Canada Records Historic Surge in Antisemitic Incidents as Government Under Fire

The Canadian government led by Prime Minister Mark Carney faces mounting criticism for insufficient action against antisemitism following a troubling new report showing record-high hate crimes targeting the country’s Jewish population.

Human rights organization B’nai Brith Canada’s League for Human Rights revealed Monday that 6,800 antisemitic incidents occurred across the country in 2025—representing a 9.4% increase from the previous year. The report documents an alarming average of 18.6 incidents daily, marking the highest volume of antisemitic activity since the organization began tracking such data.

This report comes just days after Canada’s Standing Senate Committee on Human Rights released its own findings on the rise of antisemitism following the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023. The committee issued 22 recommendations for the Carney administration to address the escalating tide of anti-Jewish hatred.

Among the recommendations are expanding research on hate crime data, improving security funding for vulnerable communities, addressing the display of hate symbols, enhancing digital literacy education, and developing educational resources for professionals, teachers, and students.

One notable recommendation directly addresses Prime Minister Carney, calling for the reinstatement of the Special Envoy on Preserving Holocaust Remembrance and Combating Antisemitism—a position Carney eliminated in February when he integrated it along with the combating Islamophobia position into a different office. The Prime Minister’s office has not responded to inquiries about whether he intends to implement this recommendation.

While some community leaders welcomed the Senate’s report, many Jewish-Canadians expressed concern that it fails to accurately identify key drivers of antisemitism. Rabbi Elchanan Poupko, host of The Jewish World podcast, told Fox News Digital, “It is deeply troubling and bewildering that the Senate report doesn’t even reference religious radicalism as a problem.”

The report notably omits mention of Islamic extremism and only occasionally references anti-Zionist sentiment, often describing it using terminology from other institutions and respondents rather than direct analysis.

“The reluctance to identify the radicals is itself evidence of ignorance and bias,” Poupko added, suggesting that politicians may fear alienating broader communities by denouncing radical elements.

The Canadian Muslim Public Affairs Council raised its own concerns about the Senate’s recommendations. While affirming that “combating antisemitism is essential to protecting all communities in Canada,” the group stated on social media that “certain recommendations raise serious concerns about potential impacts on Charter-protected freedoms, including protest and expression.”

Aviva Klompas, CEO and co-founder of Boundless Israel, expressed support for recommendations like “creating safety zones around religious institutions and community spaces, strengthening hate crime enforcement and education,” but stated she doesn’t “think it fully accounts for the multiple dimensions driving this immediate surge, including Islamic extremism and the ways anti-Zionism is used as a cover to target Jews.”

Security concerns remain paramount as Jewish communities across Canada have faced serious threats. Recent months have seen synagogues targeted by shootings, Jewish schools threatened, and Jewish-owned businesses vandalized.

“I appreciate that a plan is being put into place,” Klompas said, but voiced concern “that it doesn’t meet the urgency of the moment.” She questioned whether anyone would “gamble on a new task force or education training programs to keep your family and friends safe at a moment when they are actively under attack?”

The Canadian Department of Justice responded that “the Government of Canada is taking concrete action to counter hate in all its forms,” noting that many of the Senate’s recommendations align with initiatives already underway. These include Canada’s Action Plan on Combatting Hate, launched in September 2024, which aims to foster greater coordination among federal organizations.

In 2024, the Canadian government also “announced over $273 million to support community safety, improve responses to hate crimes, help victims, and counter radicalization,” according to Ian McLeod, senior media relations adviser at the Department of Justice.

As antisemitic incidents continue at unprecedented levels, the effectiveness of these measures and whether the Carney administration will implement the Senate’s full recommendations remain critical questions for Canada’s Jewish community.