June 8, 2026
The Right Honourable Mark Carney Prime Minister of Canada House of Commons Ottawa, Ontario Canada
Dear Mr. Prime Minister,
We write on behalf of the J7 Large Communities' Task Force Against Antisemitism, a coalition of the representative organizations of the seven largest Jewish diaspora communities: Argentina, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
The rise of antisemitism in Canada has become a matter of growing concern far beyond Canada's borders. For generations, Canada was viewed throughout the Jewish world as one of the safest countries in which Jews could live openly and proudly.
Today, that perception is changing – and not for the better.
Jewish communities around the world are watching with alarm as antisemitism in Canada reaches levels previously thought unimaginable. Jewish students are being intimidated on university campuses. Jewish children face hostility in schools. Synagogues and community institutions require unprecedented security measures. Demonstrations featuring support for terrorist organizations and rhetoric targeting Jews have become increasingly common. The sense of insecurity experienced by Jewish Canadians is now attracting international attention.
We listened carefully to your recent address on antisemitism. Your recognition that antisemitism in Canada is “specific, severe, and demands a targeted response” was both important and welcome. Equally significant was your acknowledgment that Canada is failing many of its Jewish citizens.
However, we understand that the challenge facing Canada has already been extensively studied. Parliamentary committees have examined it. The Senate has examined it. National summits have been convened. Experts and community organizations have produced detailed recommendations.
The problem is no longer a lack of information. It is a lack of urgency, coordination, and enforcement.
And of real action.
Canada's response must reflect the nature of the challenge it faces. This requires more than additional consultation. It requires a whole-of-government effort that recognizes the interconnected drivers of contemporary antisemitism: the normalization of anti-Zionist hatred, the spread of extremist ideologies – including of the Islamist kind –, the activities of terrorist movements and their supporters, and the failure of institutions to enforce existing laws and standards. Jewish Canadians should not be targeted, intimidated, excluded, or held collectively responsible because of their connection to Israel, the ancestral homeland of the Jewish people. Nor should public institutions, public funding, or public discourse provide legitimacy to those who promote hatred, glorify terrorism, or create hostile environments for Jewish life.
Effective action requires clear political leadership, robust enforcement of the law, meaningful consequences for those who engage in hate and intimidation, and a determination to ensure that democratic institutions remain places where all citizens, including Jews, can participate safely and equally.
Mr. Prime Minister, antisemitism is not only a Jewish issue. It is a test of democratic leadership and a measure of the health of democratic institutions. The treatment of Jewish communities remains one of the clearest indicators of whether pluralism and inclusion are being upheld.
Canada has long been a source of inspiration for Jewish communities around the world. We urge your government to act decisively so that it can go back to being one.
Sincerely,
The J7 Large Communities' Task Force Against Antisemitism
Argentina: Delegación de Asociaciones Israelitas Argentinas (DAIA)
Australia: Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ)
Canada: Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA)
France: Conseil Représentatif des Institutions Juives de France (CRIF)
Germany: Central Council of Jews in Germany
The United Kingdom: Board of Deputies of British Jews
The United States: ADL (Anti-Defamation League) and the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations