Canada’s prime minister Mark Carney announced on June 1 a new government body to combat racism, saying its first priority would be tackling anti-Semitism.
Carney addressed Canada’s surge in anti-Semitic hate crimes during a speech at Holy Blossom Synagogue, Toronto’s oldest Jewish congregation. He said the government had to “start with clearly admitting that Canada’s civic compact is failing Jewish Canadians.”
Carney referenced the wave of attacks on Canadian Jews since Oct. 7, 2023, including bullets fired at synagogues and Jewish schools and attacks on Jewish businesses, community centers and Holocaust memorials.
Over two-thirds of the country’s religion-motivated hate crimes last year were directed at Jewish Canadians, who make up only 1% of the population, he said.
Carney’s critics say his actual proposals do little to curtail the problem, which in part is fueled by his own actions.
Carney said the government was responding by launching the Ministerial Advisory Council on Rights, Equality, and Inclusion, with the mission of advising Canada’s government on combating all forms of hate.
Carney said the council will reassess the nature, scale and drivers of anti-Semitism, developing a whole-of-government approach to align federal policies and public safety programs, improving the collection of data on hate incidents, and measuring the impact of government efforts.
Carney’s announcement did not include more enforcement measures against anti-Semitism.
Rich Robertson, the director of research and advocacy at B’nai Brith Canada, said the speech was a “missed opportunity.”
The organization was advocating for a task force that could respond immediately to anti-emitic incidents and a commission of inquiry to identify their root causes.
“We were hoping for true tactical changes that could positively be actioned to change the lived experience of Jewish Canadians, and unfortunately, that is not what we received today,” Robertson said.
“Government and law enforcement must address the drivers of this crisis, including radicalization, promotion of terrorism and terrorist entities operating here in Canada,” Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs said before Carney’s address.
Carney’s messages about Israel, Gaza and anti-Semitism have divided Jewish voters.
• In September, Carney led Canada to recognize a Palestinian state.
• He said in October that he would fulfill the commitment of his predecessor, Justin Trudeau, to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he visited Canada. (The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant against Netanyahu for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza in 2024.)
• Last week, Carney spoke with Israeli President Isaac Herzog about the experiences of Canadians detained after trying to sail to bring aid to Gaza.
• Carney, the leader of Canada’s Liberal Party, has also introduced Bill C-9, which would strengthen Canada’s criminal code by creating new offenses for intimidation and obstruction at houses of worship, schools and community centers used by religious groups.
“I want to be clear about what these measures are and what they are not,” Carney said.
“They are not curtailments of freedom of expression. They are not constraints on legitimate criticism of any government on any subject anywhere. But they are the basic standards we owe one another in our shared public institutions.”
The new minissterial council will be chaired by the Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture, Marc Miller.
Marc Gold, a lawyer and Jewish community leader who retired last year from the Senate of Canada, will join the council.
Meanwhile, Israel’s consul-general in Toronto, Idit Shamir, on June 5 urged the Canadian government to take “decisive action” after two Canadian synagogues were attacked within 24 hours, days after Carney’s announcement.
The assaults on Temple Emanu-El-Beth Sholom in Montreal and Cong. Mishkan Avraham in Toronto came “only days after Prime Minister Mark Carney publicly acknowledged that Canada is facing a severe antisemitism crisis and that Jewish Canadians are being disproportionately targeted,” Consul-General Shamir wrote on X.
“These recent attacks demonstrate precisely why expressions of concern must now be accompanied by decisive action,” she added.
According to Shamir, the Jewish community has spent the past 2.5 years attending “countless announcements, roundtables and consultations.”
“Yet synagogues are still being shot at. Firebombs are still being thrown,” she said.
“Jewish schools, community institutions, and places of worship continue to require extraordinary security measures simply to function.”
Montreal police arrested a suspect June 5 morning after an overnight arson attack targeting Temple Emanu-El-Beth Sholom.
Canada’s CBC public broadcaster identified the suspect as Steven Luu, 38.
There were no injuries in the attack on the synagogue, which suffered minor damage before the blaze was extinguished. A window was also smashed, local media reported.
Over the weekend, a window at Toronto’s Cong. Mishkan Avraham was smashed with an unidentified object.
“We commend law enforcement agencies for their swift response and ongoing investigations,” Idit Shamir tweeted. “Those responsible for these attacks must be identified, prosecuted, and held fully accountable.”
“A synagogue should never become a crime scene. A community should never have to wonder which Jewish institution will be attacked next.
“The time for symbolic gestures has passed.
“Canada must demonstrate, through concrete action, that anti-Semitic violence will be confronted with the full force of the law,” she said.
Israeli Ambassador to Canada Iddo Moed denounced the attacks as “appalling, alarming, disgusting and shameful beyond words.”
“There cannot be any misunderstanding: demonizing Israel, dehumanizing Israel, all lead to unchecked intimidation, to extreme violence and even to destruction,” he wrote on X.
“Words matter, but also — the lack of words! Silence is not an option. Speak up and call this hate out!! Stand up against anti-Semitism!!”
Moed said in an interview on June 2 that there is a connection between sustained, sharp criticism of Israel by the Canadian government and a rise in anti-Semitic incidents fueled by extremists.
“I don’t think this government is anti-Semitic, but I do think that continued criticism of Israel, along with neglecting to voice support in principle for the relationship, has an impact on anti-Semitism,” said the envoy.
Anti-Semitic hatred has surged in Canada since the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attacks, culminating in violent assaults, terrorist plots and shootings and firebombings targeting synagogues, schools, businesses and community centers.
A recent B’nai Brith Canada audit recorded 6,800 Jew-hatred incidents in 2025, about a 9% increase over 2024 and some 145% more than in 2022. The largest share of the incidents occurred in Ontario, per B’nai Brith’s statistics.
The Jewish organization has already recorded more incidents of violent anti-Semitism so far in 2026 than it did in all of 2025.
JNS contributed to this report.
