Canada Convenes Forum to Combat Antisemitism

Ottawa, Ontario

Antisemitism is unacceptable and has no place in Canada. We must stand united against hatred in all its forms by actively addressing antisemitism through accountability, education, and solidarity - using all tools and laws available, and examining their effectiveness. No community should live in fear because of their identity.

Today, the Honourable Rachel Bendayan, Minister of Official Languages and Associate Minister of Public Safety, the Honourable David McGuinty, Minister of Public Safety, and the Honourable Arif Virani, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, met with provincial, territorial and municipal leadership, law enforcement, prosecutors, and members of the Jewish community at the National Forum on Combatting Antisemitism in Ottawa, to address the growing public safety threat posed by antisemitism.

The Forum provided a platform to identify challenges and develop strategies to effectively combat antisemitism while strengthening collective action.

At the conclusion of the Forum, representatives of federal, provincial and municipal governments and law enforcement agencies from across Canada endorsed a Statement of Intent. They reaffirmed their commitment to address hate crimes that target the Jewish community through strengthened law enforcement and prosecution efforts. Together, they pledged to uphold the rights and safety of everyone in Canada, strengthen trust in our justice systems, and build a nation where hate and discrimination have no place.

In addition, today, the Government of Canada committed to the following:

1. Working collaboratively with provinces and territories and other partners to develop comprehensive National Action Commitments to combat antisemitism. This work will involve representatives of each level of government and include not only elected representatives, but also public officials from relevant departments.
2. Up to $10 million in immediate new funding to support grassroots organizations and work done on the ground to help address all forms of hate, including antisemitism. This funding, delivered through the Community Resilience Fund (CRF), will promote greater collaboration across sectors to identify and address warning signs at earlier stages, and building capacity of frontline staff in various sectors, including municipal government services, to better address hate and violent extremism.
3. Investing $26.8 million over four years to support police colleges to provide training on all hate crimes to provincial and municipal police forces and exploring ways to accelerate implementation of this work.
4. Greater transparency in tracking the progress of our collective efforts in addressing the public safety threat of antisemitism. Advancing this shared responsibility by having ongoing engagements with various partners through existing fora (e.g., Federal, provincial and territorial senior level working groups) and releasing a public report on progress on a semi-annual basis.
5. Working with Statistics Canada to better recognize and report on the existence of hate crimes, to improve data consistency and awareness in order to help everyone to better understand the extent of hate crimes in Canada, including acts of antisemitism. This involves training for police to ensure that antisemitism and acts of hatred are identified. The training, which includes an examination of antisemitism specifically, is available to all police services across Canada. The Government of Canada is committing to further this training and to further evaluating and refining data standards and training material to ensure it is meeting the intended purpose.
6. Recognizing the Jewish community's dedication to building and maintaining its own security networks, the Government of Canada is committing to working in partnership with these community-led efforts to build and maintain their own security networks to enhance security and improve the safety of all members of the community.
7. In consultation with provinces and territories, examining potential amendments to the Criminal Code to strengthen tools for law enforcement and prosecutors to address hate crimes, including those motivated by antisemitism, in the following major areas:
   • access to religious and cultural buildings;
   • extreme forms of hate speech;
   • display of terror symbols; and
   • Impediments to the investigation and prosecution of hate crimes.
8. Working with provinces and territories to share promising practices in provincial/territorial legislation and other approaches that address hate-related conduct, including conduct motivated by antisemitism.
9. Working with provinces and territories to identify ways to improve the criminal justice system responses to hate crimes, including those motivated by antisemitism. This could include training as well as developing resources to support successful investigations and prosecutions.
10. Delivering $1.4 million in new funding for 7 new initiatives through the National Holocaust Remembrance Program. These projects will not only promote Holocaust education and awareness, but will also play a key role in actively combatting antisemitism across Canada.
11. Ensuring that transfer payments are designed, delivered and managed with integrity, accountability and transparency, and that recipients of government funding respect the values underlying the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
12. Working with partners across all orders of government to increase awareness of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition and all elements contained within the Canadian Handbook on the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism.

The Government's commitment to combating hate and supporting communities at risk of hate-motivated crimes includes the following investments:

• Over $18 million in funding under the CRF committed in the past year to implement 15 projects that are enhancing Canada's capacity to prevent and respond to violent extremism, including forms involving antisemitism. These efforts are directing at-risk individuals away from violent extremism, supporting early prevention in schools and community settings, and expanding knowledge on violent extremist movements online and offline. Since its launch in 2017, the CRF has provided more than $73 million in funding to 81 projects.
• Providing financial support to organizations at risk of hate-motivated crimes to enhance security measures at their gathering places, which includes almost $1 million to support 13 Jewish organizations under the new Canada Community Security Program launched in 2024.