Ministers Unveil National Plan to Tackle Antisemitism
The Honourable Gary Anandasangaree, Minister of Public Safety and the Honourable Sean Fraser, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency today issued the following statement:
"Antisemitism is unacceptable and has no place in Canada. We must stand united against hatred in all its forms by promoting accountability, education, and solidarity. No one should live in fear because of their religious, ethnic or cultural identity.
"Recent events abroad have underscored the urgency of this work. The horrific mass shooting at Bondi Beach in Australia, where fifteen people were killed during a Hanukkah celebration in a terrorist attack, is a stark reminder of the deadly consequences of antisemitism and violent extremism. Canada stands with the people of Australia and the Jewish community as they mourn this tragedy."
"Last year, the Government of Canada convened the National Forum on Combatting Antisemitism. The Forum reinforced a national and collective sense of urgency towards action, and ended with a Statement of Intent. This statement reaffirmed a collective commitment to address hate crimes targeting Jewish Canadians and all people in Canada, and the joint responsibility to combat all forms of hate-motivated crimes through decisive, coordinated, and focused actions. Following the Forum, the Government of Canada also pledged to support communities at risk of hate-motivated crimes through a number of actions.
"The National Commitments to Combat Antisemitism, released today, represent a significant milestone in a pan-Canadian approach to preventing and addressing hate and protecting affected communities. These commitments are the direct result of discussions that took place during the National Forum, and were developed in collaboration with federal, provincial, territorial, and municipal partners, as well as law enforcement.
"The Commitments include:
"The National Commitments follow the work of Canada's Action Plan on Combatting Hate, which provides the overarching framework for addressing hate in all its forms, including antisemitism. It also brings together initiatives to empower communities to prevent hate, support victims and survivors, protect communities and build community trust, partnerships and readiness.
"In support of these commitments, the Government of Canada introduced Bill C-9, the Combatting Hate Act, on September 19, 2025. Proposed amendments to the Criminal Code would:
"In addition, changes to the Criminal Code in Bill C-9 would codify a definition of "hatred" to clarify when conduct constitutes a hate crime. Finally, the law would streamline the process to lay hate propaganda charges by removing the requirement to obtain the Attorney General's consent.
"The Government of Canada will continue to work with all levels of government and with partners to track our collective efforts and will release a public report on progress on a semi-annual basis."
https://www.canada.ca/en/public-safety-canada/news/2026/01/ministers-anandasangaree-and-fraser-present-national-commitments-to-combat-antisemitism.html
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