Annual Audit of AntiSemitic Incidents 2019

The Annual Audit serves as the authoritative document on antisemitism in Canada. It is regularly cited by media outlets, public officials, NGOs, and government bodies.

April 27, 2020

B’NAI BRITH CANADA

For the past five years, there has been a disturbing upward trend in antisemitism across Canada, with 2019 being the fourth consecutive record-setting year. This represents a significant increase of 8.1% compared with 2018. The 2,207 incidents that transpired in 2019 amounted to over 6 antisemitic incidents occurring every day.

The most dramatic spikes occurred in Ontario and Quebec, where there were 62.8% and 12.3% more incidents, respectively, than in 2018. While the Prairie and Atlantic regions experienced decreases in incidents, their numbers remained higher than where they were before 2017, suggesting a new baseline trend.

B’nai Brith Canada has been documenting antisemitic incidents for nearly 40 years. In recent years, there has been an increase in antisemitic harassment, vandalism, and violence. While online hatred accounts for most of the antisemitic harassment in Canada, face-to-face harassment almost doubled in 2019 – growing from 8.6% to 16.8%.

Both forms of harassment skyrocketed at primary and secondary schools. Jewish students have been mocked for their backgrounds and have experienced both denial and distortion of the Holocaust, despite the ostensibly mandatory provision of Holocaust education throughout Canada. This is all the more shocking given a recent study by the Azrieli Foundation, which found that a fifth of Canadians under 34 either have not heard of the
Holocaust or were unsure of whether they had. A further one in four Canadians could not name a single Nazi concentration camp. Such circumstances create ripe conditions for Holocaust deniers to spread their venom among Canada’s young and impressionable citizens.

We have seen private homes, public spaces, high schools and universities defaced with Nazi imagery and antisemitic conspiracy theories. Individual students and student organizations were harassed, discriminated
against, and, in some cases, attacked on university campuses. Jews were beaten on Canadian streets – similar to alarming trends seen in the United States and Europe. Moreover, antisemitic and discriminatory policies
were enacted in Canada, such as Quebec’s Bill 21, which overtly discriminates against Jews, Muslims, Sikhs and others who wear religious articles by limiting their opportunities in the public sector. Such developments paint a very unpleasant picture, which should alarm all Canadians.

Canadian society must not tolerate prejudice or hatred of any kind. Doing so would be antithetical to the Canadian values that bring us together as a nation. We hear regularly from Canadians of all backgrounds and faiths that antisemitism and discrimination hurt their sensibilities. We know there are more who oppose antisemitism than support its promulgation. The pages that follow are stark in content, but there is reason to be optimistic. Much has been done to combat antisemitism in Canada, and our work will continue unabated. Now more than ever, Canadians must maintain their resolve to combat and eliminate this scourge.

Read in full: Annual Audit of AntiSemitic Incidents 2019