TORONTO – As the High Holidays approach, many families, including mine, are apprehensive about returning to shul. It has become painfully clear that antisemitism is not only tolerated in this government but is becoming normalized nationally.
That is evident from the 32 signatures on the Liberal Party’s “Statement on the Deplorable Rise of Antisemitism in Canada” following the stabbing of a Jewish woman in an Ottawa grocery store. That number represents less than 19 percent of the governing party’s caucus. Over the past decade the party created a subsection of law so vague and defensive that it is nearly impossible to secure convictions for antisemitic hate crimes.
By contrast, all 144 Conservative MPs signed their party’s statement condemning the attacks and the rise in antisemitism.
That is why I asked Conservative Deputy Leader Melissa Lantsman to authorize my House of Commons petition E-6625, the “Outlaw Antisemitism” petition.
Like many, I have been fed up with the government for the past 10 years. It has become increasingly difficult to live comfortably as Jews in this country.
The petition is open until November 5 and calls on the government to finally act to protect Jewish and Israeli communities once and for all. Specifically, it calls for the government to:
• Ban the public display of the swastika.
• Prohibit protests within 500 feet of schools, daycares, and places of worship.
• Ban the public use of flags of organizations listed on the Canadian Terrorist Watchlist.
• Criminalize the destruction of public property when committed with intent of hate.
• End funding to UNRWA.
• Call for the immediate release of all remaining hostages and the return of their remains.
• Outlaw antisemitism.
Like everyone in our community, I was shocked by the response in Canada after the October 7 attacks. I was shocked to see people marching in the street calling for intifada, waving Hezbollah and Hamas flags, and burning symbols linked to our people, while the government stood by.
By contrast, when the trucker convoy staged large protests against the government, it was shut down within three weeks.
I attended recent “Bring Them Home” rallies in Toronto. The crowds called for the dismantling of terrorist organizations and for the release of hostages. There were no calls for annihilation of any group. What stood out was the attendance of two Conservative MPs. Roman Baber, the MP for York Centre, and Deputy Leader Melissa Lantsman were present. They were proud to express their Jewish identity and to speak out for the 48 innocent hostages still held by Hamas.
No Liberal MP attended. Not one of the MPs who signed the party statement was present. Several of those signatories were within a short drive of the rally, yet they did not come.
Publicly funded media has not helped. Reporting has often been one sided, at times relaying casualty figures from sources aligned with a designated terrorist organization and labeling them as the Gazan Health Ministry. We have seen how media power and biased reporting can inflame public opinion and spur violence.
In a recent interview with Juno News, I was asked what I would say to someone who calls these demands violations of rights. I replied that if any other community were being targeted, whether Black or Asian Canadians, the government would have acted immediately.
Has the lack of government intervention accelerated antisemitism in this country? Yes. The government’s inaction over the past two years includes continuing to fund media that use terrorist organizations as sources, failing to reform laws so antisemitism is treated equally with other hate crimes, and not putting a stop to riots in major Canadian cities that call for the extermination of the Jewish community.
The Liberals’ heartfelt statement quoted Prime Minister Mark Carney’s commitment to bring forward changes to the Criminal Code this fall to prevent unlawful fear and intimidation outside places of worship, schools, and community centres. But “commitment” raises questions. Since Mr. Carney took office nearly eight months ago, many of his purported commitments have not produced the promised results.
One such commitment was to negotiate an end to a trade dispute and to build the fastest growing economy in the G7, according to a Liberal Party statement on March 28. Six months later the economy remains weak and hundreds of thousands of Canadians have lost work. Meanwhile the government recognized a Palestinian state, a move some argue undermines diplomatic efforts and was made without securing tangible protections for hostages.
If the government truly wanted to keep Jewish Canadians safe, why did it not table a bill in the past 10 years to safeguard our community? Why did it not act before its summer break? And if Prime Minister Carney was serious about protecting Jewish Canadians, why did he not sign the statement promising to fight antisemitism?
Pierre Poilievre, the leader of the opposition, not only signed his party’s commitment but was among the first MPs to post it on social media. Why does the prime minister seem to hide behind an empty promise?
Citizens are not powerless. One of the most effective ways to act is through House of Commons petitions, which require a formal response within 45 days after being tabled. The more signatures a petition receives, the more pressure it places on the government to enact permanent, meaningful change to protect a community that helped build this country.
Use your voice. Please consider signing the House of Commons Petition E-6625 and show the government that we are not going anywhere. Demand action so our children can grow up in a country where they can wear their Magen Davids proudly, as openly as cross necklaces are worn, without fear that revealing their identity will put them in danger.
https://www.ourcommons.ca/petitions/en/Petition/Details?Petition=e-6625
This government is mesmerised by the jew-hating murderors called hamas who rapmaged on 7th October in Israel and now send out their lies and propoganda as if they count for anything else.. Regretably some of those senior in the UK government seem taken in by all this and are focussed elsewhere, such as recognising a fantasy state, and not concentrating on bringing those murderors to justice.