The increase in antisemitism in Canada following Hamas's attack on the Supernova music festival on October 7, 2023, which resulted in the deaths of 1,200 people and the abduction of 251, has become strikingly evident. According to statistics from B'nai Brith Canada, out of 6,800 antisemitic incidents reported in 2025, 6,248 were reported online. These statistics are based on incidents directly reported to the organization and include various behaviors such as online harassment.
Decrease in Hate Crimes, Yet Still Above Pre-October 7 Levels
According to the latest statistics released by Statistics Canada in July 2026, reported hate crimes against Canadian Jews decreased to 788 in 2025, which is 16 percent lower than the 943 cases in 2024. This decrease is part of a national trend of reducing religious hate crimes that year. However, these figures remain significantly higher than pre-October 7 levels and indicate an increase of about 60 percent from 2021 to 2025. The Jewish community in Canada, as the primary target of religious hate crimes, constituted nearly 70 percent of all reported religious crimes to the police in 2024 and 2025.
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Impact of Foreign Policies and Inadequate Accountability
A study in 2026 by sociologists Robert Brym and Rhonda Lenton shows that some Canadians attribute the rise in hostilities to Israel's military response in Gaza, which has resulted in approximately 71,000 Palestinian casualties. This situation has also intensified political polarization surrounding the conflict. Meanwhile, a federal intelligence report indicates that threats against the Jewish community have increased since the onset of the Israel, Iran, and United States conflicts in February 2026, with online radicalism exacerbating the risk.
This rise in antisemitism is a serious concern for Canada, and the country's response to this phenomenon reflects not only our civil health but also the security of each of the communities. Deborah Lyons, Canada's Special Envoy for Holocaust Remembrance and Combating Antisemitism from 2023 to 2025, has been a prominent voice in this regard. She emphasized that the impact of hate crimes on Jews is significantly more severe than on other ethnic, racial, or religious groups in Canada.
According to reports from the House of Commons and Senate committees, government responses to this situation have yielded mixed results. In December 2024, the House of Commons Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights, chaired by Lena Metlege Diab, presented a plan to combat antisemitism in Canada that included 19 key recommendations. Additionally, in April 2026, the Senate Standing Committee on Human Rights published a report with 22 recommendations, the first of which called for the revival of the special envoy position for Holocaust remembrance and combating antisemitism.
Responses to these reports have largely been unsatisfactory and raised questions about the effectiveness of the efforts made. To genuinely combat antisemitism in Canada, there is a need for an immediate and sustainable multi-faceted approach that includes collaboration with provinces to coordinate in educational, judicial, and other key areas.
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