Canadian Jews Say: Enough!

Enough.

Canadian Jews have had enough. Enough with the words. Enough with the good sentiments. Enough with our schools being shot at. Enough with Hitler salutes and talk of ‘Final Solution’. Enough with riots in our streets. Enough with the yells of ‘death to the Jews’, as we heard in front of a Jewish school in Montreal. Enough with the demonstrations in and around Jewish neighborhoods, simply to intimidate the Jewish community. Enough with our people being told to be more discreet in order not to enflame the situation’, simply because they are visible Jews. Enough with our houses of worship being picketed by extremists and haters. Enough with having to go to court to get injunctions to protect our institutions, our schools, our community centers and our synagogues.

Enough with the double standards at protests where, even having done nothing provocative, Jews are nevertheless ordered by police to leave, while violent protesters – who celebrate banned, terror-listed entities – are effectively protected by law enforcement. Enough with the public glorification of terrorist organizations.

Enough.

Some have been heard to say: ‘This is not our Canada’. Well, it is now.

The time for words is over. The time for action has arrived.

That is why Canada’s Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) held a press conference in Parliament earlier this week, calling for the immediate convening of a National Forum on Combating Hate Crimes, Terrorism, and Antisemitism.

This forum should bring together federal, provincial, and municipal leaders alongside law enforcement and legal experts to coordinate a national response. This Forum we are calling for is not in order to be a talk shop. A listening session. Or a photo op.

It is to decide on concrete actions to combat Jew hatred.

Being told by the political sector that the police have all the tools in the toolbox to tackle the rise of antisemitism and then being told by police that they do not feel the political sector have their back is unacceptable. Same with being told that prosecutors do not see that there is a pressing issue. The ‘passing the buck’ around must stop.

All levels of government must work together. Laws already on the books should be utilized. And if we identify that there are gaps in legislation, let’s adopt the necessary laws.

If the issue is training – of law enforcement, of the judiciary, of the Bar — let’s fix that. If the issue is resources, let’s identify where we need more.

We need a cross-jurisdiction approach. We need a unified approach, including when hate speech prosecution should be greenlit by the provincial Attorney Generals.

More arrests should be made. More charges must be laid. Legal action must be taken.

Canada also needs to address the growing radicalization within our society.

The terror attack that was stopped in Ottawa, on Parliament Hill, targeting a planned peaceful Jewish gathering shows how dangerous the situation is.

The glorification of terrorist acts and symbols of terror on Canadian streets cannot be allowed to continue. This is not merely a matter of speech—it is a matter of security.

We must send a clear message that the glorification of violence has no place in Canada. This requires concrete action from all levels of government to ban these symbols and hold accountable those who embolden extremists.

This is not just a Jewish issue. This is a Canadian issue. Antisemitism undermines the freedoms and safety of all Canadians. It is a cancer that eats away at the very fabric of who we are—a diverse, inclusive, and tolerant nation. To protect Jewish Canadians, and to protect the values of freedom, justice, and equality that define us, we must act now.

The recent attempted assassination of former Attorney General & Justice Minister Irwin Cotler is another stark reminder of the grave consequences of inaction. Cotler, a human rights icon, a Canadian treasure, should not need to be protected like the Prime minister of Canada.

We cannot afford to wait until violence and hate reach unthinkable levels. We must act before it is too late.

The time for inaction has passed. The time for strong leadership, decisive action, and a commitment to the safety of all Canadians is today.