Hon. Pierre J. Dalphond: I intend to vote in favour of this motion moved by Senator Housakos, which I supported and continue to support. This is not a political issue for me. This is not the time nor the place to decide what is happening in the Middle East. These are serious issues. What we need to talk about is anti-Semitism in Canada, and that is a non-partisan issue.
Honourable senators, I rise as a seconder of Senator Housakos’s motion to condemn anti-Semitism in Canada and around the world.
Hatred and hateful perceptions of Jewish people go back many centuries. The author Robert Wistrich called anti-Semitism “the longest hatred.” Yet, we still have not fully grasped the lesson that history has taught us time and again: The most extreme manifestations of hatred do not happen overnight. They are the culmination of a series of events that society witnesses and fails to confront.
Colleagues, anti-Semitism is a kind of cancer that must be eradicated at its first sign. Failure to respond quickly can lead to the worst consequences.
This was true of the Holocaust, a deliberate, organized, state‑sponsored persecution and genocide of 6 million Jews living in Europe. The alarm bells sounded well before the Nazi regime implemented the final solution, a campaign of annihilation that would take the lives of two out of every three European Jews.
Upon assuming power, Hitler stripped Jews of their property and their positions in academia, the judiciary, the military and the civil service. Then came the Nuremberg Laws, enshrining in law discrimination against Jewish people.
On Kristallnacht in November 1938, more than 250 synagogues were destroyed, innumerable Jewish businesses and homes were vandalized and destroyed, 91 people were murdered and some 30,000 Jewish men were sent to Nazi concentration camps. Still, the world did not act quickly and decisively. This genocide and the collective failure to respond to it quickly will forever stain human history. In the wake of the Holocaust, humanity vowed, “never again.” Sadly, however, anti-Semitism continues to poison the minds of many people around the world today.
Unfortunately, Canada has not been shielded against the resurgence of anti-Semitism. Last year in Montreal, we saw firebombings of a synagogue and a Jewish community centre. We saw Montreal’s oldest synagogue defaced with Nazi signs. In May in Toronto and Montreal, we saw shots fired at Jewish schools. This resulted in parents becoming afraid to send their kids to school.
I met with representatives of Jewish communities in Montreal and Toronto who spoke to me about their fears and the prevailing insecurity for them and their children. This month in Toronto, on the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, we again saw shots fired at the same Jewish girls’ elementary school. It breaks my heart that anyone wanted to terrify students — children — and their families because they are Jewish. These incidents are only the tip of the iceberg.
According to Statistics Canada, in 2023 there were 900 police-reported hate crimes against Jewish people, representing a 71% increase from the previous year. In October 2024, Statistics Canada data for the first two quarters indicated that our Jewish neighbours were the number one overall group to be targeted in reported hate crimes, making up 17.6% of the total.
Colleagues, we know all too well that incidents of hate have risen since the atrocities of the October 7 terrorist attacks last year. New acts of hate seem to happen constantly, but let’s all be united in saying that this hatred and violence have no place in Canada or anywhere. Our country is a society of Charter values, where freedom of speech is protected to sustain respectful dialogue. However, hate speech, intimidation and threats have no place in our country.
At this difficult time, we must listen to Deborah Lyons, Canada’s Special Envoy on Preserving Holocaust Remembrance and Combatting Antisemitism. As I referenced in a statement in May in a joint interview with Amira Elghawaby, Canada’s Special Representative on Combatting Islamophobia, Ms. Lyons said:
Amira and I work very closely together, and I think it’s important that we demonstrate to Canadians that, even during a time of fracture and pain, we as Canadians come together — based on our Canadian values — compassionately, respectfully, to work together, even when we disagree, but to work together toward the kind of Canada we want to have.
Despite that appeal, we have to recognize that many people of the Jewish faith in Canada still live in constant fear, whether in the streets, on campuses or elsewhere.
As I said, anti-Semitism is a cancer that must be eradicated from our society. What can we do to combat anti-Semitism and support our Jewish fellow citizens?
As I was reflecting on this, I was moved by an interview broadcast on Radio-Canada last May. Author Lawrence Hill said:
These are very serious times, and I find that sometimes it’s easier for some people to hate than to love. But loving is what you have to do.
Colleagues, I agree with Mr. Hill that love can vanquish hate. Love must spread through education, dialogue and empathy. We are all responsible for building bridges as parliamentarians, as neighbours, as teachers, as coaches, as friends and as fellow citizens. This is what our Canada must be, and we must never let racism and hatred build walls between us.
As the Torah says in Leviticus 19:18: “Love your neighbour as yourself.”
To Jewish people — in Canada, in Israel and around the world — I speak for many when I say that there should be no place where anti-Semitism can hide and instill hatred. The better angels of humanity wish for your safety, peace and peace of mind.
Though my focus is not on current events in the Middle East, I must add that any positive depiction of the terrorist attacks of October 7 is despicable and un-Canadian. The celebration of murder, rape, torture, hostage taking and other atrocities must never be tolerated in our society.
Sadly, we have seen this disgrace occur in Canada since October 7 of last year. Canadians are entitled to scrutinize Israel’s conduct of hostilities and the policies of its government, just as Israelis do — as in any robust democracy. However, the acts of glorification and support for Hamas seen since October 7 are an entirely different and disturbing matter.
We are collectively responsible for sounding the alarm and taking action when legitimate discussion or criticism of Israeli government policy or conduct crosses the line into anti-Semitism or the marginalization of our Jewish neighbours. In some cases criminal prosecutions may be justified, but the most effective response must be respectful dialogue between those holding different views on these events and finding ways to restore peace.
