native, was critical of the Trudeau government's handling of rising antisemitism in his home country.

"There has been a serious uptick [of antisemitism] in Canada," he said. "And I think that there's been a certain soft-handedness when it comes to certain organizations that foster violent anti-Israel extremism and antisemitism... There's a kind of a hands-off approach."

Noting that the police seem to not be empowered to act, Starr drew comparisons to how the Trudeau government handled the trucker convoy protests during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks during Question Period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada January 29, 2024 (credit: REUTERS/BLAIR GABLE)

At the time, truckers who make a living driving across provinces and into the US, were upset over the COVID restrictions in place as it impacted their livelihoods. 

"They organized mass protests about this, and the Trudeau government fell very hard on the truckers and called them extremists," Starr explained, describing how they cracked down on the truckers. "They were shutting down bank accounts. They were very active. The police were very present. And you don't see that with these [anti-Israel] protests."

Will the Trudeau government fall?

These antisemitic woes come as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government has been facing growing opposition within the country, both over Canada's ongoing economic woes and over how to handle the incoming administration of US President-elect Donald Trump, who has been critical of Ottawa in recent statements. 

"[The government's] interaction with antisemitism and all these attacks on Jewish sites is an internal security issue," Starr said. "One can see how it might add to the government's troubles and stability."

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