Restoring civic trust for Jewish-Canadians
Jewish-Canadians face unprecedented threats to their safety and security. The foundational promise of Canada—that laws will be enforced consistently, institutions will uphold basic standards, and disagreements will be resolved peacefully rather than through violence—has eroded significantly over the past three years.
The Scale of Antisemitic Violence
Since October 2023, Canada has witnessed a dramatic surge in antisemitic incidents. The Hamas-led terrorist attacks of that date marked the deadliest single day for Jewish people since the Holocaust, and the global response unleashed a wave of antisemitism unprecedented in generations.
The statistics tell a stark story. Nearly every Jewish university student in Canada has experienced or witnessed antisemitism firsthand. This isn’t a problem affecting a small subset—it’s become a widespread reality on campuses across the country. For young people navigating their education during a formative period of their lives, this creates an environment of constant vigilance and fear.
Beyond campuses, the physical infrastructure of Jewish life has come under direct attack. Synagogues and Jewish schools have been firebombed and shot at. These are not isolated incidents but part of a troubling pattern of escalating violence targeting places where Jewish-Canadians gather to worship and educate their children.
When Safety Requires Airport-Level Security
Perhaps the most telling indicator of how far the situation has deteriorated is the security measures now necessary at Jewish institutions. Synagogues, Jewish schools, and community centers require security levels typically associated with airports and other high-threat venues. This represents a fundamental shift in what it means to practice Judaism openly in Canada.
The need for such extensive security measures reflects a reality that contradicts the core promises of Canadian citizenship. Citizens should not need airport-style screening to attend religious services. The fact that Jewish-Canadians now do reveals a serious breakdown in the civic compact that holds diverse, democratic societies together.
A Failure of Canada’s Civic Compact
Prime Minister Mark Carney acknowledged this crisis directly in June, stating that Canada’s civic compact—the unspoken agreement that binds together a diverse population—is failing Jewish-Canadians. This represents a significant public admission that the foundational systems designed to protect all citizens regardless of religion or ethnicity are not functioning as intended.
A civic compact depends on three key elements: consistent law enforcement, institutional integrity, and the peaceful resolution of disputes. When any of these pillars weakens, the entire structure becomes unstable. For Jewish-Canadians, all three appear to be failing simultaneously.
The Jewish people’s connection to the Land of Israel is woven deeply into religious, social, and cultural life. This connection becomes dangerous when it transforms into a target for harassment, violence, and discrimination. The ability to maintain cultural and religious identity without fear of assault or institutional failure is fundamental to belonging in a democratic society.
The Interconnected Nature of the Threat
The antisemitic violence targeting Canadian Jewish communities doesn’t exist in isolation. Intelligence agencies have identified a convergence of threats involving foreign states, terrorist organizations, and local criminal elements working in tandem. This nexus creates an environment where antisemitism flows from multiple sources simultaneously, making it harder to combat through traditional law enforcement means alone.
Jewish workers across sectors report experiencing discrimination. Jewish federal public servants—people serving the nation in government roles—face harassment. The problem extends beyond individual attacks to systemic hostility embedded in workplaces and institutions that should be protecting all Canadians equally.
What Leadership Must Do
Addressing this crisis requires leaders to speak with moral clarity about what’s at stake. When the basic rights and safety of Canadians are under threat—regardless of their religion or ethnic background—government officials, institutional heads, and community leaders must respond with unambiguous commitment to enforcement and protection.
This isn’t about favoring one group over others. It’s about the government fulfilling its fundamental obligation to all citizens. The same moral clarity and commitment to safety that would be demanded if any other religious or ethnic community faced firebombing, shooting attacks, and systematic harassment must apply equally to Jewish-Canadians.
The challenge extends beyond rhetoric. It requires dedicated resources, consistent law enforcement action, institutional accountability, and a willingness to name the problem directly and pursue solutions systematically.
The Path Forward: Restoring Peace, Order, and Good Government
The Canadian Constitution’s preamble promises “peace, order and good government.” For Jewish-Canadians over the past three years, this promise has gone unfulfilled. Restoring it means taking concrete steps to protect vulnerable communities while maintaining the rule of law and democratic principles.
This requires:
Enforcement of existing laws: Crimes against Jewish institutions must be investigated and prosecuted with the same vigor as any other hate crimes. No attack should go unanswered or deprioritized.
Institutional accountability: Universities, businesses, and government agencies must establish clear zero-tolerance policies for antisemitism and enforce them consistently. When institutions fail to protect members from discrimination, they undermine social cohesion.
Security support: Jewish organizations shouldn’t bear the full cost of airport-level security alone. Government assistance for institutional security can ease the burden while acknowledging shared responsibility for protection.
Community engagement: Regular dialogue between government officials and Jewish-Canadian leaders helps identify emerging threats and coordinate responses before situations escalate.
A Question of Belonging
At its core, this issue asks a fundamental question about Canadian identity: Do all citizens belong equally, or only those whose safety can be assured without extraordinary measures? The answer should be self-evident. Yet current conditions suggest that for Jewish-Canadians, belonging remains conditional on their willingness to accept unequal protection.
The three-year period since October 2023 has tested Canada’s commitment to its foundational values. The statistics on campus antisemitism, the attacks on institutions, the need for extraordinary security measures—these represent a failure of the systems designed to protect all citizens.
Restoring the civic compact requires acknowledging this failure openly, committing resources to enforcement and protection, and establishing that no Canadian should fear assault or discrimination because of their religious or cultural identity. For Jewish-Canadians and for Canada as a whole, nothing less will suffice.
