Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said his country is facing a “crisis of antisemitism.”
In a speech at Holy Blossom Temple in Toronto Monday, Carney announced the creation of a ministerial advisory council to combat antisemitism in Canada.
“Canada’s civic compact is failing Jewish Canadians. It’s severe and it demands a targeted response and that is what our government is fully committed to,” Carney said.
“The horror and shame are global. Our actions must be local,” he added.
“They start with clearly admitting that Canada’s civic compact is failing Jewish Canadians.”
Carney said more than two-thirds of all hate crimes motivated by religion in the country were directed toward Jewish Canadians, who make up only 1% of the population.
A report issued this year by a Canadian Senate committee concluded that antisemitism has increased significantly across Canada in recent years, The New York Times reported.
Gunfire damaged three synagogues in Toronto and Vaughan in March. Two people have been charged with two of the shootings, Toronto police said.