We should also be united in calling for the safety and immediate release of all hostages. Fathers, mothers and children must be returned to their families. This is the only option if you believe in love.
As you know, colleagues, our country is home to the third-largest Jewish population outside of Israel. The immense contributions of Jewish Canadians have enriched our democracy and our multicultural society.
I think of Bora Laskin, a labour law icon and the first Jewish man appointed to our Supreme Court of Canada and was the Chief Justice of Canada when I had the honour to clerk at the Supreme Court.
I think of the Honourable Irwin Cotler, our former minister of justice and a human rights icon with whom I have the honour to work from time to time on international human rights issues.
I think of Rosalie Abella, a champion for women’s rights and equality for all, the first Jewish woman appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada and the first refugee appointed to the bench in Canada.
I think of the Right Honourable Herb Gray, a former deputy prime minister and the first Jewish federal cabinet minister in Canada.
I think of the Honourable Marc Gold, our second Government Representative in the Senate, as well as his father, the late Alan Gold, Chief Justice of the Superior Court of Québec from 1983 to 1992.
I think of Minister Ya’ara Saks, the first dual Canadian-Israeli citizen in the federal cabinet. I think of Barbara, Linda and David Frum. Former senator Linda Frum was a distinguished member of this chamber with whom it was always a pleasure to work. I think of Bobbie Rosenfeld, Leonard Cohen, Mordecai Richler, Neve Campbell, Eugene and Dan Levy, William Shatner and Seth Rogen.
Our society has come a long way since 1807. That year, fellow Quebecer Ezekiel Hart was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada, making him the second Jewish person elected to office in the British Empire. However, he was not allowed to take his seat because of his faith. It was only decades later, in 1832, that the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada granted Jewish people political rights.
In 1926, McGill University adopted an informal ban on Hebrew students from outside of Quebec. In 1934, interns at the Notre-Dame Hospital in Montreal went on strike, the first medical strike in Canada, to demand the resignation of Dr. Sam Rabinovitch because he was Jewish. Think about the refusal to let the passengers of the MS St. Louis — including over 900 German Jews — disembark and enter Canada, forcing them to return to Europe in 1939. The Nazis murdered 254 of them in the Holocaust. That fact will haunt Canada forever.
However, no society is beyond redemption. Montreal’s Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights reminds us of our ideals and of progress towards equality and justice for all people, as well as the need to denounce all forms of fundamental human rights violations.
Sadly, the fraught and heated Canada we sometimes see since last year in our cities is not our country at its best. We as senators should do our part to restore respectful relations and dialogue between all communities in our country.
I’m glad to the hear the Standing Senate Committee on Human Rights will soon initiate a study on anti-Semitism in Canada.
In this effort, I agree with our Special Envoy on Preserving Holocaust Remembrance and Combatting Antisemitism and former ambassador to Israel, Ms. Lyons, when she said, “No greater remedy to the antisemitism threat than a full effort on education for all ages.”
This includes teaching Canadians, especially youth, about the horrors of the Holocaust. Indeed, the fact that young people lead in Holocaust skepticism in Canada shows us just how much work needs to be done.
Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center, observes:
. . . Many youths today regard history not in the sense of where they have come from, but rather as a bygone series of events that are “past,” while they themselves are living “post.” This viewpoint is dangerous in that it is disjunctive rather than connective.
In addition to Holocaust education, there is also a vital need for learning around contemporary forms of anti-Semitism. On this point, I was very pleased to learn that — just today and thanks to the leadership of the special envoy — Canada has published a new guide to combat anti-Semitism, which is available online. I know I cannot use it because it would — but the Canadian Handbook on the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism is already available now on the website.
In drafting the handbook, over 100 individuals were consulted, including Jewish community leaders, the Canadian delegation to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, or IHRA, rabbis, academics, teachers, lawyers, civil servants, political staff and law enforcement personnel. Numerous experts on anti‑Semitism were included in the consultations.
The rise of anti-Semitism in Canada is a cancer that demands an immediate response using various means.
Of course, our schools need to educate kids about the dangers of anti-Semitism and the horrors of the Holocaust, and police and prosecutors need to be trained on how to deal with hate speech, but all leaders, whether they are religious, political or community leaders, also need to adopt responsible behaviours.
We also need more tools to help us identify and combat all forms of anti-Semitism, like the handbook we published today. The office of the special envoy, Ms. Lyons, is also partnering with government agencies to gather information and research. She is in touch with researchers and organizations across the country.
In adopting this motion, we are also asking her to convene a second National Summit on Antisemitism in a timely manner, as a complement to her current efforts on other aspects of the strategy to combat anti-Semitism.
However, this work is not her responsibility alone.
Everyone, but especially senators, given our special role of protecting minorities within our society, should hold our Canadian values high and encourage respectful dialogue, not hate. Our chief concern should be to build bridges, not walls, between communities.
The fight against anti-Semitism must be multi-pronged, involving education, research, publications, conferences, public awareness campaigns, including on social media, and, in some cases, criminal and civil prosecution. No tool must be overlooked in the fight against this scourge that is not only an attack on our Canadian values, but a threat to our fellow Canadians of the Jewish faith.
It is in this spirit that I, along with my colleague Senator Housakos, whom I thank once again, drafted the motion we are seized with today. I urge you to consider it as a means of drawing Canadians’ attention to the rise of anti-Semitism in Canada and the urgent need to address it.
Thank you, shalom.