{"id":71523,"date":"2026-06-02T17:30:10","date_gmt":"2026-06-02T17:30:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/71523\/"},"modified":"2026-06-02T17:30:10","modified_gmt":"2026-06-02T17:30:10","slug":"the-prime-minister-addressed-canadas-antisemitism-problem-almost-nobody-was-satisfied","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/71523\/","title":{"rendered":"The Prime Minister addressed Canada\u2019s antisemitism problem. Almost nobody was satisfied"},"content":{"rendered":"

Open this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n

Prime Minister Mark Carney delivers remarks at Holy Blossom Temple in Toronto on Monday.Chris Young\/The Canadian Press<\/p>\n

Prime Minister Mark Carney visited Toronto\u2018s Holy Blossom synagogue<\/a> on Monday to address not just the Jewish community, but the nation as a whole about the scourge \u2013 his word \u2013 of antisemitism. He made it clear that the brutal \u2013 his description \u2013 targeting of the Jewish community in Canada is real and should not be tolerated. And yet, he knows, it has been. <\/p>\n

Antisemitism has surged to its highest levels since the Second World War, Mr. Carney said. Last year, more than two-thirds of religion-motivated hate crimes targeted Jewish Canadians, who make up one per cent of the population.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe crisis of antisemitism in Canada today is specific, it\u2019s severe, and it demands a targeted response,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd that is what our government is fully committed to.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mr. Carney acknowledged that Jewish Canadians have been let down by \u201cCanada\u2019s civic compact\u201d \u2013 and thus, all Canadians have been let down. <\/p>\n

If only that were the case.<\/p>\n

Carney calls on Canadians to reject antisemitism that is testing country\u2019s values<\/a><\/p>\n

The speech was delivered with compassion and conviction. In the parlance of the day, as a Jewish Canadian, I felt seen. And I was moved by his decision to not only address antisemitism but to admit that it has gotten out of control in the country he leads.<\/p>\n

The situation in the Middle East is complex, but what Mr. Carney was saying is not. Discrimination is wrong, period. <\/p>\n

Yet, predictably, both sides (to be somewhat simplistic) were, to say the least, unsatisfied. Much of the criticism, online anyway, was contradictorily polarizing: To paraphrase, either Mr. Carney clearly supports Israel\u2019s Zionist baby-killers, or Mr. Carney is an antisemitic clown who clearly hates Israel. Notably, Mr. Carney did not even utter the word \u201cIsrael.\u201d (It did appear once in his prepared remarks, but he skipped it when he spoke.)<\/p>\n

To some of Mr. Carney\u2019s critics, I\u2019m not sure if what he said in this landmark speech would have mattered. There were so many entrenched naysayers at the ready, poised for the pile-on, actual content and tone be damned. <\/p>\n

What was particularly disheartening was the disgruntlement \u2013 even disgust \u2013 from parts of the Jewish community. Among the criticisms: Where have the Liberals been since antisemitism started bubbling up on Oct. 7, 2023, and boiling over shortly thereafter? Why would the Prime Minister deliver the speech at this particular synagogue? Why not in the House of Commons (which I agree would have been preferable)? How can the man who said he would recognize a Palestinian state speak with any credibility about antisemitism? It was a word salad, he didn\u2019t apologize, etc. <\/p>\n

That said, Mr. Carney\u2019s failure to meaningfully address the elephant in the room \u2013 the connection between Israel and this current spate of antisemitism \u2013 was … strange. <\/p>\n

Still, the Prime Minister of Canada went to a synagogue and addressed the nation about antisemitism. He was forceful and strong. His empathetic acknowledgment was the correct approach. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe pain, the threats, the fears can appear relentless,\u201d he said. \u201cThe horror and shame are global. Our actions must be local.\u201d<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s where things fall down. Those promised (or re-stated) actions include already announced measures, such as Bill C-9<\/a>, the Combatting Hate Act; as well as funding for projects to counter violent extremism and to protect religious institutions with increased security.<\/p>\n

Opinion: Antisemitism has reached alarming levels. Now what?<\/a><\/p>\n

What was actually new on Monday was the launch of the Ministerial Advisory Council on Rights, Equality and Inclusion, which replaces the former antisemitism and Islamophobia envoys<\/a>. It will be chaired by Canadian Identity and Culture Minister Marc Miller. Many (including me) have serious doubts about the ability of this council \u2013 with members whose interests may be at odds with one another \u2013 to tackle this crisis. But it\u2019s a start, I guess. Its first responsibility, at Mr. Carney\u2019s direction, will be to address antisemitism. <\/p>\n

Canada\u2019s Jewish community, like any community, is not homogenous. There are always going to be differences of opinion. Some of the criticism is fair, but the knee-jerk sneering at the Prime Minister\u2019s acknowledgment of Jewish Canadian pain \u2013 and his call for the rest of the country to step up \u2013 is disappointing and unproductive. The speech was not a hollow gesture, but a meaningful promise to act.<\/p>\n

The speech, in fact, was the action. Or an action, at least.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo Jewish Canadian should ever have to wonder whether the government sees this clearly,\u201d said AI Minister Evan Solomon, who is Jewish. \u201cWe do. We see it, we acknowledge it, we are acting on it.\u201d <\/p>\n

Canada\u2019s leader is asking the country to come together to oppose antisemitism. This should be commended, not condemned. The response to that plea tells the story of a country divided. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Open this photo in gallery: Prime Minister Mark Carney delivers remarks at Holy Blossom Temple in Toronto on…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":71524,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[17,3118,135,13111,13110,3119],"class_list":["post-71523","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-canada","tag-canada","tag-column","tag-dei","tag-lederman","tag-marsha-lederman","tag-opinion"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71523","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=71523"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71523\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/71524"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=71523"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=71523"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=71523"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}