WATCH: Carney addresses synagogue on action against antisemitism

Added: 2026-06-03

[00:00:06]Across our country, anti-semitism has surged to levels not seen in the post-war period. Last year, over 23 of all religion motivated hate crimes were directed at Jewish Canadians who make up only 1% of the population. The horror and shame are global.

[00:00:26]Our actions must be local.

[00:00:30]And they start they start with clearly admitting that Canada's civic compact is failing Jewish Canadians.

[00:00:39]And they extend to all Canadians.

[00:00:42]Recognizing that if that covenant fails one of our communities, it fails us all.

[00:00:48]We've introduced six new pieces of legislation to bolster public safety and to combat anti-semitism specifically as well as other forms of hatred.

[00:01:01]Foremost amongst these six bills, Bill C9, the Combating Hate Act, addresses directly the rise in anti-semitism, hate motivated violence, and the targeting of communities. It significantly strengthens the civil code, the criminal code, sorry. It significantly strengthens the criminal code by creating new offenses for intimidation, obstruction at places of worship, schools, community centers, and other institutions used by identifiable communities.

[00:01:38]We're advancing our work to confront hate online and violent extremism, including not limited to, but including through the Canada Center for Community Engagement and the prevention of violence. That center leads Canada's works on countering radicalization to violence and supports prevention, research, frontline intervention through the community resilience fund.

[00:02:06]Last year, the government announced more than $36 million for projects to counter violent extremism, including early prevention in schools and communities, and work to understand and to respond to extremist movements online and offline.

[00:02:24]Few weeks ago, we committed an additional $75 million through the Canada Community Security Program for synagogues, for Jewish day schools, for community centers, and for institutions of every faith community whose safety is at risk. It pains me that we had to commit $75 million to this, any dollar to this.

[00:02:53]We're working with provinces, municipalities, and our intelligence and law enforcement agencies to coordinate protection. And when Royal Ascent comes on Bill C9, we're going to give you diff additional laws to uh enforce soon. It's not enough to protect. The deeper work is the renewal of the Canadian Covenant itself.

[00:03:17]And to that end, I'm pleased to announce today the launch and the membership of Canada's new Ministerial Advisory Council on Rights, Equality, and Inclusion. It will be chaired by the Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture, Mark Miller.

[00:03:36]The council has a clear mission to combat racism and hate in all their forms and to guide the government of Canada as part of our efforts to build a fairer, more just, more inclusive society.

[00:03:50]I'm honored to announce that Senator Mark Gould, one of Canada's most collaborative, effective, principled voices on the scourge of anti-semitism, has agreed to join that council.

[00:04:04]And I AM and I am directing that the first responsibility of that council is to address anti-semitism from four different directions.

[00:04:21]First, the council will assess the nature, the scale, and the drivers of anti-semitism in Canada, including across our public institutions, our workplaces, our campuses, our public services, our professional bodies, our online spaces.

[00:04:40]Because these are the places where the havoc, the habits of civic life are formed.

[00:04:47]and where if those habits fracture, the fracture quickly spreads.

[00:04:52]Secondly, the council will coordinate a whole of government approach to anti-semitism because combating anti-semitism is the responsibility we all share. It will ensure that federal workplaces, federal policies, federal public safety programs, and community initiatives are aligned in protecting Jewish Canadians, confronting hate, and promoting inclusion.

[00:05:18]Third, the council will improve research in the collection of data on hate incidents. It will build stronger data sharing systems so all orders of government, all police services are working from the same facts and with the same alignment.

[00:05:35]And finally, the council will measure clearly the impact of our efforts so that we can reinforce investments in education, in prevention, training, and community safety. those particular investments that are actually delivering real results and are helping to build a safer, more inclusive Canada. The covenant runs in every direction. Anti-semitism breaks it. Islamophobia breaks it. Burning churches breaks it. Transphobia breaks it. The targeting of any Canadian for their faith, their origin, their identity breaks it.

[00:06:13]Now, I want to be clear, particularly to the Jewish community. Naming those other assaults is not equivalence.

[00:06:23]The crisis of anti-semitism in Canada today is specific. It's severe and it demands a targeted response and that is what our government is fully committed to.

[00:06:37]It's also the case that for all Canadians to remind that the covenant we are renewing is comprehensive.

[00:06:46]It protects all of us by binding all of us. That's its strength, its source of legitimacy. It's all of our responsibility. We're living in a reality right now where um Jewish Canadians are being driven from Canadian public life and many families considering whether there's a future for our community in this country. And in that regard, it's not only the synagogue windows that have been smashed by gunfire, but our Canadian mosaic that is being smashed by this hatred targeting our community. Um it's imperative that all levels of government act with urgency. Uh and the prime minister had an opportunity today to send a message from the highest office, highest elected office uh in Canada um that uh this hate, this terror, this violence targeting our community will not be tolerated any longer.