The Right Honourable Mark Carney, P.C., M.P., Prime Minister of Canada
And to the Honourable Premiers of Canada’s Provinces and Territories
Dear Prime Minister and Premiers,
The horrific terrorist attack at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, where gunmen targeted a peaceful Hanukkah celebration, killing at least 15 innocent people and wounding dozens more in an act of evil antisemitism, has shaken Jewish communities around the world — including here in Canada. This tragedy, occurring on the first night of Hanukkah as families gathered in joy and faith, is a stark reminder of the deadly consequences when hatred is allowed to spread unchecked.
Compounding this outrage is the recent news of a planned (but thankfully disrupted) antisemitic attack in Germany. These events are not isolated. They are evidence of a global rising tide of hatred directed at Jewish people. They are the predictable outcome of a world that has too often remained silent or insufficiently resolute in the face of growing antisemitism.
In Canada, we have witnessed our own alarming escalation over the past two years: threats, vandalism, arson, and assaults targeting Jewish-owned businesses, community centres, places of worship, and schools. Jewish Canadians have been forced to live with fear in a country that prides itself on safety and security for all. This is not the Canada we know or want. Antisemitism is not merely a Jewish issue — it is a Canadian issue, an attack on the fundamental values such as pluralism, freedom, and the right to live and work in peace.
Enough is enough. The time to act is now.
Prime Minister, the Government of Canada is entrusted with protecting all Canadians, and therefore you have a responsibility to confront this hatred head-on. We call on you to stand together with us and implement decisive measures to ensure that Canada does not follow the path that has led to such tragedies abroad.
Specifically, we urge you to:
- Commit to a substantial increase of public dollars for security funding for vulnerable institutions through the Canada Community Security Program.
- Implement a series of changes to our immigration system, including a fast-track removal stream for high-risk individuals linked to foreign extremist organizations, an improved and faster enforcement of removals of individuals convicted of violent crimes, and a mechanism to systematically screen those seeking entry into our country to keep such individuals out in the first place.
- Demonstrate Canadian leadership by ensuring that the influence of hostile foreign actors – like Iran, Russia and China – is blocked from social media platforms as part of a strategy to fight these actors’ ability to manipulate our countries by nefariously influencing our public discourse.
Canadians from all walks of life are speaking out, demanding that our leaders find the courage to defend what is right and just. We cannot be bystanders. We stand ready to work with you and all Canadians of goodwill to build a stronger, safer nation — one where no one fears hatred because of who they are.
We must stand together against this rising tide. The Jewish community should not stand alone, and neither should any Canadian.
Sincerely,
